DotA pits two teams of players against each other. Each team has a base in an opposite corner of the map. The Sentinel players have their base at the bottom left corner of the map, while the Scourge players are based in the top right corner. The respective bases are defended by towers, present on the three primary lanes with respective individual levels, the first tower starting from the diagonal being the weakest to the towers flanking the "Ancients" being the strongest. In the heart of each base is the "Ancient", a building which must be destroyed in order to win the game.