Dota 2
Dota 2
This new build can make Lifestealer spell-immune for 2 minutes
William Davis
Going spell immune for even just a few seconds is valuable, but this wacky Lifestealer build pushes it to the next level. Spell immunity is a valuable thing in Dota 2. Some argue that going Black King Bar is boring, but what could be more fun than doing whatever you want in a team fight? One creative Dota 2 player agrees, and they developed a Lifestealer build that allows him …
Dota 2
TSM vs Evil Geniuses NA DPC Regional Finals betting analysis
William Davis
Evil Geniuses is a titan of North American Dota 2, but the newly-sponsored TSM Dota 2 roster could pull off an upset at the Regional Finals according to our betting analysis. The cancelation of the Dota Pro Circuit Winter Major was a shame, but it also created a new opportunity to settle regional rivalries. One of North America’s most heated rivalries now has a chance at closure. Evil Geniuses took …
Dota 2
Where’s your favorite hero on the Dota 2 lore tier list?
William Davis
A Dota 2 tier list with all 122 heroes is tough to make and will vary with each patch, but this list will give you a rough idea of how each character ranks in the lore. Dota 2 lore is an absolute mess in the best possible way. While the game’s general premise comes with mind-blowing lore facts, the heroes themselves are a tangled knot of interweaving stories and feats. …
Dota 2
TI10 champ Team Spirit reveals wishlist for Dota 2 patch 7.31
William Davis
Who better to make Dota 2 patch 7.31 requests than the champions of The International 10 Team Spirit? In a promotional video for the Team Spirit esports organization, the five champions of The International 10 shared their hopes for the future of Dota 2. Opinions varied on map and item changes, but all five Spirit players wanted a big shakeup in 7.31. In the process, Team Spirit also revealed some …
Dota 2
The coolest celebrity guest voice actors in Dota 2
William Davis
Dota 2 is full of amazing voice acting, but sometimes celebrity guests step in to provide a little something extra. 122 Dota 2 heroes means an absolute ton of voice acting. The massive pool of talent helps bring the game to life and make every voice line memorable. Certain Dota 2 heroes or voice packs even get special treatment with celebrity guest voice actors. There are many instances in the …
Dota 2
Aghanim’s Labyrinth Battle Level Bundle drops for Dota 2
William Davis
Frugal Dota 2 players can splurge on Aghanim’s Labyrinth levels for less money with the new Battle Level Bundle. Valve has finally revealed the last-minute discount pack for the Aghanim’s Labyrinth battle pass. The $14.99 package is the most efficient way of boosting your battle pass up to the higher levels. Dota 2 fans can purchase two Aghanim’s Labyrinth bundles each between through February 9. Valve also announced the official …
Dota 2
This is why ana has a 93% win rate on Monkey King
William Davis
Anathan “ana” Pham’s hero pool is already very broad, but one hero stands out as his absolute best. As of patch 7.30e, two-time The International champion ana boasts an insane 93.15% win rate on Monkey King. That win percentage comes from 73 games played on his main pub account, which is currently ranked 153rd in Southeast Asia. This represents one of the most successful hero-player combos in all of top-level …
Dota 2
ana could be returning to pro Dota 2 with T1 after scrim leaks
William Davis
Anathan “ana” Pham could be returning to Dota 2 with a rebuilt T1 roster. New leaks have emerged that suggest the two-time The International champion could make a comeback. The information was accidentally revealed on a recent Carlo “Kuku” Palad Twitch stream. T1’s captain showed that ana is competing with the team in organized scrims. While the information is not conclusive, it’s very possible that the highest-earning carry player of …
Who is N0tail? The complete history of the 2-time TI champion
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Johan “N0tail” Sundstein, also known as BigDaddyN0tail, is arguably the most successful personality in all of esports, with two The International Dota 2 Championship victories to his name and four major titles. His MOBA career started when he was just 15 years old playing Heroes of Newerth, a MOBA that was a rival to League of Legends and Dota 2. During that time, he began playing alongside longtime teammate Tal …
3 sneaky Dota 2 ward spots that every support should know
William Davis
Dota 2
The right ward spots will help Dota 2 support players rank up quickly. The vision game is an extremely important part of Dota 2. Keeping tabs on enemies is just as important as protecting cores as they farm up powerful items. A great Observer Ward placement can catch a smoke gank or set up the perfect initiation. With deward gold bounties as high as they are, carelessly plopping down wards …
Top LoL organization TSM FTX enters Dota 2, signs Undying
William Davis
Dota 2
After countless rumors, TSM FTX has finally joined the world of Dota 2 esports with the signing of Undying. The League of Legends-oriented sponsor has officially picked up Team Undying to compete in the North American Dota Pro Circuit. The announcement came after months of rumors and hints about the organization entering Valve’s MOBA. This is the first time that TSM will become involved in professional Dota 2. The acquisition …
What happened in DOTA: Dragon’s Blood season 1?
