In Dota 2, as in many strategy video games, many moments require the player to master and know various game mechanics and react quickly to events that occur in the game. This is necessary to gain an advantage over the opponent, or at least to prevent the opposing team from getting ahead of you and dominating you.

The most important concepts in Dota 2 are micro and macro control, which include not only the ability to control the hero but also the units under your control, the interaction of allies, and map analysis (enemy movement, advantageous positions, safe farming points, etc.). Another important technique is stacking and creeps pulling, which can allow a team to gain an advantage over enemies.

What is Dota 2 creeps stacking?

In the days of the first Dota, also known as Dota Allstars, players noticed that if they moved a jungle creep outside their camp, the game perceived it as cleared, and therefore at a certain point in time the game would spawn a new pack of creeps in that place, while the previous ones would return.

Players began to use this detail to their advantage to help farm more units and get more gold. Although at first, it was a technical error on the part of the author of the fan map, it later became an official mechanic that still exists in Dota 2 and is balanced by the developers from time to time.

The presence of more than one pack of jungle creeps in a camp is called a stack, and the process that led to it is called stacking. Neutral creeps appear in their camps every minute of the game timer (01:00, 02:00, 03:00, etc.), provided that there are no other neutrals, creatures, heroes, or wards blocking the camp.

What are stacks for?

Stacking is primarily focused on carry or other important roles in the team that need to get as much gold as possible in a short time, that is, to maximize their farm. Most of the time, supports are engaged in stacking, who, whenever possible, move away from their allies into the jungle (or run through it). Then, when items and a higher level appear in the carry, it will allow you to safely kill creeps, get gold, and experience. Of course, any hero can do stacks, but for the heroes of the first three positions, this is lost time that can be spent on current farming.

The hero who made the stacks will receive bonus gold (35% of the camp) if another ally farms the creeps. Therefore, this is a pretty good opportunity for supports to get additional gold for their needs, which they cannot get in other ways, in particular, due to the low priority in farming.

How to make stacks in Dota 2

Today, making stacks is a bit easier than it was a few years ago. Nowadays, it is enough to hold down the Alt button and the player will see an outline around a neutral camp, within which there should be no units or wards for stacks to appear. Dota Plus owners will have an additional hint in the form of a pointing arrow and the time when they should start making a stack.

To make a stack, you need to attack or otherwise provoke a neutral creep so that they start following the hero. As a rule, creeps return to their camp 7 seconds after leaving it. Therefore, stacks should often be started at 53-55 seconds of playtime, and you should move as far away as possible to make sure that all creeps leave their zone.

On heroes with a ranged type of attack, it is somewhat easier to make stacks, since they do not need to attack neutrals in close quarters to lead them. That's why, depending on the type of attack and abilities, the timing can vary by a couple of seconds for each hero. If the stack is successful, the player will hear a characteristic sound.

The number of stacks within one camp is unlimited. However, technically, a player will not be able to make more than 3–5 stacks, as the creeps will be locked to each other, which will not allow them to leave their zone in time. However, certain situations, combinations, and abilities can make it possible, such as the Torrent of the character Kunkka.

What is a creep pulling, and what is it for?

The mechanics of moving creeps are similar to those of moving them, but their role is slightly different. By provoking jungle creeps, you can lead them to the line and set them off on allied or enemy creeps.

This mechanic is used for several purposes at once. First of all, by leading neutrals to allied creeps, they can kill them, which will prevent enemy heroes from farming them, and thus they will lose potential gold and experience if they were not standing nearby. Alternatively, an allied carry or support who has been retreating can farm the jungle creeps and gain additional gold and experience if the line is a bit difficult.

The death of allied creeps will allow your line to move back in case they were too close to the enemy side, making it uncomfortable for you to safely farm on the line.

There are also cases when a hero can move neutrals away from enemy creeps, but there must be a specific reason for this. For example, the hero has AoE abilities or items that can deal damage to multiple targets, which allows you to farm more creeps at once. Also, playing as Axe, for example, who has an ability that works better when he is attacked by more targets, he can use the pulling again to farm or to try an aggressive type of play and attack enemy heroes.

How and when to make pulling in Dota 2

Unlike stacks, which can be made with any camp, pulling can only be realized with specific camps near the line if you choose the right timing. To make them, you also need to provoke neutrals and set them against your lane creeps.

Radiant

When playing for the Radiant side, you can make a pull on the easy (lower) line by taking neutrals from the small camp near the T-1 tower to your line (straight down). Provoke the neutrals at the 18th and 47-48th seconds of the game timer. Although there is a passageway near the camp that will help you make a retreat, you can use Tango or Quelling Blade to cut through the trees for convenience.

Since this camp is small, the units in it are weak, which means that your creeps will easily overcome them and return to the line. Therefore, it is better to make a double stack of creeps in this camp in advance or to make a double pulling, provoking creeps from a nearby camp.

If the situation is that the enemy is standing under his own T-1 tower, then you can try to make a more diversion with a camp nearby at 16-18 and 48 seconds. But you should make sure that the enemy's creeps or the heroes themselves will not interfere with you.

On a hardlane, you can make a pull by camping on the enemy side at 20 and 50–51 seconds of play time. Neutrals are stronger here, so you don't need to double stack. However, it should be noted that it will be easier for enemies to expose your intentions and prevent you from pulling.

Dire

On the Dire side, you can deflect on the easy line at 15 and 44 seconds of play time. Since this is also a weak camp, it is advisable to make a double stack in advance. It is also worth considering that this camp is often blocked by wards

On a complicated line, the call can be made within the same timings as we considered on the Radiant side for the stronger camp. However, during the pulling, you should calculate your movement speed, as well as the path where you will lead the neutrals.

Tips for stacking and pulling

• Always keep in mind that your stacks and creep pulling can be used by enemies to get all the farm.
• Enemy supports can block your neutral camps to prevent you from stacking or pulling. And vice versa, you can block your enemies from doing so.
• Use wards to open the fog of war and have a view of the map, so it will be easier to pull and monitor the actions of your opponents.
• When running from line to line, if timing allows, do not forget to make stacks for yourself or your allies.
• If you are skillful and fast enough, you can make several stacks in several camps at once with the units you control.
• The more stacks in one camp, the more gold the player who made them gets.
• Use abilities to provoke neutrals to make stacks.
• Some heroes farm stacks quickly and efficiently thanks to their abilities: Sven, Kunkka, Medusa, Alchemist, Luna; while others can do it with items: Battle Fury, Radiance, and Maelstrom.
• Pulls are important only at the early stage of the game, mostly up to 10–15 minutes.
• Cut down trees to create more comfortable conditions for pulls and stacks.