Sorry I know this is a bit off topic, but I'd really like to try playing DOTA 2 a bit. What do I need to do to play this??

why would you come to the LoL forums to ask that?

Play the original Dota.

get a code from someone or download the game (free) do the survey and wait for a code. Might take a while either way though.

draw a pentagram on the floor with human/goat blood

for 10 seconds, chant the name of Lilith in hebrew

after the 10 seconds, scream ICEFROG as loud as you can

the contract will be completed

Things to keep in mind are heroes in Dota on average are much more mana hungry compared to LoL, especially in the early laning phase of the game. In addition, there is a bigger emphasis on your last hitting skills. Dying early is also not as common and because of the game's snowbally nature (even more so than LoL) feeding a handful of kills can cost you the game very very early on.

I know a lot of people who play League also play DOTA 2, because I've seen people talking about it before (on these forums!!).

I really don't recommend playing dota 2 if you started on league, the learning curve is massive, and you will find yourself frustrated time and time again.

I personally LOVE dota 2 and think it's a fantastic game.

@TC: Read this http://www.purgegamers.com/welcome-to-dota-you-suck

LoL actually snowballs harder than Dota 2 due to everything scaling into the late game and the fact that stat per gold ratio in LoL goes up as item tier increases.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=34288821&postcount=4011

Feed Queen of Pain 4 kills in mid and her abilities won't hit any harder, but feed 4 kills to a mid in LoL they will come back hitting harder, faster, and more frequently due to ability scaling, cool down reduction, and armor/magic penetration.

Also, gold loss is actually an anti-snowball mechanic. Is that carry getting a little too much farm? That's fine, gank them several times and they will lose their farm.

I don't think you really get it. When a player snowballs in Dota he sets the enemies back and the gap in items, lvls, gold becomes massive. Way more snowballing than lol.