Dota Underlords is here and with it, a whole new set of game mechanics. Here I hope to show some of the basics, allowing you to get a small edge on players going in blind.

Interest

Dota Underlords has an interesting mechanic that allows you to generate more gold every turn. Every round you will gain 1 more gold per 10 gold you have, capped at 5 gold per turn (or 50 gold saved up). This can double how much gold you are making per turn, giving you an advantage later in the game. Just beware of trying to save up too quickly, as you can risk losing too much health early.

Tiers of Units

Each unit has its own Tier from one to five. This Tier determines how strong the unit is based on its attributes, with higher Tiers typically being stronger at a statistical level. Higher Tiers also mean that you need to be a higher level to see them in the draft. If you are looking for a Tier five unit, then you might want to level up first to have much better odds of seeing it. Along with the Tiers of units, there are also three ranks per unit. Every unit is bought at rank one, with higher ranks being formed from combining multiples of the same time For example, three rank one Tusks will become a rank two Tusk, with better stats. In comparison, a rank two Tier one unit is very close in power level as a rank one Tier three unit: it isn't always worth trying for a rank 3 Tier one unit, when you can look for higher Tier units much faster. You can view our Dota Underlords Tier List here, which details in far greater depth unit power.

Dota Underlords tiers units based on raw attributes. That doesn't mean they're always the best.

Limited Unit Pools

Whenever you buy a unit from the shop, that specific unit will be unavailable to all the other players in your game. For example, if there are 20 Drow Rangers in the shop pool at the beginning of the game, if you buy two, then there will only be 18 more left, reducing the odds that any player will see another Drow Ranger. This can mean that it is smart to hoard units that other players need badly to reduce the chance that they will find it. Not only that, but it's wise to see what others are buying, so you aren't starved of a unit you want. 

Alliances

Each unit has at least one alliance. This alliance gives you certain buffs if you fulfil a certain requirement, most being having a certain number of units. For example, if you have three warriors, then all of the warriors will gain +10 armor. Different alliances have different buffs, each affecting their playstyle. While these buffs can be very powerful, don’t force yourself to try to collect 9 warriors if you know you won’t have any damage to back them up. If you would like to look at what alliances we think are strong right now you can check out our Tier list here.

Items

Periodically during the game there will be neutral rounds where you fight some NPC enemies. These rounds give you the option of 3 items (four if you have a certain item) that you can choose from. Most of these items are given to a unit to buff them in some way, but there are also global items, affecting either all of your units or you in some other way such as Aegis of the Immortal, which prevents your next loss of life and preserves any win streaks active. These rounds do not cost you life points if you lose but you will lose two item options if you lose, making it still a wise idea to aim to win the neutral rounds. Like units, Items have different Tiers with higher Tiers being stronger than lower Tiers. Higher Tier items appear more frequently at a higher level, so it can be smart to level up before neutral rounds if there are certain high Tier items you are looking for.

Hopefully this walk-through gave you a better idea of what to look for in Dota Underlords.