Dota 2 is a game of milliseconds and ultra-efficiency. Being able to react by a split second could be the difference between staying alive and dying, between winning and losing. Hence, it is important to have every arsenal in your favor, including in-game settings that can make or break your MMR.
In this article, I will discuss 25 Dota 2 Settings that can help you take your game to the next level.
25. Select Courier
The Problem: You’re still pressing the courier icon on the HUD to find your courier
How it Solves the Problem: Binds a hotkey to select your courier allows you to control it with just one click
- Less time spent buying items
- Quicker delivery of items
- Most players probably use this setting already, so if you still don’t have on you are at a severe disadvantage
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click the Hotkeys Tab
- Look for “Select Courier” under Shop Actions
- Select “Select Courier” and add your preferred hotkey
24. Teleport Requires Hold/Stop to Cancel
The Problem: Teleport often gets canceled accidentally
How it Solves the Problem: Requires you to click your Hold or Stop hotkey to cancel your teleport. Other actions do not cancel teleport.
- Avoid costly accidental cancellation of teleports
- Allows you to spam your next action keys towards your TP location (e.g., Blink, BKB, etc.) without canceling your TP
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click the Options Tab
- Look for “Teleport Requires Hold/Stop to Cancel” under Game
- Enable “Teleport Requires Hold/Stop to Cancel”
23. Alt Modifier
The Problem: You’re not used to using the Alt key on your keyboard
How it Solves the Problem: It allows you to bind another key as a replacement for Alt
- Alt is a major pseudo-action button in Dota 2 and it is often used in-game
- Allows you to use a key that you’re comfortable with instead of forcing you to hit Alt every time
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click the Hotkeys Tab
- Click “To Advanced Options” on the lower part of the tab
- Look for “Alt Modifier” under Interface
- Click “Alt Modifier” and add your hotkey
22. Open Shop
The Problem: You’re still clicking the shop icon to open the shop
How it Solves the Problem: It allows you to bind a key to open the shop wherever your hero is
- Makes buying convenient and fast
- Allows you to buy items quickly especially when you are about to die
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click the Hotkeys Tab
- Click “To Advanced Hotkeys” on the lower part of the tab
- Look for “Open Shop” under Shop Actions
- Click “Open Shop” and add your hotkey
21. Purchase Sticky
The Problem: You’re still buying TP from the shop
How it Solves the Problem: It allows you to buy a TP just by clicking a button
- Allows you to quickly buy TP every time you need one.
- TP is one of the most important items and you’ll need to have it every single second of the game.
- Suggestion: Use MouseWheelUp for buying your TP
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click the Hotkeys Tab
- Click “To Advanced Hotkeys” on the lower part of the tab
- Look for “Purchase Sticky” under Shop Actions
- Click “Purchase Sticky” and add your hotkey
20. Purchase Quickbuy
The Problem: When you have enough gold and it’s time to buy your item, that will be the first time that you will look for the item in the shop
How it Solves the Problem: Using a Quickbuy Hotkey, you can plan your next item and reserve it on the HUD so you can quickly buy it
- This makes buying your next items faster, as you won’t have to open the shop again and again
- This creates a mental image for you about how you are doing in the game in terms of networth
- Allows you to buy items fast especially if you are about to die and lose your gold
- Suggestion: Use MouseWheelDown for buying your items. This is especially useful when buying multiple items at once.
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click the Hotkeys Tab
- Look for “Purchase Quickbuy” under Shop Actions
- Click “Purchase Quickbuy” and add your hotkey
19. Courier Shield
The Problem: You are unable to click the Courier Shield on time and your courier dies with your item in it
How it Solves the Problem: By adding a courier shield hotkey, you can enable the shield faster
- This is crucial especially if nearby enemy heroes can kill your courier
- Avoids your courier from dying alongside with your items in it
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click the Hotkeys Tab
- Click “To Advanced Hotkeys” on the lower part of the tab
- Look for “Courier Shield” in the Shop Actions
- Click “Courier Shield” and add your preferred hotkey
18. Courier Burst
The Problem: You are still clicking the burst icon on your courier, or you just don’t utilize the burst at all.
How it Solves the Problem: By adding a courier burst hotkey, you can activate the speed burst for your courier faster.
- I’ve seen a lot of players never activate their courier burst.
- By adding a courier burst hotkey, you create that mental map in your mind to use it.
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click the Hotkeys Tab
- Click “To Advanced Hotkeys” on the lower part of the tab
- Look for “Courier Burst” in the Shop Actions
- Click “Courier Burst” and add your preferred hotkey
17. Legacy Keys or Unit Specific Hotkeys?
The Problem: You are a new player and want to learn the legacy keys
How it Solves the Problem: Studying the Legacy Keys can be extremely hard especially if you haven’t played Dota 1 wherein Legacy Keys are the main skill buttons.
