Compared to LoL , DOTA is more hardcore. LoL players will take time to adjust to DOTA but a totally new player might be scared off outright by DOTA.
Personally, I prefer LoL due to it's different gameplay mechanics. A lot of people reject LoL on the basis of graphics alone which is sad.
I do play Dota 2 from time to time , its always good to have a slightly different experience from LoL.
What is the intimidating part? I can see that some heroes in DOTA would be hard to master. Are the strategies/gameplay involved vastly different?
And also, it would be awesome if someone can throw an invite my way so I can check the game out myself!