Dota 2
Dota 2
You can borrow Dota 2 HUDs, announcers, more as shared content
William Davis
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 …
Dota 2
How to disable Dota 2 heroes talking, or just quiet them down
William Davis
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 …
Dota 2
This Dota 2 queue exploit lets you steal MMR from other players
Steven Rondina
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 …
Dota 2
What happens if two people pick the same Dota 2 hero forever?
William Davis
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 …
Dota 2
Mid Keeper of the Light can deal 4,000 magic damage in 1 combo
William Davis
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 …
Dota 2
Road to TI OG documentary gives exclusive look at new roster
William Davis
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 …
Dota 2
Arteezy misses return to Twitch streaming after hospital trip
Steven Rondina
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 …
Dota 2
Arteezy returns to Twitch streaming with sponsored tips stream
William Davis
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 …
Quincy Crew vs Evil Geniuses NA DPC Spring betting analysis
William Davis
Dota 2
Quincy Crew and Evil Geniuses will stage a battle of the titans in the fourth week of the North American Dota Pro Circuit Spring tour. North America’s Dota 2 holy trinity of pro teams is still going strong in the second DPC season of 2022, but one perfect record will be scratched on April 9. Quincy Crew and Evil Geniuses both sport 4-0 match records going into this series, but …
3 ways you can find and expose Dota 2 cheaters mid-game
William Davis
Dota 2
Nobody likes Dota 2 cheaters, but you can embarrass them by exposing their cheats mid-game. Winning a close game to finally rank up is one of the best feelings in Dota 2, but exposing a cheater and getting their account banned is a pretty close second. With so many things going on, it can be difficult to tell when someone is playing dirty or just incredibly well. Smart players can …
Team Secret vs Brame WEU DPC Spring Tour betting analysis
William Davis
Dota 2
Brame and Team Secret seems like a lopsided match on paper, but there’s reason to suspect that the underdog will come out on top. The Western European Dota Pro Circuit Spring tour is in full swing. The final three weeks represent a huge opportunity for teams at the bottom to claw their way up the rankings and secure a top-four finish. Aggressive bettors have a ton of opportunities for lucrative …
Why are creep denies showing up as question marks in Dota 2?
William Davis
Dota 2
Are you seeing question marks pop out of creep denies in Dota 2? Don’t worry, it’s not another crazy glitch. Dota 2 players may notice something different when they hit the lanes on April 1. Instead of the normal exclamation mark, creep denies currently emit a question mark. The simple sentence-ender has an important place in Dota 2 culture, so there’s no way that it’s a silly glitch. Instead, it’s …
How to play Huskar, Dota 2’s most terrifying midlane monster
William Davis
Dota 2
Playing Huskar is an easy way to gain some precious MMR in Dota 2 7.31b, if you know how. Thanks to a bunch of buffs in 7.31, Huskar is currently the winningest hero in all of Dota 2. His signature ability Berserker’s Blood now grants up to 25% magic resistance at lower health, and 7.31b’s Inner Fire nerfs aren’t enough to slow him down. Huskar is now the perfect hero …
TORONTOTOKYO reveals his best Dota 2 mid lane heroes
William Davis
Dota 2
The best mid lane heroes of Dota 2 7.31 are a mix of magic and physical burst including Lina, Pangolier, and Kunkka, according to Team Spirit. Late on March 29, Team Spirit revealed its third hero tier list for patch 7.31b. The International champion mid Alexander “TORONTOTOKYO” Khertek claims that Lina is the best hero in the game after an avalanche of buffs in 7.31b. The list also reveals what …
These are the top 5 most annoying heroes in all of Dota 2
William Davis
Dota 2
Annoying heroes are a necessary part of Dota 2, but these five heroes are aggravating as soon as the horn blows. The draft phase is one of the tensest parts of any Dota 2 match. Experienced players can get a pretty good idea of how the game will go just from the picks and those of any skill level can get an idea of how annoying the game will be. …
Who are Dota 2’s best soft support heroes? Team Spirit answers
William Davis
Dota 2
Soft supports players have a ton of options in 7.31, but the reigning The International champion in the No. 4 position says these four are the best. Team Spirit soft support Miroslaw “Mira” Kolpakov has revealed a tier list for soft supports in Dota 2 patch 7.31. The top tier includes some very unexpected picks including Io and Keeper of the Light. He also ranked several popular heroes at the …
Game-breaking Sand King bug causes infinite Epicenter pulses
William Davis
Dota 2
Sand King is already a strong hero, but the Spring Cleaning patch accidentally buffed him to infinity thanks to a new bug. A new bug caused Sand King’s ultimate ability, Epicenter, to last indefinitely. While it usually deals heavy area-of-effect damage for a brief period of time, a strange interaction caused it to never end for the entirety of the match. The bug appears to have surfaced in the recent …
Dota 2 Spring Cleaning changes muting and report systems
William Davis
Dota 2
Spring Cleaning isn’t the most exciting Dota 2 patch, but there are still big changes that will likely have an impact on the user experience including a major shakeup to the muting and communication abuse system. The typically annual Dota 2 Spring Cleaning update is finally here. New updates to the game include enhanced tooltip functionality, general improvements, and a much-requested change to the mute function. Fans should also expect …
OG vs Team Secret WEU DPC Spring Tour betting analysis
William Davis
Dota 2
OG and Team Secret are both gearing up for one of the most important matches of the Western European DPC season. After a disappointing fifth-place finish in the first 2022 Dota Pro Circuit season, Team Secret is looking to bounce back with early wins in the Spring tour. OG stands in its way as an explosive fan-favorite. The two squads will close out the second week of the European DPC …
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.
