League of Legends vs. Heroes of Newerth From a Casual Perspective
Hi there. You might know me. I'm one of those guys that plays Defense of the Ancients (DotA) / HoN / LoL, but not obsessively. I don't have every build for every character memorized. I've probably tried most characters at least once. I don't feed, but I don't top the kills either. I can deny creeps and towers, but probably don't top last hits either. You probably don't remember me. From this position though, it is very easy to spot the most differences between Heroes Of Newerth and League of Legends that *most* players would care about.
The biggest things someone is likely to notice when playing both DotA clones is that:
A) League of Legends has auto matchmaking (and only blind hero picking to go with it)
B) The skill level of most LoL players is quite a bit lower than most HoN players
While HoN is slated to get auto matchmaking in the near future, the feature really does make LoL easier to get into as a new player. The simplicity of matchmaking is also an extremely limiting factor, however, as you'll soon grow tired of seeing the same heroes on both teams over and over. Not every game is a mirror match, but there are definitely flavor of the month picks and while using the auto-matcher you will run into them often. There is only one play format available as well, which is blind pick for both teams (this is what allows for the same hero on both and HoN has this as a "Duplicate Heroes" game mode). Finally, new/free players are only allowed access to around 10 (rotating) heroes per week until they buy access to more with in game or real world currency. As the game is free to play, hero access is just one of a few different things you can spend real money on, however, the only thing in the game you HAVE to spend real money on are special skins for your favorite heroes. Access to all heroes and other game enhancers are entirely purchasable simply by playing the game and spending the game currency.
Though All Random is not everyone's favorite, sometimes it is nice taking a break from the same 10-20 heroes used in every game, and this is what really sets Heroes of Newerth apart for someone who takes DotA clones a little more seriously than I do. HoN has such a large variety of modes and settings that the game is much more resistant to become old or boring compared to LoL. However, the sheer variety of choices and heroes available from the start makes for a steeper learning curve. Add in the fact that last hitting to deny your own creeps and towers isn't a part of League of Legends, it is easy to see why the learning curve is so much more forgiving.
My bottom line is this: as someone new to the next generation of DotA style MOBA (multi-player online battle arena) games, you may be best off getting your feet wet with League of Legends, but will eventually want to move on to Heroes of Newerth if you find you really enjoy this kind of game and want the full experience it offers. Though Riot Games (creator of LoL) has promised to implement features already existing in HoN (multiple game modes, clan support, in game voice chat, ranked matches, savable game replays, observers, and more...), there is no timeline for when they will become available and the features are already well polished and bug free in HoN. In addition, I doubt very much that League of Legends will ever attract the kind of amateur and professional competition the original DotA and HoN do. Both games have their strengths and weaknesses, but for people who take these games more seriously than a casual player, the game of choice is obvious.