Dota 2
Dota 2
Is Naga Siren the secret best carry of 7.33e?
William Davis
7.33e did a lot to nerf the strongest heroes before the imminent release of 7.34, but it also made way for a new best carry to take control. The relatively stale metagame of the last patch has gotten a much-needed kick in the pants, thanks to the new letter patch. As expected, carry terrors Medusa and Morphling have sharply dropped in popularity and win rate. However, a new, even fishier …
Dota 2
TI 2023 patch 7.34 release date confirmed by Valve
William Davis
A rough release date for Dota 2 7.34 has already been announced, but we don’t blame you for missing it. Dota 2 fans were pleasantly surprised by patch 7.33e suddenly dropping out of nowhere on July 13, 2023. The patch tones down some of the more egregious heroes in the game, giving both pros and pubbers alike a breath of fresh air. However, Valve sneakily confirmed that the next International …
Dota 2
TI 2023 will feature a Side Shop made by the community
William Davis
TI 2023 will mark several firsts for competitive Dota 2, and one of them will be a community-hosted Side Shop to help celebrate the event. The International is unique in the Dota 2 esports calendar. It’s obviously the most prestigious event of the year and usually boasts the largest prize pool, but it’s also an annual celebration of Dota 2 and everyone who plays it. From pro players to Heralds, …
Dota 2
Gaimin Gladiators wins Bali Major, ends perfect season
William Davis
With one more trophy at the Bali Major, Gaimin Gladiators has become the first Dota 2 team to win every major championship in a full season. After a dominant run through the entire event, GG has claimed its third major championship of this year’s Dota Pro Circuit. This marks the first perfect season for any Dota 2 team in history. The squad’s upper-bracket run has also cemented it as the …
Dota 2
The best Dota 2 tournaments to watch in summer 2023
William Davis
This summer will bring tons of exciting Dota 2 tournaments, Dota 2 stands out as one of the most exciting online games today. Besides playing for fun, competitive tournaments attract a huge fan base as teams contest for prowess and the ultimate pool prize. Dota 2 fans have plenty of events to look forward to in the summer of 2023. With the year’s first half complete, what Dota 2 matches …
Dota 2
Old G could disband after Aramis abandon, Ceb says
William Davis
Old G may not make it to the 2024 DPC, as team icon Sébastien “Ceb” Debs hinted at a disband on stream. As soon as Old G debuted on the scene in 2022, the squad immediately became a fan favorite. Its shifting rosters have been stacked with iconic names and faces, including some from the legendary TI8 and TI9 champion OG lineup. However, the team’s matches have always been surrounded …
Dota 2
How will Dota 2 celebrate its 10th anniversary?
William Davis
Dota 2 is coming up on a decade of being officially released, and Valve has confirmed a plan to celebrate the anniversary. Dota 2’s exact age is difficult to quantify. The game technically became playable to the general public in 2010, but developer Valve considers 2013 to be its official year of release. By that definition, the MOBA is quickly approaching its 10th anniversary, and Valve has already acknowledged the …
Dota 2
The International 2023 will not have a battle pass
William Davis
The next Dota 2 battle pass won’t involve The International 2023, marking a massive shift in the massive MOBA’s monetization. Dota 2 is famous for many things — a wide roster of colorful characters, eye-popping prize pools that dwarf other games, and the biggest event in all of esports with The International. However, Valve is not satisfied with how big of a deal TI is in its yearly content rotation, …
Miracle- to standin for Shopify Rebellion at DreamLeague 20
William Davis
Dota 2
After a brief break after leaving Nigma Galaxy, Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi is returning to pro Dota 2 with Shopify Rebellion. With regular mid laner Abed Yusop out of commission, Shopify Rebellion will use Miracle- as a standin for DreamLeague Season 20. This will be his return to competitive play after going inactive with Nigma Galaxy in December 2022. He will attempt to earn a piece of the event’s $1 million …
Dota 2 major spots have fans raging against China
William Davis
Dota 2
China and Western Europe have historically deserved the most major spots in Dota 2 esports, but recent trends show that one doesn’t deserve such attention. Dota 2 fans on social media have calculated the average major placings of different regions in 2023, and the results are very interesting. China is the biggest discrepancy, with an equal number of slots as WEU despite having the worst average performance. This has fans …
Turbo mode gets big changes in Dota 2 7.33
William Davis
Dota 2
Valve has been so busy refining the new 7.33 changes in normal Dota 2 that it forgot about turbo mode. However, at least one janitor has finally remembered. Dota 2 turbo mode has been updated to reflect all the new changes in 7.33. The fast-paced version of the game now has all of the same objectives at an increased rate to reflect the higher gold and experience totals. This is …
Is Dota Plus pay-to-win? Here’s what you’re paying for
William Davis
Dota 2
Most Dota 2 players buy Dota Plus for the silly voice lines, but its variety of features are frequently accused of being pay-to-win. Dota Plus is Valve’s way of profiting off Dota 2 when battle passes, and new skins aren’t available. The monthly subscription service costs only a few bucks in exchange for hero stat tracking, advanced match info, a unique currency system, and a wide variety of in-game bonuses. …
How good are the new 7.33 neutral items?
