> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/DarkoniusXNG/Legends-of-Dota-Redux/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quick Start

> Get into your first Legends of Dota Redux match in minutes.

This guide walks you through finding the game, setting up a lobby, and surviving your first selection phase.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find the game in Dota 2">
    Launch Dota 2, click **Play**, then select **Custom Games** from the game mode picker.

    In the search box type `Legends of Dota Redux` and press Enter. The game should appear in the results. Click **Find Game** to join an existing lobby, or **Create Lobby** to host your own.

    <Note>
      If you want to practice alone first, create a lobby and set it to single-player mode in the lobby settings. The game will fill the remaining slots with bots automatically.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure the lobby">
    As the host you can configure options before the game starts. The most important settings for a first game:

    | Setting                 | Recommended for beginners             |
    | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
    | **Number of abilities** | 4 (default)                           |
    | **Balance mode**        | Off — less restriction while learning |
    | **Banning phase**       | Off — skips the banning phase         |
    | **Bot difficulty**      | Medium                                |
    | **Mutators**            | Off — learn base game first           |

    Once all players are ready, click **Launch Game**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Vote on game options">
    At the start of the match the **Option Voting** phase lets all players vote on game-wide settings — shop type, mutators, ability categories, and more. Each option is shown with a yes/no vote. The majority vote wins.

    For your first game, vote for the defaults or simply wait for the timer to expire.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick your hero and abilities">
    This is the core of Redux. During the **Selection** phase you:

    1. **Pick a hero** — Your hero determines your base stats and your hero perk. The hero's own abilities are replaced by your picks.
    2. **Pick ability slot 1** — Any regular (non-ultimate) ability from any hero.
    3. **Pick ability slot 2** — Another regular ability from any hero.
    4. **Pick your ultimate** — Any ultimate ability from any hero.
    5. **Pick your perk** — A passive bonus tied to a specific hero (shown in the perk tab).

    Abilities are grouped into categories in the picker. Use the category tabs to navigate the pool. You can use the search bar to find a specific ability by name.

    <Warning>
      The selection timer is strict. If it expires before you finish picking, the remaining slots are filled randomly. Watch the countdown in the top-right corner.
    </Warning>

    See [Ability Selection](/gameplay/ability-selection) for a detailed breakdown of the picker interface and picking strategy.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review your build">
    After all players finish picking, the **Review** phase shows everyone's completed builds. Use this time to check your ability ordering and think about your item build.

    The match starts automatically when the review timer expires.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Play">
    The game plays like standard Dota 2 from this point. Lane, farm, draft items, and fight — the main difference is that every hero has a custom ability loadout.

    A few tips for first-timers:

    * **Level abilities in the order you planned** — some ability synergies depend on level thresholds.
    * **Check troll-combo warnings** — if two of your abilities are a known broken combination, the game may show a warning during selection.
    * **Use `-help`** in chat to see available chat commands mid-game.
    * **Vote for options you want** — type `-dc` (double creeps) or `-ar` (anti-rat) in chat to start a vote.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What to do next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Game phases" icon="list-ol" href="/gameplay/game-phases">
    Understand every phase of the match from loading through in-game.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Ability selection" icon="wand-magic-sparkles" href="/gameplay/ability-selection">
    Deep dive into the ability picker, categories, and build strategy.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Mutators" icon="shuffle" href="/gameplay/mutators">
    Explore the optional game modifiers you can enable before the match.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Chat commands" icon="comments" href="/gameplay/chat-commands">
    All commands you can type in chat during a match.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>