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48 Laws of Power

By philophobia

Concepts applied to Dota 2.

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philophobia
In-Game
Dota 2

Category: Secrets

Languages: English

Heroes: Alchemist, Ancient Apparition, Anti-Mage, Axe, Bane, Batrider, Beastmaster, Bloodseeker, Bounty Hunter, Brewmaster, Broodmother, Centaur Warrunner, Chaos Knight, Chen, Clinkz, Clockwerk, Crystal Maiden, Dark Seer, Dazzle, Death Prophet, Disruptor, Doom, Dragon Knight, Drow Ranger, Earthshaker, Enchantress, Enigma, Faceless Void, Gyrocopter, Huskar, Invoker, Jakiro, Juggernaut, Keeper of the Light, Kunkka, Leshrac, Lich, Lifestealer, Lina, Lion, Lone Druid, Luna, Lycan, Lycanthrope, Magnus, Medusa, Meepo, Mirana, Morphling, Naga Siren, Nature's Prophet, Necrolyte, Night Stalker, Nyx Assassin, Ogre Magi, Omniknight, Outworld Destroyer, Outworld Devourer, Phantom Assassin, Phantom Lancer, Puck, Pudge, Pugna, Queen of Pain, Razor, Riki, Rubick, Sand King, Shadow Demon, Shadow Fiend, Shadow Shaman, Silencer, Skeleton King, Slardar, Slark, Sniper, Spectre, Spirit Breaker, Storm Spirit, Sven, Templar Assassin, Tidehunter, Timbersaw, Tinker, Tiny, Treant Protector, Troll Warlord, Undying, Ursa, Vengeful Spirit, Venomancer, Viper, Visage, Warlock, Weaver, Windrunner, Wisp, Witch Doctor, Zeus, Doom Bringer, Abaddon, Bristleback, Tusk, Elder Titan, Earth Spirit, Ember Spirit, Skywrath Mage

Type: Hero Build

Posted

Updated

18 Nov, 2023 @ 7:26am

18 Nov, 2023 @ 7:54am

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Guide Index

Overview

Law 1: Never Outshine the Master

Law 2: Never Put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn How to Use Enemies

Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions

Law 4: Always Say Less than Necessary

Law 5: So Much Depends on Reputation — Guard It with Your Life

Law 6: Create an Air of Mystery

Law 7: Get Others to Do the Work for You, but Always Take the Credit

Law 8: Make Other People Come to You — Use Bait if Necessary

Law 9: Win Through Your Actions, Never Through Argument

Law 10: Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky

Law 11: Learn to Keep People Dependent on You

Law 12: Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm Your Victim

Law 13: When Asking for Help, Appeal to People’s Self-Interest, Never to their Mercy or Gratitude

Law 14: Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy

Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally

Law 16: Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor

Law 17: Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability

Law 18: Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself – Isolation is Dangerous

Law: 19: Know Who You’re Dealing With – Do Not Offend the Wrong Person

Law 20: Do Not Commit to Anyone

Law 21: Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker – Seem Dumber than Your Mark

Law 22: Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power

Law 23: Concentrate Your Forces

Law 24: Play the Perfect Courtier

Law 25: Re-Create Yourself

Law 26: Keep Your Hands Clean

Law 27: Play on People's Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following

Law 28: Enter Action with Boldness

Law 29: Plan All the Way to the End

Law 30: Make Your Accomplishments Seem Effortless

Law 31: Control the Options: Get Others to Play with the Cards You Deal

Law 32: Play to People’s Fantasies

Law 33: Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew

Law 34: Be Royal in Your Own Fashion: Act Like a King to be Treated Like One

Law 35: Master the Art of Timing

Law 36: Disdain Things You Cannot Have: Ignoring Them Is the Best Revenge

Law 37: Create Compelling Spectacles

Law 38: Think as You Like but Behave Like Others

Law 39: Stir Up Waters to Catch Fish

Law 40: Despise the Free Lunch

Law 41: Avoid Stepping into a Great Man’s Shoes

Law 42: Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep Will Scatter

Law 43: Work on the Hearts and Minds of Others

Law 44: Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect

Law 45: Preach the Need for Change, but Never Reform Too Much at Once

Law 46: Never Appear Too Perfect

Law 47: Do Not Go Past the Mark You Aimed for; In Victory, Learn When to Stop

Law 48: Assume Formlessness

Comments

Law 1: Never Outshine the Master

Ensure that those above you always feel superior. Go out of your way to make your bosses look better and feel smarter than anyone else. Everyone is insecure, but an insecure boss can retaliate more strongly than others can.