- You can get unit-specific hotkeys and bind each skill with a button you are comfortable in.
- Allows you to better familiarize yourself with skill key binds, especially for your main pool of heroes.
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click the Hotkeys Tab
- Click “To Advanced Hotkeys” on the lower part of the tab
- Look for “Use Legacy Keys” in Hotkeys Options
- Disable “Use Legacy Keys”
- Click “To Basic Hotkeys” on the lower part of the tab
- Enable “Unit Specific Hotkeys” on the upper part of the tab
16. Item Quick Cast
The Problem: You are Mr. Slow Hands and you want to improve your in-game response time and dish out active items faster
How it Solves the Problem: By enabling item quick casting, your in-game response time for using targeted active items is faster (e.g., Blink, Sheepstick, Meteor Hammer, Eul’s, Ethereal Blade, Dagon, Urn, etc.)
- If you are not quick casting, you are essentially doing two separate actions to make your desired move – that is, your hotkey plus left click.
- If you are quick-casting, you remove the need for left-clicking, thus making your actions in-game a lot faster.
- Extremely useful for Blink-out scenarios
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click the Hotkeys Tab
- Click “To Advanced Hotkeys” on the lower part of the tab
- Look for “Enable Advanced Quickcast/Autocast Hotkeys” under Hotkeys Options
- Enable “Enable Advanced Quickcast/Autocast Hotkeys”
- Click “To Basic Hotkeys” on the lower part of the tab
- Click “Quickcast” under Items
15. Skill Quick Cast
The Problem: Same thing, except this one is on skills.
How it Solves the Problem: Since a lot of heroes have target-specific spells, having a skill quick cast will boost your gameplay a whole lot better.
- Same concept with Item Quick Cast
- Extremely useful for disables and stuns
- Some skills are somehow hard to cast perfectly with Quick Cast, such as Chrono, Bramble Maze, Split Earth, etc. You can turn it off when using those heroes.
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Enable “Enable Quickcast” under Abilities
14. Neutral Item Hotkey
The Problem: You are still clicking target-specific and active Neutral Items
How it Solves the Problem: Since there are active and target-specific neutral items (e.g., Trusty Shovel, Essence Ring, Vambrace, Bullwhip, Psychic Headband, Fallen Sky, etc.) it is crucial to bind a hotkey to activate these.
- Faster usage of neutral items
- Extremely useful for neutral items that are often used in teamfights (Essence Ring, Spider Legs, Trickster Cloak, Fallen Sky, etc.)
How To Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click the Neutral Item Slot under Items
- Add your preferred hotkey
13. Teleport Hotkey
The Problem: You are still clicking your teleport icon in the HUD to teleport.
- How it Solves the Problem: Allows you to teleport faster via pressing a hotkey.
- Almost all players have this, so if you don’t have one, you are playing at a severe disadvantage.
- Extremely useful during an escape
How To Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click the Teleport Scroll Slot under Items
- Add your preferred hotkey
12. Space Bar and Mouse as Hotkey
The Problem: Well, technically it’s not a problem. But a lot of players, especially pros, have space bar and mouse buttons as their hotkey, and you might want to try incorporating it in your game.
How it Solves the Problem: Space bar and mouse buttons help you have a faster response time since it is very easy to click.
- Players typically have their left thumb near the space bar which allows faster clicking.
- Mouse buttons (such as M4, M5, Mousewheel) are also very easy and fast to click.
How to Apply:
- You can attach the space bar and mouse button hotkeys to any action that you often use.
11. Toggle Auto Attack
The problem: You want to change your Auto-Attack in-game without having to go to the Dota 2 Settings.
How it Solves the Problem: By enabling Toggle Auto-Attack, you can activate or deactivate it in-game with ease.
- Useful for heroes that you may want to change auto-attack while in-game (e.g., illusion heroes)
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click the Hotkeys Tab
- Click “To Advanced Hotkeys” on the lower part of the tab
- Look for “Toggle Auto Attack” under Unit Actions
- Click “Toggle Auto Attack” and indicate your preferred hotkey
10. Select All Controlled Units
The Problem: You have no way of selecting all controlled units except box-selecting.
How it Solves the Problem: Box selecting is useful in some cases, but most of the time, it is inefficient.
- By adding a hotkey, you can select all your controlled units.
- Useful for heroes with illusions and summons (e.g., Phantom Lancer, Naga Siren, Nature’s Prophet, etc.)
- Very useful after using Manta Style
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click the Hotkeys Tab
- Click “Select All Controlled Units” under Unit Actions and indicate your preferred hotkey
9. Select All Other Units
The Problem: You have no way of selecting all other controlled units except box-selecting.
