Players are Making a Good DOTA 2 Tutorial Because Valve Won't

DOTA 2 is one of the most successful video games out there: while not often headlining anything, it’s undoubtedly one of Valves big moneymakers, and it routinely produces some of the highest payouts in eSports history, with millions of dollars being channeled from Valve’s swollen bank account to esports players around the globe. So one would think that DOTA 2 would be the last game in need of handouts, but it seems you’re wrong: because community member and streamer SirActionSlacks has decided to throw down 25k — his own gosh-darn cash — to make a DOTA 2 tutorial that doesn’t suck butt.

Apparently — and this is news to me — DOTA 2’s tutorial is infamously awful, routinely outdated, and generally useless as a way of teaching people how to play the game. Because of this, new players need to either rely on streamers, youtube tutorials, or the patient guidance of a more experienced friend to actually learn how to play one of the most popular MOBA’s of all time. Valve doesn’t seem to think this is an issue, but SirActionSlacks sure does, and so he’s decided to do the thing I already mentioned. Making his own tutorial, I mean.

The goal is to have it done in a month, so it’ll be ready in time for DOTA 2’s anime launch on Netflix, which will presumably bring an influx of new players into the fold. The 25k, meanwhile, is being raised to pay the modders who’ll need to work overtime in order to produce the tutorial by then. And while SirActionSlacks is spearheading the effort, he’s also asking for community contributions, which is what this lovely IndieGoGo page is for.

The complication, such as it is, is that you need to play 30 basic games of DOTA 2 before you can play a custom map, which this player-made Tutorial definitely is. Which means the fundraiser has a dual purpose: to get Valve’s attention so they can either get rid of this limitation for the player-made tutorial, or get their official support so this new and improved tutorial becomes “canon”.

If Valve were like Nintendo, this would be a waste of time. But Valve… they just might do it. So keep it up, guys: there’s hope yet.