Don't try to play better than players with higher rank than you, let them feel good about their own dota skills, praise their talent.

Law 2: Never Put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn How to Use Enemies

Keep a close eye on your friends — they get envious and will undermine you. If you co-opt an enemy, he’ll be more loyal than a friend because he’ll try harder to prove himself worthy of your trust.

Do not overtrust your teammates, they are capable of doing a mistake that may completely lose the game your team which you have no control over..

Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions

Always hide your true intentions. Create a smokescreen. If you keep people off-balance and in the dark, they can’t counter your efforts.

Never let enemies know what your next move is, buy the most ambigious components of the items you plan to build to not give them an idea of what item you are building, don't put any items on your quickbuy so even your allies won't know your true intentions.

Law 4: Always Say Less than Necessary

Say little and be ambiguous, leaving the meaning to others to interpret. The less you say, the more intimidating and powerful you are.

Don't say "Lets smoke." Say "smoke." so your teammates won't be able to tell if enemies smoked, or you're asking to go for a smoke gank, let them interpret and figure out what you meant themselves.

Law 5: So Much Depends on Reputation — Guard It with Your Life

Nurture and guard your reputation because reputation is integral to power. With a strong reputation, you can influence and intimidate others.

Never drop in ranks, either stay where you are or go for the next milestone, your rank is your reputation and you shall never lose it.

Law 6: Create an Air of Mystery

Be outrageous or create an aura of mystery. Any attention — positive or negative — is better than being ignored. Attention brings you wealth.

Always be the center of attention, whether by simply being the silent player doing stylish plays for your team, or the leader constantly giving calls.

Law 7: Get Others to Do the Work for You, but Always Take the Credit

Get others to do your work for you. Use their skill, time, and energy to further your ambitions while taking full credit. You’ll be admired for your efficiency.

Let someone else carry you while having zero impact entire game, and type ""gg ez solo" after the game is over.

Law 8: Make Other People Come to You — Use Bait if Necessary

Make your opponent come to you. When you force others to act, you’re in control. Bait them, then attack.

Don't try to force things around the map, play for the farming game and expect enemies to gank your team, be prepared and counterinitiate their ganks, good warding and itemization is key to successfully apply this.

Law 9: Win Through Your Actions, Never Through Argument

Demonstrate your point rather than arguing. Arguing rarely changes anyone’s mind, but people believe what they see. They’re also less likely to be offended.

Instead of getting into an argument with your teammates, mute them and play your game, let your dota skills speak for itself.

Law 10: Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky

Avoid miserable people. The perpetually miserable spread misery like an infection, and they’ll drown you in it.

Don't party queue with people that are always whiny about the game, as well as people that are on huge lose streaks.

Law 11: Learn to Keep People Dependent on You

Make your superior dependent on you. The more she needs you, the more security and freedom you have to pursue your goals.

Make sure your team is afraid to take fights without you, always be the most important hero for your team.

Law 12: Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm Your Victim

Use honesty and generosity to disarm and distract others from your schemes. Even the most suspicious people respond to acts of kindness, leaving them vulnerable to manipulation.

Always be kind to your teammates, people are more likely to listen to your calls if you're polite.

Law 13: When Asking for Help, Appeal to People’s Self-Interest, Never to their Mercy or Gratitude

When you need help from someone in a position of power, appeal to their self-interest. They’ll be glad to help if they’ll get something in return, and you’ll get what you want without seeming desperate or irritating.

