DOTA plays on the same map every game, and resets your single character that you control every time you play. You play on teams of 5, and games last about 30-60 minutes. WoW is an enormous exploration game, where leveling your character and exploring regions is the staple of the game.
Dota is a much more exclusive and, in my opinion, competitive and strategic game. In DOTA you are limited to about 100 heroes and 100 items, all of which can be very powerful or completely worthless depending on your hero, other heroes, the flow of the game, etc. Dota depends heavily on skill and deception, and by the end of the game heroes fight and die so fast that the team who enters with the most coherent strategy/grouping will win by a landslide.
WoW is, for most players, NOT a game of skill at all. Battles are more a function of time and items than skill. The longer you play, the stronger you get or more items you hoard in your arsenal. Even for pros who reached the maximum level long ago, cleverness, skill and analysis play 2nd fiddle to items and the amount of time devoted.
DOTA is always started from scratch (so a 6-months player could beat a 5 year player) while WoW would allow a 4 year player to beat 4 6-month players without any strategy at all. DOTA is by far superior if you're looking for competitive team play, while WoW is better for exploring an immersive world and becoming attached to your character.
Lastly, DOTA is not for casual players. Because skill is such a huge factor, you cannot play it well until you know what ALL the heroes do, how their skills work, which items do/cost what, etc. WoW is much more newbie-friendly.
Dota is a much more exclusive and, in my opinion, competitive and strategic game. In DOTA you are limited to about 100 heroes and 100 items, all of which can be very powerful or completely worthless depending on your hero, other heroes, the flow of the game, etc. Dota depends heavily on skill and deception, and by the end of the game heroes fight and die so fast that the team who enters with the most coherent strategy/grouping will win by a landslide.
WoW is, for most players, NOT a game of skill at all. Battles are more a function of time and items than skill. The longer you play, the stronger you get or more items you hoard in your arsenal. Even for pros who reached the maximum level long ago, cleverness, skill and analysis play 2nd fiddle to items and the amount of time devoted.
DOTA is always started from scratch (so a 6-months player could beat a 5 year player) while WoW would allow a 4 year player to beat 4 6-month players without any strategy at all. DOTA is by far superior if you're looking for competitive team play, while WoW is better for exploring an immersive world and becoming attached to your character.
Lastly, DOTA is not for casual players. Because skill is such a huge factor, you cannot play it well until you know what ALL the heroes do, how their skills work, which items do/cost what, etc. WoW is much more newbie-friendly.
