Dota 2
Dota 2
Topson is planning a return to pro Dota 2, but for what team?
Steven Rondina
Topias Miikka “Topson” Taavitsainen will seemingly return to pro Dota 2, but what team will he play for? The two-time The International champion was hinting at retirement ahead of The International 2021, and seemingly ended his career after OG’s top-eight run at the event. But now after a six-month break, the competitive itch has seemingly returned to the star mid-laner. In a recent stream, Topson stated in fairly certain terms …
Dota 2
How many playable heroes are in Dota 2 in 2022?
William Davis
Dota 2 has many heroes to pick from, but measuring exactly how many is more complicated than you might think. As of patch 7.31b, Dota 2 has 123 playable heroes in the game. Each hero has a unique set of abilities, stats, talents, Aghanim’s upgrades, and more. All heroes are completely free to play. While not all are available in the esports version of Dota 2, Valve continues to churn …
Dota 2
Why aren’t there Chinese Dota 2 teams at the Stockholm Major?
William Davis
Not seeing your favorite Chinese teams at The Stockholm Major? There’s a very important reason for that. Perfect World has announced that Chinese teams will not attend the Stockholm Major. The competitive region will instead have its own regional final starting on May 6. The choice is most likely related to ongoing health concerns in China. With one of the strongest regions absent from the event, The Stockholm Major has …
Dota 2
The Dota 2 Stockholm Major could bomb without a balance patch
William Davis
The PGL Stockholm Major could be one of the least-balanced events in Dota 2 history unless another patch comes through. Dota 2 patch 7.31b is meant to go out with a bang at The Stockholm Major, but the current state of balance could turn it into a flop. The most recent Dota Pro Circuit season showed just how unbalanced the game is, and the pro meta indicates that it’s getting …
You can borrow Dota 2 HUDs, announcers, more as shared content
William Davis
Dota 2
Dota 2 players can share their cosmetic content with their teammates thanks to an often-forgotten feature in the game. Here’s what it is and how to use it. Cosmetics are a big part of Dota 2, but the customization doesn’t end with your hero. HUD skins and announcer packs are a great way to jazz up an otherwise plain match. It’s okay to have your own favorites, but you can …
How to disable Dota 2 heroes talking, or just quiet them down
William Davis
Dota 2
Dota 2 heroes love to shout voice lines for everything from kills to last hits to moving, but there’s a way to make them a little less annoying. Every Dota 2 player has a certain hero who they just perfectly vibe with, but even the most iconic voice lines can get dull after thousands of hours. Luckily for irate players, there’s a way to tone them down. Here’s how to …
This Dota 2 queue exploit lets you steal MMR from other players
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
An exploit in Dota 2’s matchmaking system is being exploited by high-level players, allowing them to steal MMR. Pro players are gaming some of Valve’s matchmaking tools in order to siphon MMR away from other top names. Nick “GOD_Z” Zhang, formerly known as GOAT of Arkosh Gaming, discussed the phenomenon on Twitter. According to GOD_Z, certain pro Dota 2 players are taking advantage of Dota Plus’s “avoid player” feature that …
What happens if two people pick the same Dota 2 hero forever?
William Davis
Dota 2
It sucks when your opponent picks the same hero that you wanted to play, but what if that happened for every single hero in Dota 2? Dota 2 usually handles people picking the same hero in Ranked All Pick with grace. The hero gets banned, and both players move on to another pick. This is especially common when new builds take over the meta, but it happens with more niche …
This new Sniper build is both silly and hugely overpowered
William Davis
Dota 2
Sniper players have found a devastating new build that uses the new Wraith Band to maximum effect. Wraith Bands are a useful item on almost every agility core. In addition to a good chunk of agility, they grant a nice boost to strength, intelligence, armor, and attack speed. Sniper in particular greatly benefits from all the stats, which conveniently double past the 25-minute mark. The build is growing increasingly popular …
How to play 6.84 Classic Dota online with friends in 2022
William Davis
Dota 2
Ever wish you could jump back in time to play some classic Dota online? You can, thanks to a dedicated community that is keeping the game alive. Classic Dota is a community of hardcore Dota 2 fans that still play the game on the 6.84 patch from 2015. The group uses a custom website and Discord server to organize and initiate matches. Classic Dota is relatively easy to set up …
Top-ranked LoL player explains how Dota 2 is better than League
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
League of Legends and Dota 2 players are often at odds about which game is harder, more demanding of skill, and every other vague criterion imaginable. But which is really the better game? Despite the many similarities between the two MOBA games, not many players end up reaching the top levels of both, but there are a few. A top-ranked LoL player made the jump to Dota 2 and has …
Mid Keeper of the Light can deal 4,000 magic damage in 1 combo
William Davis
Dota 2
Keeper of the Light mid has the most incredible magic damage combos that Dota 2 has ever seen. After a brief stint as a core in early 7.30, Keeper of the Light mid has returned with a vengeance. Thanks to some minor buffs in patch 7.31 and the big rework to Ethereal Blade, the hero is now one of the all-time best magic damage threats in Dota 2 history. By …
Road to TI OG documentary gives exclusive look at new roster