When you're asking for a rank boost from a higher rank friend, never let them do it for free, gift some cosmetics or something else in return.

Law 14: Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy

Be friendly, sympathetic, and interested to get people to reveal their deepest thoughts and feelings. When you know your opponent’s secrets, you can predict his behavior and control him.

It doesn't matter if you are a rude person in real life or not, don't be rude to your teammates, remember that they want to win the match as much as you do, even if you are angry at them, don't show it at least until the game is over.

Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally

Crush your enemy completely. If you leave even one ember smoldering, it will eventually ignite. You can’t afford to be lenient.

Make sure to secure kills, don't leave an enemy in hopes of them dying to a damage overtime effect, always make sure they are dead for good.

Law 16: Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor

Once you’ve become well-known, don’t wear out your welcome. The more you’re seen and heard from, the more you cheapen your brand.

Once you singlehandedly wipe out the enemy team after a teamfight, go back to farming jungle creeps.

Law 17: Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability

Throw others off balance and unnerve them with random, unpredictable acts. You’ll gain the upper hand.

Always go for some seemingly random moves to confuse your enemies, as well as your teammates.

Law 18: Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself – Isolation is Dangerous

Never isolate yourself when under pressure. This cuts you off from information you need, and when real danger arises you won’t see it coming.

Always pay attention to whats going on in fights even when you aren't participating, this way you'll know which enemy abilities and items are on or off cooldown.

Law: 19: Know Who You’re Dealing With – Do Not Offend the Wrong Person

When attempting to deceive someone, know who you’re dealing with, so you don’t waste your time or stir up a hornets’ nest in reaction.

Don't provoke a toxic teammate to ruin/grief the game, be calm with them and convince them to play normally.

Law 20: Do Not Commit to Anyone

Don’t commit to any side or cause except yourself. By maintaining your independence, you remain in control — others will vie for your attention. You also have the ability to pit the sides against each other.

Neither be reliant on a teammates existence nor an enemies absence to win your games, it should be yourself thats winning them.

Law 21: Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker – Seem Dumber than Your Mark

Sometimes, appearing less intelligent than you are can be an advantage. It can lead others to underestimate you, giving you the element of surprise. However, this should be used carefully as it could potentially backfire and harm your reputation.

Play as if you have no clue about the game, let enemies think you are a weak link on your team, while being a serious threat secretly.

Law 22: Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power

Surrender is often seen as a sign of weakness, but it can become a strength when used strategically. By surrendering, you can buy time, preserve your resources, and even turn the tables around when the time is right.

Type "gg you can end." in all chat when the game is in a dire situation, but play as if its a TI finale and try your best to win.

Law 23: Concentrate Your Forces

Instead of trying to be everywhere and do everything, concentrate your forces on a decisive aspect. Concentration often leads to better results, Whether focusing on a specific market segment or a unique skill.

Don't make multiple game plans at once, focus on your current goal, don't buy small components of items and stack them in inventory, always be working towards a one big powerspike of an item.

Law 24: Play the Perfect Courtier

Being a perfect courtier is about navigating social situations adeptly. It involves flattering, yielding to superiors, and asserting power over others most politely and respectfully. This approach enables you to influence and win people subtly.

Make a friendly face in your team, don't cause arguments and praise them with good words when they make good plays, use your tips for actual good plays of allies instead of tipping their or enemies bad plays.

Law 25: Re-Create Yourself

You have the power to control your image and how you're perceived. By consciously shaping your persona and adapting it to suit your goals, you can re-invent yourself and take control of the narrative around you.

Become what your team needs, buy damage items if its what they need, buy utility or tankiness if they are lacking it, be the last piece of the puzzle.

Law 26: Keep Your Hands Clean

You must maintain an unblemished appearance by avoiding blame and associating yourself with noble causes, even when you are required to engage in less noble actions. This involves skillfully shifting the blame onto others and taking credit for positive outcomes. It's about managing perceptions to ensure your reputation remains untarnished.