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Looking to watch DOTA: Dragon’s Blood Book 2 but need a season one recap to know exactly what’s going on? We’ve got you covered. Dota 2 is a game with convoluted lore. It’s so convoluted that it includes every actual game of Dota 2 that has ever been played as a canonical part of the story. Yes, even that game you might have played with your friends last night or …
Everything you need to know about DOTA: Dragon’s Blood Season 3
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
The second season of Dota 2’s animated series is available now, but when does DOTA: Dragon’s Blood Book 3 come out? DOTA: Dragon’s Blood Book 2 is a major improvement over the first season. Though it has some of the same issues as the first season with convoluted lore and a blistering pace, the expanded cast of characters strikes a good balance of comedy and seriousness. Couple that with a …
Valve finally teases a release date for Dota 2 patch 7.31
William Davis
Dota 2
Valve has finally revealed the release date for Dota 2 patch 7.31. After the exciting conclusion of The International 10, fans had a lot to celebrate. Team Spirit’s underdog victory rocked the Dota 2 world, a pro player shuffle was inevitable, and another TI grand finals meant that a patch was soon to be released. While Valve has tuned the game with small patches, the traditional post-TI patch remained absent. …
Wildcard tournament returning for The International 11
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Valve has announced that The International 11 is going to have a new format and a different qualifier system compared to past years. Following the enormous backlash surrounding the cancelation of the 2022 Winter Major, Valve has detailed its plans for the remainder of the season. There were two notable revelations therein, including regional competitions to replace the major as well as a new qualification system for The International 11. …
The new characters from DOTA: Dragon’s Blood Book 2 explained
William Davis
Dota 2
Dragon’s Blood Season 2 is blisteringly fast-paced, and that applies to the introductions of a whole bunch of new characters including Kashurra and Auroth. The second season of the Dota 2 anime introduced a ton of new characters. From Auroth the Winter Wyvern to the mysterious Kashurra, there are a lot of new names to remember. Based on rave reviews, these characters resonated but in most cases their role moving …
Was Evil Geniuses cheating in DPC match against Quincy Crew?
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Evil Geniuses is at the center of an alleged cheating controversy after a Dota Pro Circuit league match. The first tour of the 2021-2022 Dota Pro Circuit season is wrapping up in most regions and the match between Evil Geniuses and Quincy Crew closed out the regular season for ESL’s North American league. However, a moment during the match stands out as controversial and has led to accusations of cheating. …
Newly uncovered glitch makes Snapfire’s ultimate totally broken
William Davis
Dota 2
By exploiting Dota 2’s targeting system, Snapfire can glitch her ultimate right on top of herself, making it significantly more versatile than it was meant to be. Snapfire is one of the glitchiest heroes in all of Dota 2 patch 7.30e. The update that broke jungle camp and ward borders also seems to have affected the flexible ranged hero. She can now use her Mortimer’s Kisses ultimate right on top …
Is DOTA: Dragon’s Blood Book 2 actually better than Arcane?
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
DOTA: Dragon’s Blood Book 2 is here, and it’s a significant improvement over show’s the first season. So significant is this improvement that Dota 2’s titular animated series may actually stack up favorably against rival MOBA League of Legends and Arcane. Dota 2 has settled into being the less successful little sibling when compared to League of Legends. While LoL gets Legends of Runeterra, Teamfight Tactics, and K/DA, Dota 2 …
Aghanim’s Labyrinth Collector’s Cache drops with free courier
William Davis
Dota 2
The fan-voted Collector’s Cache for the Aghanim’s Labyrinth Battle Pass is now available for purchase in Dota 2. The Collector’s Cache is an important part of any Dota 2 battle pass. In addition to adding a bunch of new sets, it gives Workshop artists a chance to flex their muscles with new skins for heroes. It also gives fans a new way to earn battle pass levels while picking up …
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.
