Dota 2
Dota 2
Dota 2 gets brand new items in patch 7.27 as zoo meta gets nerfed
Steven Rondina
Dota 2 update 7.27 has arrived and while designer IceFrog previously hinted that the update would be a relatively small one, it instead brought sweeping changes to the game. No heroes were touched but almost every facet of Dota 2’s XP and gold bounty system was changed, as was a number of different areas of the map. It’s a long list of changes that will likely delight fans at all …
Dota 2
Esports talent James Banks accuses Redeye of blackmail, misconduct
M Alzamora
Esports interviewer and commentator James Banks has accused Paul “Redeye” Chaloner of professional misconduct, posting a lengthy document containing stories of bullying, blackmail, and physical violence. Banks made a post on Twitter on June 27 titled “The truth about Paul “Redeye” Chaloner and Code Red,” a 3,000-word post detailing alleged misconduct by both Chaloner and his agency, Code Red. Throughout the document, Banks says that he has tried to have …
Dota 2
These are the most OP neutral items in Dota 2 right now
Jared Wynne
The most OP jungle drops in Dota 2 right now Ever since their introduction, neutral items have hugely impacted the way Dota 2 is played. While some neutral items give a straightforward boost in different stages of the game, others can completely change how a hero is played. Included in this list are the most impactful items from each tier. At first glance tier-one items are insignificant, but in the …
Dota 2
Ceb blasts “noob-friendly” Dota 2 meta, offers Necronomicon fix
Steven Rondina
Dota 2’s 7.26 meta has been very poorly received by players at all levels, and Sébastien “Ceb” Debs gave a lengthy explanation as to why. The two-time The International champion broke down his issues with the current meta and discussed how Valve might change things in Dota 2’s upcoming 7.27 update. “I’m not enjoying the meta at all. I think it’s really noob-friendly and I hate it,” Ceb said. Ceb …
TNC Predator vs. Execration ONE Esports SEA League betting analysis
Nina Forneloza
Dota 2
After the Singapore Major was canceled, ONE Esports decided to put together a new event for top teams from its home region. The ONE Esports Dota 2 SEA League boasts top teams fighting for the largest share of a $100,000 prize pool. The 10-team league is in its second of four weeks of action. On the docket is a showdown between enduring Filipino organizations TNC Predator and Execration. Both teams …
TobiWan accused of sexual assault, misconduct by multiple women
Steven Rondina
News
Toby “TobiWan” Dawson is being accused of sexual assault. The longtime Dota 2 commentator joins a growing list of Dota 2 broadcast talent to be accused of sexual misconduct. This follows caster Grant “GranDGranT” Harris and Moonduck director Andrew “Zyori” Campbell being accused of separate instances of sexual misconduct. The allegations come from Danish cosplayer Meruna, who Dota 2 fans may recognize as the girlfriend of pro player and caster …
Team Secret vs. OG BEYOND Epic betting analysis
Nina Forneloza
Dota 2
It’s the final day of the BEYOND Epic group stage, and fans are in for some top-notch Dota 2 action. BEYOND Epic’s European and CIS regional play is on its last day of the group stage. Team Nigma, FlyToMoon, and Team Liquid will kick off the playoff stage in the upper bracket. European powerhouse teams, Team Secret and OG, were both placed in Group A. Surprisingly, Vikin.gg and Team Nigma …
Topson says he nearly retired after winning The International 2019
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Topias Miikka “Topson” Taavitsainen is back in action, and it seems like he has a lot to say. The OG mid laner sat down for a lengthy interview with CyberSport. He talked in depth on a number of different topics including his personsal life, his career, and what it’s like to play with the new OG lineup. Topson also offered a number of new revelations, including that he strongly considered …
PlusOne banned from BTS Pro Series Season 2 for match fixing
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Another match fixing scandal has hit Dota 2’s professional scene. Beyond the Summit has announced the ejection of PlusOne from its ongoing BTS Pro Series Season 2: Americas event due to alleged match fixing incidents. Alongside this, the tournament organizer has issued indefinite bans from any BTS-organized tournaments to players Chedrin “Ched” Asinas, Yixaun “xuan” Guo, and Alejandro “Jano” Moreno. “Team PlusOne have been removed from BTS Pro Series due …
GranDGranT cut by Evil Geniuses after sexual harassment claims
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Grant “GranDGranT” Harris has been at the center of one of Dota 2’s biggest scandals to date. The caster and content creator is no longer working with Evil Geniuses following a weekend of news during which he was accused of harassing a woman at an event. The organization announced the news on Twitter: Effective immediately, Grant “GranDgranT” Harris has been released and is no longer a member of Evil Geniuses. …
EternaLEnVy shows just how crazy Dota 2’s zoo meta has become
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
The current Dota 2 “zoo” meta is absolutely ridiculous. It’s ridiculous enough that Jacky “EternaLEnVy” Mao made a troll build look legitimately overpowered. Playing as Faceless Void in a high-MMR game, he went mid with the hero and rushed a Necromonicon and Medallion of Courage en route to an easy victory. While his picking Faceless Void instead of Void Spirit was unintentional, it provided a great demonstration of how potent …
Evil Geniuses vs. beastcoast BTS Pro Series Americas betting analysis
Nina Forneloza
Dota 2
An intriguing matchup featuring top Dota 2 teams from the Americas region is inbound for Dota 2 fans. BTS Pro Series: Americas is halfway done. Teams from North America and South America are vying for their share of the $50,000 prize pool. Evil Geniuses currently tops the standings with a 5-2 score in the group stage. Business associates is half a game behind at 5-1, with 4 Zoomers in third …
Somnus takes home MVP award and Mercedes-Benz car
Nina Forneloza
Dota 2
ESL has given Lu “Somnus” Yao the Mercedes-Benz MVP for ESL One Birmingham Online 2020. Somnus became the first Chinese player to earn the ESL One MVP award, a prize that stands out from the crowd by coming alongside a brand new Mercedes-Benz car. Somnus earned the prize for his efforts helping PSG.LGD claim the championship title in the Chinese portion of the event. This event’s MVP award is a …
Valve announces the final end date for the TI10 Battle Pass
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
The TI10 Battle Pass will be going away long before The International 10 arrives. Valve has announced the shipment of a new update to Dota 2 designed to begin fixing issues related to the game’s struggling game coordinator, which has seen Dota 2 matchmaking slowed or even paused for players across the world in recent days. Alongside that news, Valve let the ending date for the TI10 Battle Pass slip. …
Dota 2 servers down three days in a row, Valve has no answers
Nina Forneloza
Dota 2
Dota 2 fans have been complaining about server issues for three days now, and this may not be the end of their problems. Dota 2 servers were down again today, marking the third consecutive day in which the Dota 2 client’s game coordinator experienced significant issues. Fans were queuing for matches normally, but they couldn’t find any games. The “finding match” button also seems to vanish after a few minutes. …
Dota 2 rocked by game coordinator issues during TI10 Battle Pass
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Playing Dota 2 is seeming harder than it ever has been these days. This isn’t because of any sort of shift to the meta or increase in toxicity in what is already the most toxic player base in online gaming. No, it’s harder than ever because Valve just can’t seem to keep the game coordinator steadily operational. For the third time this week, players reported mass issues with the Dota …
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.
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