William Davis
Dota 2
The Road to TI documentary reveals the careful decisions and planning behind the newest OG Dota 2 lineup. OG and BMW have released a new documentary showcasing the legendary Dota 2 squad’s rebuilding process after The International 10. The retirement of star players and core OG members Johan “N0tail” Sundstein, Sébastien “Ceb” Debs, and Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen marked the end of an era and a chance for a new roster …
Arteezy misses return to Twitch streaming after hospital trip
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Artour “Arteezy” Babaev missed his sponsored return to streaming on April 10, but it wasn’t because he overslept or just didn’t feel like going live. Arteezy actually required a hospital trip. Evil Geniuses subbed in Andreas Franck “Cr1t-” Nielsen for the sponsored stream, with the support player acknowledging Arteezy’s absence. He responded to fan questions regarding where Arteezy was and said that the team’s star player was out of commission …
Arteezy returns to Twitch streaming with sponsored tips stream
William Davis
Dota 2
Arteezy streams are legendary in the Dota 2 community, and now the star player is coming back for another exciting stream. Evil Geniuses carry player Artour “Arteezy” Babaev will make his long-awaited return to streaming this weekend as part of his team’s sponsorship deal. The Pro Tips stream is officially sponsored by TurboTax, software used for tax calculation in the United States. The event marks the first Arteezy stream since …
PSG.LGD to represent Jissbon condoms in bizarre sponsorship
William Davis
Dota 2
PSG.LGD has quietly added a condoms producer to its sponsorship list. New promotional images have emerged for a partnership between Dota 2 team PSG.LGD and Jissbon condoms. The Chinese sexual wellness brand appears to have sponsored the reigning DPC Major champions based on advertisements featuring the five players. This marks the first time a professional Dota 2 team has been sponsored by a condom company. The full extent of the …
Few games have proven to have the resilient popularity enjoyed by Dota 2. The multiplayer online battle arena, or MOBA for short, has been among the biggest and most successful projects released by gaming giant Valve, and it continues to enjoy great popularity to this day.
That popularity has endured despite a great number of changes that have been made to both the game itself and to the communities surrounding it. The competitive title’s history reaches all the way back to another game created and published by another developer, but with Valve now leading the way, Dota 2 seems primed to last well into the future.
From Blizzard to Valve, Dota 2 continues to evolve
While know today as one of Valve’s key game properties, Dota 2 has its origins in a real-time strategy game developed and published by famed video game company Blizzard. One of the franchises that keyed Blizzard’s success and reputational growth in the games industry is WarCraft, which today is best-known for the popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft.
But prior to the success of World of Warcraft, the high-fantasy franchise was experienced through a series of RTS games. The third main title in that series, WarCraft 3, provided players not only with a great experience right out of the box, but also with the opportunity to heavily modify the game and its functions, and to play modified versions of the experience as custom games online with other players.
The most popular of these custom game modes was arguably Defense of the Ancients, or DotA for short. This custom game mode saw two teams of players face off against each other with strong individual champion characters, as opposed to building out complex home bases and developing broad armies of diverse units.
It was an entirely different way to play the game, and it proved so popular that would eventually give birth to an entirely new genre of video games: the MOBA genre.
The continuation of the original DotA became Dota 2, a project developed under the guidance of famed developer and publisher Valve. Flush with success from online marketplace Steam and its own franchises including Half-Life and Portal, Valve was more than willing to invest in this new and innovative game type.
The International sets Dota 2 apart
While there have been many other competitive games created and released since, including other popular MOBAs such as Riot Games’ League of Legends, Dota 2 has stood apart for remaining true to its roots and for massive competitive events like The International. First held in 2011 for the purpose of bringing together disparate competitive teams from all around the world with more than $1 million on the line, the esports tournament quickly grew into the biggest such event of each calendar year.
One of the main drivers behind that immense growth was the upwards trajectory of the tournament’s prize pool. Partially funded by Dota 2 players and esports fans, the prize pool for The International began increasing in 2013 and eventually ballooned to a massive total of over $40 million by the time 2021 rolled around. For the groups of players and coaches who climbed this mountain and won its top prize, it was a truly life-changing event.
For varied reasons, Valve eventually soured on running the event itself and on the idea of having so much money filtered into one specific event. Prize winnings were dropped significantly in 2022, and even further for the 2023 and 2024 events. But despite the prizes on hand no longer being quite so astronomical, The International still boasts a prize in the low millions, and it remains the biggest event on the Dota 2 competitive calendar and arguably on the greater esports calendar across all games.
Dota 2
Dota 2
Dota 2
Dota 2
