Principles of HoN

OK, now the first thing that any decent HoN player should understand is the principles behind the game.

“But what exactly are principles and how can they help me enhance my playing skills?“

Well, it’s kind of hard to explain, but principles are guiding ideas that are applicable to virtually every aspect of the game and that define what course of action players should take. In other words, principles are the rational basis that creates the rules of the games by which players abide.

Wow, this looks really complicated for a game as simple as Dota. But FRET NOT! The complexity is illusory. Just read the following text and you’ll get it straight away.

Principle of Appearance

You probably have already been told the old saying “Appearances can be deceiving.” And the worst part is: that’s all true. Looking like you are something instantly makes everyone around you think you are that something. This is a social fact.

Notice how the enemy heroes keep attacking Pharaoh, even though the Moon Queen is a much weaker hero. Pharaoh’s low hp calls for everyone’s attention. People don’t even care about MQ. They just want to kill the weaker one: apparently, Pharaoh.

If you look like a loser, everyone will take you as a loser. If you look like a noob, everyone will take you as one, especially your opponents, because they’re going to be coming for you in no time. They’ll try to feed off you as much as they can.

Thence, the idea behind this logic to make yourself look as if you were a quite strong player, so that everyone around you gets instantaneously afraid of taking you on.

“Erm… how is that possible?”

First and foremost, don’t wander around with low Hp. The first thing to attract a predator is spotting an easy prey, especially a weak and frightened one. So, if you are with, say, 50% or less of your Hp, just fetch some runes of blight or a potion. Don’t let them gaze upon you and say:

“what a yummy noobie wanting to get killed.“

Don’t try to fool yourself: with half your Hp you’ll probably last no more than 1 spell and 4 hits, or maybe 2 spells. And this makes you the perfect target for two full-hp heroes urging for noob blood.

If you find yourself in a low-hp situation, go back to your base, heal up, and come back later. That’s the best course of action (COA).

Second, don’t be an asshole to your team. Help them when they’re under attack, and expect help in return. Keeping your partners alive prevents THEM from getting the upper-hand.

Third, don’t miss spells. The worst thing a player could do to their credibility is to miss an important spell. Practice as long as you must, but get the spells in.

Principle of Efficiency

This principle tells you that you always want maximize your gains, while minimizing your losses. To put it bluntly: make more money in less time, with less costs!

Despite the fact that it sounds just like a store management motto, this principle has a huge importance in the way you play HoN. This means:

• you want to make more money than THEM (your enemies);

1. Kill THEM more than THEY kill you!
2. Last hit more enemy creeps/towers to get more gold!
3. Deny more creeps/towers to avoid letting THEM get gold!

• you want to deal more damage than THEM;

1. Use the gold you earned in a proper item build!
2. Get more attacks in by disabling automatic animations!
3. If you’re a ranged hero, keep attacking your enemies from outside their range!
4. If you’re a melee hero, STOP exposing yourself to the tactic above!

• you want to kill more than THEM;

1. If you’re naturally stronger than THEM, keep pushing and pressing THEM!
2. If you’re naturally weaker, then don’t expose yourself to their attacks!
3. If you’re naturally weaker, the word teamwork should mean something to you!

• you want to cast your spells in a way you can stun/deal damage to as many of THEM as you can;

These are just some examples of how this principle is used. There are other thousands of situations you’re going to have to be efficient. There are so many situations I can’t even possibly begin to name them.

In fact, gaining more and losing less should always be your motto while playing.

Principle of Equality

If we consider that both teams have equally matched heroes, the only thing capable of determining the winner is the quality of the players. I mean, if both teams have 5 heroes, and those 5 heroes are equally powerful, then it is skill of the players that matters the most.

“Ok, that’s logical. Now how does this help me?”

Pretty simple: you have to make the game UN-equal. Don’t let the heroes be equally powerful. Choose the ones that clearly have an advantage over THEIRS. And, if you can’t give yourself the upper-hand, choose the hero you play best with.

The idea with this principle is exactly to break it in your favor. Set the stage so that you can win.

Choose heroes with abilities to counter your enemies’. Choose heroes with combos. Talk to your team when picking heroes. It is surely THE MOST important part of the game.

However skilled a team is, it can’t win if its heroes suck.

Principle of non-noob glory

Have you ever noticed that noobs usually have that idealistic, utopian sense of moral, honor and glory? Like when they refuse to concede just because that’d make them too ashamed ever to play again? Or when they’re killed and develop this need for revenge that will make them continuously try to kill the player that pwnd them? Or when they talk to you using archaic English? Or when…

If you’re a noob, don’t do this. It is not only preposterous (gosh, I need a dictionary!), but also annoying and reveals that you have no social touch. Man, if you’re losing the game and there’s no chance of winning, just concede. Do yourself and your kill-death-ratio (henceforth, KDR) a favor and stop a purposeless massacre. It saves your status and shows that you are aware that you lost and you accept it, because after all, it’s just a game.

And don’t pretend you’re living in the mid-14th century. There’s a lot of tactics going on and fantasizing about their own glory is an indulgence no player can afford.

So, if you ever feel that inner desire to act like a noob… CONTROL YOURSELF. Don’t panic and calm down. Keep your nerves. That’s how the pros win.

Principle of Potentiality

Even though people don’t seem to notice it, much of the tactics of HoN are based on potential. What does it mean? That everything that isn’t in your favor, is potentially against you.

This rule has a very simple application: ganking. Well, if some heroes are missing, how can you know they’re not behind that tree waiting to gank you? Erm… you can’t! And since there’s nothing to prove you that they’re not, you got to believe that they could be there, which means you have to take preventive measures just in case they’re there.

Just because something is uncertain, you have to automatically think of it as something bad to you. Always consider the worst possibility. The enemy heroes might not even be behind that tree waiting to gank you, but just because they could be there, you have to take several precautions.

And, after all that, you’re going to think:

“I didn’t worry because they were there, but rather because they had the potential of being there.“

That’s the idea.

Actual application of the principles

If you DID read through all that text about the importance of understanding the principles of HoN, you probably want to know how exactly they can be used in your advantage.

“You’re damn right, it’s all theoretical crap with no use in an actual game.“

Allow me to disagree. As I’ve said, the principles will offer guidance to you throughout the game, and they have virtually thousands of applications. And just to prove that to you, I’ve drawn some rules of gameplay out of the principles listed above.