William Davis
Dota 2
Neutral items got a much-needed makeover in Dota 2 7.33, but players aren’t taking a liking to Valve’s shiny new toys. After years of tinkering from Valve, neutral items finally feel like a solidified part of Dota 2. Their current form is a far cry from the anarchy of their release, with garbage disposal Lone Druids and overpowered Huskars grabbing as many as they could. With the addition of the …
Here’s how much money Mason earns from streaming Dota 2
William Davis
Dota 2
Twitch streamers are usually shy about how much money they bring in, but that’s clearly not the case for Mason Venne. Dota 2 is known for its eye-popping prize pools, and the top 20 highest-earning esports players of all time come from Valve’s MOBA. However, the streaming world is pretty far detached from the greater esports scene. Even the biggest Dota 2 streamers can have a hard time making ends …
xQc says Dota 2 superior to League, has “soul”
William Davis
Dota 2
The Juicer has confirmed his preferred MOBA, with Felix “xQc” Lengyel declaring Dota 2 a superior game to League of Legends. xQc is known for his wide variety of content, and the Twitch icon has most recently dipped his toes into Dota 2. Valve’s competitive MOBA has a long history with the streaming website, often posed as a rival to Riot Games’ League of Legends. However, xQc himself has expressed …
Crystal Maiden is the best support of 7.33, here’s why
William Davis
Dota 2
Crystal Maiden has cemented her place at the top of the support totem pole for Dota 2 7.33, but what makes her the best? DreamLeague Season 19 gave Dota 2 fans an instant look at how pro players interpreted the massive changes in 7.33, but the Berlin Major has officially given the patch its identity. The game has become a mix of quick stomps and hour-long slogs, and the new …
Old G buys back into the DPC after harassment DQ
William Davis
Dota 2
Old G’s disqualification from the Western Europe DPC was a shock to Dota 2 fans, but it seems that the skillful use of large amounts of money has already solved the problem. Just days ago, Old G was disqualified from a relegation tiebreaker in the lower division of the Western Europe DPC. It could have ended there, but public shaming of an admin led to harassment, which in turn led …
Old G kicked from DPC for harassing admins
William Davis
Dota 2
Old G quickly became the team to watch in Western Europe’s lower DPC division, but a shock ruling has sent the star-studded squad back to square one. On May 8, 2023, PGL announced that Old G has been disqualified from the summer tour closed qualifier in the lower division of the WEU Dota Pro Circuit. The squad was originally guaranteed a spot in the qualifier after being relegated out, but …
Date and city for The International 2023 announced
William Davis
Dota 2
The International will return to its most frequent city in 2023, Valve has officially confirmed. The International 2023 will mark the 12th iteration of the biggest tournament in esports. With a battle pass due out to help crowdfund the event and the competitive scene incredibly close at the top level, this year’s TI is set to be one of the most exciting yet. To help drum up hype before the …
New MMR distribution shows everyone made it out of Herald
William Davis
Dota 2
The results of the new MMR distribution are here, and all the players dooming about in Herald are in for a treat. Dota 2 is a complex game, but MMR has stood the test of time as cold hard proof of a player’s skill. Patch 7.33 kept the raw number system but adjusted it with new factors to help it feel fresh. Certainty is a factor, but the biggest change …
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.
