Whether you’re looking to raise your MMR or you play Dota for fun and you’re in need of new gear, it’s easy to find peripherals out there that promise to enhance your gaming performance. If you’re not sure where to begin, we’ve put together a useful guide to help you find the best hardware for Dota 2.
Best Mechanical Keyboards for Dota 2
Mechanical keyboards are almost universally preferred by gamers. Unlike membrane keyboards, a mechanical keyboard offers a pleasant tactile experience and, even more importantly, ensures that every keystroke is actuated by the same amount of pressure each time. Membrane keyboards are unreliable at best, and while they might be acceptable for work and casual gaming, you’ll quickly leave them to gather dust once you’ve had a chance to try out a good mechanical keyboard.
There are plenty of excellent mechanical keyboards out there, but we’re partial to the Logitech G Pro Keyboard, especially for Dota. If the $129.99 price point of the Logitech G Pro scares you off, we’ve also had good experiences with mechanical keyboards from Corsair and SteelSeries, many of which are slightly cheaper.
If you need to be selective about which peripherals you’re upgrading, a mechanical keyboard should be a top priority for most Dota players.
Best Gaming Mice for Dota 2
Finding a gaming mouse you like can be quite a personal thing. One person’s dream mouse might feel weird and uncomfortable in the hands of someone else. Most professional Dota 2 players prefer lightweight optical mice, but if you’re struggling to find space on the keyboard for your hotkeys, there are models out there that include up to 20 side-buttons. While DPI settings are, again, a matter of personal preference, you want to make sure you’re getting a mouse that has a wide range of native DPIs. Don’t be fooled into thinking that a higher DPI is automatically better — at the end of the day, DPI is mostly a number used by manufacturers for marketing purposes, and there is no ‘ideal’ DPI. Many Dota 2 players prefer to play at 400 or 800 DPI, and these are the native settings on many gaming mice.
The Logitech G Pro Gaming Mouse was our favorite peripheral of 2016, and it’s perfect for Dota 2. Other trustworthy manufacturers of gaming mice include Zowie, Corsair, and Razer.
Best Monitors for Dota 2
When it comes to monitors, it’s all about speed. Games of Dota are won or lost because of split-second interactions, and the input lag of standard work monitors can place an artificial cap on your skills as a player. Finding a monitor with a low response time is essential, and check out the specs of any model you’re looking to make sure that you’re buying a product with a response time lower than 5ms.
The refresh rate of a given monitor is another key factor to take into consideration. While having a 144hz monitor isn’t essential in Dota the same way it is in CS:GO, it’s a massive quality-of-life upgrade.
Accurate color reproduction is not so important for gaming so the panel type doesn’t matter quite so much. There are a few monitors on the market, like the Asus AG279Q, that combine all these feature on an IPS panel, but they’re not cheap.
Finding the best hardware for playing Dota isn’t easy, and a lot of it will come down to personal preference. We recommend going to a physical store and trying out products in person before making a purchase. The best hardware isn’t cheap, but if you’re able to sniff out good deals, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune.