Dota 2
Dota 2
Here’s what happened to KuroKy, and what’s next for Nigma
Steven Rondina
Nigma Galaxy has returned to form and become one of the top teams in Dota 2 esports, but fans might be wondering what happened to Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi. For two years, Nigma Galaxy was among the best Dota 2 teams in the game. The fan-favorite squad led by KuroKy and his former Team Liquid cohorts maintained a strong presence in the European regional scene and qualified for multiple majors …
Dota 2
True Sight is gone, but ESL has the next best thing
William Davis
The wait for the new True Sight commemorating The International 2022 may never end, but a tournament host has stepped in to fill the void in fans’ hearts. True Sight remains one of the most acclaimed esports documentary series ever created. The series ran sporadically until a grand finale for The International 2021, but Valve appears to have officially axed the series after rumors of its cancellation. This is a …
Dota 2
The best Christmas gifts for Dota 2 fans
William Davis
Christmas is right around the corner, and any Dota 2 fan would love a gift commemorating their favorite video game. With over 120 characters and two decades of history, Dota 2 remains one of the most popular games on the planet. Valve’s competitive MOBA draws in millions of players every day, and the competitive scene is still going strong in 2024. For people with a Dota 2 fan in their …
Dota 2
Juggernaut may get a persona soon, here’s why
William Davis
Juggernaut is one of Dota 2’s most beloved carry heroes, and his fantastic arcana may soon be joined by a persona. Personas are Dota 2’s way of visually reworking heroes while keeping their gameplay intact. The first was a complete remix for Anti-Mage that turned him into his own student named Wei. Since then, players have seen Pudge become a plushie, Dragon’s Blood characters cosplay as themselves, and Phantom Assassin …
Dota 2
BLAST entering Dota 2 esports with five tournaments
Olivia Richman
BLAST has just announced that it’s entering the Dota 2 esports scene with five competitive events in 2024 and beyond. BLAST is an esports entertainment company that has successful esports series like the Fortnite Champion Series, Rocket League Championship Series, and more. Now, BLAST wants to add Dota 2 to its growing list of esports titles. There have been five announced BLAST tournaments for the 2024 and 2025 series for …
Dota 2
Dota 2 Crownfall update: What’s new?
Fariha Bhatti
Dota 2’s Crownfall update has arrived and while some players may be disappointed by the lack of a new hero, the event itself is quite impressive. First announced in February, Crownfall is a highly anticipated update that promises tons of new additions to the game. Players had expected Ringmaster to arrive with this update, but that’s not the case. Instead, Crownfall brings a four-part in-game lore event, Arcanas, treasures, coins, and more. Dota 2 Crownfall update is based on …
Dota 2
1win accuses ESL One Birmingham of favoring OG after Visa issues
Olivia Richman
1win has responded with shocking information after the Dota 2 team was disqualified from ESL One Birmingham over Visa issues. On April 9, ESL One Birmingham shared an official team update after 1win was unable to field an eligible roster in time for the tournament due to Visa issues. Even more shocking to fans, the next EEU team that qualified for that slot were also unable to attend over Visa …
Dota 2
Dota 2 players react to Crownfall delay
Olivia Richman
The Crownfall update is arriving later than expected to Dota 2. Dota 2 players have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of a massive update called Crownfall. Unfortunately, it looks like Crownfall’s release date is much later than previously planned. With the announcement of Crownfall came a lot of excitement from Dota 2 players. They started speculating when the big update would come, prompting Valve to explain that it wasn’t coming …
The top Dota 2 heroes dominating the meta in 7.35b
William Davis
Dota 2
7.35b is a very fun patch. All the new toys added in the Frostivus update have finally found homes, from Khanda and Clinkz to Unwavering Condition and Medusa, the new balance patch has added a ton of new combos. However, when it comes to grinding out MMR, a few heroes have risen to the top of the win rate charts. If you’re looking to build expertise on the meta and …
Next Dota 2 battle pass, Frostivus event teased by Valve
William Davis
Dota 2
The long-awaited battle pass is finally headed to Dota 2, and Valve has already left clues on its release date. Patch 7.34e is finally here, and Valve likely anticipated some disappointment with the tiny letter patch. The developer hopes to make up for it with some hints for future Dota 2 updates, including both the next seasonal event, Frostivus, and the return of new arcanas in a battle pass. Both …
Next Dota 2 patch release date revealed by Valve
William Davis
Dota 2
The TI 2023 meta is already getting stale, but bored Dota 2 players at least have a release date to look forward to for the next patch. The post-TI malaise is hitting the Dota 2 community hard this year. Between non-interactive strength mids and supports going Hand of Midas, a shakeup is more than due. Valve acknowledges this, and the developer has already revealed a release date for the next …
Falcons enters Dota 2 with new skiter, Cr1t- stack
William Davis
Dota 2
Falcons is looking to shake up every esports with enough money to buy any player, and the sponsor’s new Dota 2 has no expense spared. Saudi esports venture Falcons is the central talking point of multiple esports in 2023, with a highly-anticipated CS2 roster in the works and planned entries into multiple games. Dota 2 is a fan favorite in Saudi Arabia, so it makes sense that the newest MOBA …
Shopify Rebellion disband imminent as Fly, Cr1t-, Abed leave
William Davis
Dota 2
Shopify Rebellion crashed and burned hard at The International 2023, and the poor result may lead to a disband after the team’s core departs. Fans of Artour “Arteezy” Babaev just can’t catch a break, as the carry supreme’s team has officially exploded. Supports Tal “Fly” Aizik and Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen as well as mid laner Abed Yusop have officially left the team, leaving North America’s most stacked roster in flux. …
Dota 2 fans mourn the release of Talon Esports’ roster
Olivia Richman
Dota 2
The competitive Dota 2 community is heartbroken after Talon Esports let go its entire roster. It’s expected that Dota 2 teams will be shaken up after The International as orgs look into a new season. Apparently, Talon Esports has decided to drop its entire team and is going to have an entirely new roster going forward. Earlier today, Talon Esports tweeted that a “new era is coming.” In the tweet, …
nouns disband Dota 2 roster after surprise run at TI 2023
William Davis
Dota 2
The International 2023 breakout team was definitely nouns, but the North American roster has already announced a disband. The International 2023 was full of storylines but North American fans likely consider the success of nouns to be the most exciting one. The third-ranked team in the North American DPC managed to earn a top-eight finish thanks to a surprise upset over reigning champion Tundra Esports. However, just weeks following the …
Mastering Dota 2’s New Map
William Davis
Dota 2
Mastering the new Dota 2 map is the key for competitors to stay competitive. If you are looking to polish your skills in the field of mobility, sustain battles, or critical areas, you will be sure to outsmart the opponents with this knowledge. The recently upgraded Dota 2 map has grown by 40%, providing a larger canvas for tactical maneuvering and making it even more thrilling to play friends matches, …
When does the TI 2023 Battle Pass end in Dota 2?
William Davis
Dota 2
TI 2023 is over but the battle pass has yet to end. Just how long do you have to claim all those loading screens? Dota 2 invented the battle pass as we know it, but this year’s version is a considerable break from tradition. It’s entirely dedicated to the tournament, with very little to offer for players uninterested in the esports side of things. However, it still packs quite a …
Is zai retired after TI 2023? New statement shocks fans
William Davis
Dota 2
Ludwig “zai” Wåhlberg is one of Dota 2’s most recognized names, but did the offlane and support star suddenly announce that he’s retired? The period after The International is always a time of change. Whether it’s rosters splintering apart to rebuild for the next season or legendary players bidding goodbye, it’s a turbulent time for everyone. However, one casualty of the offseason happens to be one of the game’s most …
Valve renames Spirit Breaker in honor of Team Spirit after TI
William Davis
Dota 2
Spirit Breaker was key to Team Spirit’s success at The International 2023, and Valve has found a fun way to commemorate the championship in-game. The International is finally over after nearly a month of competition, and Valve is celebrating the event even after its resolution. Team Spirit claimed its second Aegis of Champions in dominant fashion, tearing through the group stage and upper bracket to end it 3-0 over Gaimin …
Dota 2 pro Taiga opens up about past gambling addiction
Olivia Richman
Dota 2
Dota 2 pro Tommy “Taiga” Le has finally revealed the reason behind his break from competing. According to a very honest and emotional post on Twitter, Taiga explained that he found himself feeling removed from esports due to a gambling addiction. “I have been absent for a while and there’s barely any communication from me,” Taiga said after an apology to fans. “But now, after coming back to my senses, …
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.