Never be the one to get flamed in your team, if you think you're going to be the scapegoat because you're performingly poorly, quickly take a look at second worst player and find good justifications to shift the blame to them.

Law 27: Play on People's Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following

People have a psychological need to believe in something or someone. You can attract a loyal following by positioning yourself as a source of hope or answers. This, however, carries a heavy ethical responsibility and should be practiced with caution to avoid manipulation and exploitation.

If your teammates are hopeless about the outcome of the game, motivate them with good words and say things like "We can still win." to make sure they keep doing their best until the end of the game.

Law 28: Enter Action with Boldness

Hesitation or half-hearted attempts often lead to failure. When you enter any action, do it with confidence and conviction. Boldness can cover up shortcomings and often intimidates others, creating a psychological advantage.

When initiating a teamfight, or even a simple pickoff, be confident in yourself and use everything at your disposal, don't have any doubts or hesitations about the outcome of an attempt, just go for it confidently.

Law 29: Plan All the Way to the End

A powerful person doesn't just think about immediate steps but plans all the way to the end. Having a clear vision of your goal and a comprehensive plan to achieve it can give you a significant strategic advantage.

Plan your itemization and in-game choices wisely, depending on the state of the game, look at the 5 heroes in enemy team as well as other 4 heroes in your team as soon as game begins and start planning as early as from there.

Law 30: Make Your Accomplishments Seem Effortless

Your talents are perceived as more valuable when they appear to be effortless. Even when something requires hard work, make it look easy. This increases people's perception of your power and skills.

Don't lose your cool after making good plays, pretend as if its nothing special.

Law 31: Control the Options: Get Others to Play with the Cards You Deal

The best way to get people to follow your plans is to present them with options for your desired outcome. By controlling their choices, you can subtly guide their decisions.

Force your opponents to make decisions on things they are not really sure about, e.g force a rosh fight that you're confident about winning, so they either has to take the fight and inevitably lose or forfeit the Aegis.

Law 32: Play to People’s Fantasies

Reality is often disappointing, and people have a tendency to get lost in their fantasies. By appealing to these fantasies, you can provide an escape from the mundanity of their reality, thereby earning their loyalty.

If your teammates draft unorthodox heroes for their lane or build strange items, don't go hard on them, remind yourself everything can work and don't say anything negative about their hero or item decisions.

Law 33: Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew

Everyone has a weakness, a fear, or a need that can be used as a leverage point. Knowing these 'thumbscrews' can give you a significant advantage in negotiations or power dynamics.

Itemize yourself flexibly, buy a Silver Edge if one or multiple enemies have a strong passive abilities, buy an Mkb if enemies have one or multiple heroes with evasion, buy a Spirit Vessel if enemies have one or multiple enemies focuses on healing.

Law 34: Be Royal in Your Own Fashion: Act Like a King to be Treated Like One

How you perceive yourself sets the bar for how others perceive you. By carrying yourself with dignity and demanding respect, you set a standard for how you should be treated.

Treat your teammates as human beings, be kind to them, mute those that do not answer kindness with kindness.

Law 35: Master the Art of Timing

Understanding the perfect moment to act is critical in power dynamics. The same action can have drastically different outcomes at different times. Being patient and strategically waiting for the right moment can pay off in the long run.

Don't mindlessly go into a fight or a dangerous spot when you're only 200 gold away from a powerful item, or 1 level away from an important 20/25 level talent, know your timings and play around them.

Law 36: Disdain Things You Cannot Have: Ignoring Them Is the Best Revenge

Longing for things you cannot have is a sign of powerlessness. You demonstrate your power and control over your desires by showing disdain or ignoring them.

Do not have such desires like going higher in ranks, remind yourself it doesn't matter and ignore the ranking system and higher medals.

Law 37: Create Compelling Spectacles

Creating memorable, dramatic spectacles can captivate an audience and capture their attention. This makes your power and influence more pronounced and memorable.

Do stylish plays in your games such as complex Invoker combos or a perfectly angled Shackleshot on two enemy heroes.

