defended by towers and waves of units which guard the main paths leading to their base with critical structures called Ancient Fortresses at opposing ends of an evenly-balanced map with multiple connecting regions identified as "lanes", in which enemy units primarily traverse, while also combating powerful defensive towers along the way. Players are split into two teams, ideally in a five-on-five format, to compete as the primary defenders for each Ancient Fortress.The currency of the game is gold, which is granted periodically, but accumulates at a practical level by defeating enemy forces. Defeating forces grants a distributed amount of gold to the offending team, with the greater portion being retained by the player who delivers the killing blow. A common technique utilized to prevent the opposing faction from accumulating gold from a kill is "denying", which constitutes destroying an allied unit or structure, which is best employed when it is close to death. Players also gain experience, which accumulates to gain higher levels. The greatest proportion of gold and experience comes from destroying higher priority forces, such as enemy heroes and towers.