How to Last Hit and Deny in Dota 2

Creeps are the small units that walk down each lane. When an enemy creep dies, the hero that landed the killing blow, the last hit, gets its gold. Experience is shared by nearby heroes, but gold goes only to the one who finishes the creep.

So the goal is not to attack constantly, but to wait until a creep is low enough and hit it at exactly the right time. A hero that last hits well is far richer than one that does not, even if they never fight.

You can attack your own creeps when they are low on health. If you land the killing blow, you deny it: the enemy loses the gold and gets less experience. A good deny hurts the enemy and keeps the lane from being pushed toward you.

Denies matter most in the first minutes, when every bit of gold counts. If you cannot last hit, deny. Either way, the enemy should not get an easy hit.

1. Watch the health bar, not your hero. Learn how much damage one of your attacks does, and attack when the creep is just below that.
2. Know your attack timing. Your hero swings before the damage lands, and ranged heroes fire a projectile that takes time to arrive. Start the attack early enough so that it lands when the creep is almost dead.
3. Stay in range, but not in danger. Stand where you can reach the creeps without being in range of an enemy hero or tower.
4. Let enemy creeps come to you. If you stand near your tower, the fight happens in a place where you are safer.
5. Do not attack the enemy hero by accident. Attacking an enemy hero within range can pull the enemy creeps onto you, which hurts your health and your last hits.

A new wave leaves each base every 30 seconds. A wave has melee creeps, which die faster, and a ranged creep, which is worth more gold and is the one to prioritise. Later waves add a siege creep that gives even more.

Look at who is closest to dying. Take the ranged creep when you can, and deny a melee creep when you cannot reach the enemy’s.

• Use Hero Demo mode in the Dota 2 client to test any hero for free.
• Play a few practice matches against bots with only one goal: more last hits.
• Choose a hero with a simple attack, such as Wraith King or Juggernaut, so you can learn the timing without extra abilities.
• Check your last-hit count at 10 minutes and try to beat it next game.

• Attacking creeps at full health and pushing the lane toward the enemy tower.
• Chasing a last hit and walking into an enemy’s range.
• Forgetting to deny when you are far behind.
• Staring only at the creeps and missing the minimap. See common beginner mistakes.