How it Solves the Problem: Box selecting is often hard to use for selecting all other units.
- By adding a hotkey, you can select all your other controlled units outside of your main hero.
- Very useful for heroes with illusions and summons (e.g., Nature’s Prophet, Shadow Demon, Phantom Lancer, Terrorblade, etc.)
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click the Hotkeys Tab
- Click “To Advanced Hotkeys” on the lower part of the tab
- Look for “Select All Other Units” under Unit Actions and indicate your preferred hotkey
8. Control Groups
The Problem: You want to control a particular unit but have no way of doing so except for clicking it.
How it Solves the Problem: By adding hotkeys to select particular units, you can efficiently control them in-game.
- Extremely useful for baiting Phantom Lancer’s Tanky Illusion after Doppelganger
- Useful for other heroes with multiple units as well (e.g., Meepo)
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Look for Control Groups on the Lower Right part of the settings
- For each group (which represents the units you will group), you can indicate a separate hotkey
7. Double Tap Ability to Self-Cast and Smart Double Tap
The Problem: You’re a little slow on self-cast abilities and items.
How it Solves the Problem: By pressing Alt (or if any other hotkey if you have modified alt) plus the hotkey of the ability or item, you auto-cast skills that can be cast upon yourself (e.g. Eul’s, Ethereal Blade, Astral Imprisonment, Press the Attack, etc.).
- When you get used to this setting, this gives you a huge spike in your response time on using self-casted actions.
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click Options
- Look for “Smart Double Tap” and “Double Tab Ability to Self-Cast” under Game
- Enable both
6. Right Click to Force Attack
The Problem: This isn’t essentially a problem but it’s more of a preference.
How it Solves the Problem: With this setting enabled, right-clicking your allied units forces you to attack them.
- I use this method to deny.
- I find it useful for managing the lane, holding the creeps near the tower, and maintaining equilibrium (meaning the creeps from both teams end up at the same area again and again).
- I hold down my right-click button to allied creeps that are losing health and are about to reach the minimum threshold for denying.
- Again, this is just a personal preference, but this has honestly been very useful for me. Some players do not use this because they often misclick the allied units, making unwanted movements.
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click Options
- Look for “Right Click to Force Attack” under Game
- Enable “Right Click to Force Attack”
5. Quick Attack
The Problem: You are clicking your left mouse button to finish an attack action.
How it Solves the Problem: When this setting is enabled, pressing the attack key will trigger an attack at the location of the cursor.
- This makes your in-game response time better
- Makes your overall gameplay simpler by lessening the burden to click the left mouse button
- Makes last-hitting creeps easier
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click Options
- Look for “Quick Attack” under Game
- Enable “Quick Attack”
4. Quick Move
The Problem: You are clicking your left mouse button to finish a move action.
How it Solves the Problem: When this setting is enabled, pressing the move key will trigger a move command at the location of the mouse cursor.
- This is useful for following your allies
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click Options
- Look for “Quick Move” under Game
- Enable “Quick Move”
3. Auto Attack – Standard
The Problem: You often make unforced attacks that compromises your in-game strategy
How it Solves the Problem: By turning off auto-attack and putting the setting on standard, you will not attack if you just have moved, denied a creep, or pressed the stop or hold key.
- This setting keeps you safe from making a sudden, unforced attack which sometimes compromises what you are trying to do (e.g., staying invisible, staying hidden in trees).
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click Options
- Look for the choices of Auto Attack (Never, Standard, Always)
- Enable “Standard”
2. Directional Move
The Problem: You are having a hard time using some skills that require area-specific movements.
How it Solves the Problem: By making a hotkey for a directional move, you allow yourself to move in a direction without pathfinding.
- This is very useful for skills that require their hero to be facing in a specific direction (e.g., Shadowraze, Pounce, etc.)
How to Apply:
Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click the Hotkeys Tab
- Click “To Advanced Hotkeys” on the lower part of the tab
- Look for “Directional Move” under Unit Actions and indicate your preferred hotkey
1. Auto Repeat Right Mouse Button
The Problem: You keep pressing the right mouse button in-game for movement.
How it Solves the Problem: By enabling this setting, you hold down your right mouse button and it will act as if you are clicking it repeatedly.
- Useful for general movement
- Useful for directional movement
- Useful for getting bounties (especially the first one when people are trying to grab it against the other team)
How to Apply:
- Click Settings (Gear Icon)
- Click Options
- Click “To Advanced Options” on the lower part of the settings
- Look for “Auto-Repeat Right Mouse”
- Enable “Auto-Repeat Right Mouse”
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