Law 38: Think as You Like but Behave Like Others

If you want to fit in and gain power within a group, you must learn to behave like others in that group. Maintaining your own thoughts and ideas while outwardly conforming to the group's norms can help you navigate social dynamics more effectively.

Try to fit in to your team, but follow your own ideals and decisions during your games.

Law 39: Stir Up Waters to Catch Fish

Creating a little chaos can disrupt the status quo and provide you with opportunities to seize power. It's important to remember that this is not about causing harm but creating a shift in power dynamics.

Always be prepared to do something around the map, even if it doesn't seem like the best or most sense-looking play, just to create some confusion on enemies mind.

Law 40: Despise the Free Lunch

Anything that comes without a cost should be approached with caution. It could come with hidden strings or obligations that might compromise your power and independence in the long run.

Sell Cheese, 500 gold is often times more valuable than an instant healing.

Law 41: Avoid Stepping into a Great Man’s Shoes

Following in the footsteps of a great person can often put you in their shadow. You need to forge your own path to assert your power and influence.

Do not overidolize pro players, have your own Dota 2 personality.

Law 42: Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep Will Scatter

Attacking a group leader can often disorient the rest of the members. This tactic, however, should be used sparingly and ethically, as it can lead to serious consequences if mishandled.

Target the most powerful hero of the opposing team and focus on eliminating them, if you succeed, they will realize their most important hero has fallen and try to back off, where they will be more vulnerable to be striked further.

Law 43: Work on the Hearts and Minds of Others

Power is not just about brute force; it's also about winning over hearts and minds. You can build a loyal and dedicated following by working on others' emotions and perceptions.

Winning a teamfight and going to push afterwards isn't the only way to win a match of Dota 2, you can convince your teammates to work in different ways and try to win the game by winning the mind-battle of two sides.

Law 44: Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect

Mimicking others can disarm them and can also serve as a form of subtle mockery. This strategy can be used to unsettle your opponents and gain a psychological edge.

Pick Morphling or Rubick, use enemies abilities against themselves.

Law 45: Preach the Need for Change, but Never Reform Too Much at Once

While change is necessary, too much change too quickly can be unsettling. Maintaining a balance and ensuring that changes are introduced gradually is important to prevent resistance or backlash.

Don't suddenly pick heroes you don't have any practice with just for the sake of change, do at least a little bit of training before playing them on a ranked match, and go step by step, not by trying to learn everything about a hero at once.

Law 46: Never Appear Too Perfect

Appearing too perfect can arouse envy and suspicion among others. It's essential to show occasional flaws and vulnerabilities to appear more human and relatable, which can make you more likable and less likely to attract the animosity of others.

Do misplays in purpose to remind others that you're a human thats capable of doing mistakes too.

Law 47: Do Not Go Past the Mark You Aimed for; In Victory, Learn When to Stop

Exceeding your goal can often lead to unforeseen problems. When you've achieved your goal, stop and consolidate your position, or else your continued push might trigger resistance, sparking a downfall.

Don't dive in unnecessary situations and places around the map, get what you seek and then leave, be it a kill or an objective.

Law 48: Assume Formlessness

Staying adaptable and flexible allows you to navigate any situation that arises. By not committing to a single form or strategy, you can adapt as needed, taking the shape that best serves your purpose at any given moment.

Don't stick to a singular strategy, bend your tactics depending on a match, don't blindly follow a single item build, nor a guide, remember the target you need to focus on teamfights can change depending on how they play the fight, and you should be adapting to those potential changes.

17 Comments

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типнул = гей 29 Nov, 2023 @ 9:43am

Напишите что нибудь в комах кисе

Minebay01 29 Nov, 2023 @ 7:57am

123

rage of Apollyon 27 Nov, 2023 @ 1:38pm

The first law of power.
Don't try to gain power based on advice from the fuсking Steam manual from an overdramatic teenager

There is logic in this. but, as for me, everything said here is quite obvious for a conscious person without prejudice.

Sorry, I forgot that this is 5% of dota players