Dota 2
Dota 2
Dota 2 fans mourn the release of Talon Esports’ roster
Olivia Richman
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, …
Dota 2
nouns disband Dota 2 roster after surprise run at TI 2023
William Davis
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 …
Dota 2
Mastering Dota 2’s New Map
William Davis
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, …
Dota 2
When does the TI 2023 Battle Pass end in Dota 2?
William Davis
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 …
Dota 2
Team Spirit wins TI 2023, earning second Aegis
William Davis
TI 2023 is over, and Team Spirit stands alone as the grand champion of Dota 2’s biggest tournament. The International 2023 was one of the most open tournaments in the history of TI, prize pool concerns aside. Team Liquid, Gaimin Gladiators, Team Spirit, LGD, and BetBoom all had a solid chance to claim the trophy, but only one could survive the gauntlet. After a stellar run through the upper bracket …
Dota 2
New Dota 2 hero Ring Master revealed at TI 2023
William Davis
Dota 2 getting a new hero in Ring Master sometime in 2024, and the TI 2023 trailer gives a few hints as to what he’ll do. Dota 2 is due for a new addition to its expansive roster of heroes. Muerta is the most recent addition added in March of 2023, but Valve has finally ended the drought with a bombastic reveal before the grand final of The International 12. …
Dota 2
Team Liquid talks handsome rankings and One Piece at TI 2023
William Davis
Team Liquid is playing hot at TI 2023, but it’s longtime bracket rival is still looming ahead. With only one game loss in the group stage, Team Liquid has met expectations as a frontrunner to win The International 2023. The squad has helped codify the active tanky meta and is potentially just three matches away from claiming the Aegis of Champions. WIN.gg was lucky to catch up with Liquid before …
Dota 2
“I’m just a man,” Spirit talks Yatoro GOAT status at TI 2023
William Davis
Team Spirit is back for another bombastic run at TI 2023, but the players are as cool, calm, and collected as ever. Despite not landing a single top-four finish at any DPC Majors, Team Spirit is still the winningest Dota 2 team of the year thanks to championships at Riyadh Masters and DreamLeague 21. Now the squad looks to once again claim the biggest trophy of them all in the …
Gaimin Gladiators threatens shaved heads at TI 2023
William Davis
Dota 2
Gaimin Gladiators is still the favorite despite an early fall to the lower bracket at TI 2023. The team of the year is looking to close off a perfect DPC season by claiming the Aegis of Champions in Seattle. However, a loss to Talon in the group stage deciding match has set the team back. WIN.gg got to catch up with the triple-major champion at The International to learn how …
Breakout squad nouns talks coach love and role swaps at TI 2023
William Davis
Dota 2
nouns wasn’t a popular pick to make the playoffs of TI 2023, but now the squad is five series away from a potential championship. Shopify Rebellion was thought to be North America’s best hope at The International, but with just eight teams remaining, nouns is the sole representative of the region. The squad is charging into the final stretch with the home-field advantage and is sure to be a favorite …
Who is Joel? The chat meme taking over The International
William Davis
Dota 2
Dota 2 fans tuning in to watch The International 2023 may be surprised and confused by the chat’s celebration of someone, or something, named Joel. The International always brings a new meta, new builds, and new memes for the Dota 2 community to enjoy. TI 2023 is no exception, and the chat memes are heating up in preparation for the final weekend. Between sarcastic questions about Shopify Rebellion and fake …
Carry Dark Willow is the pub ruiner from The International
William Davis
Dota 2
All eyes are The International as a great source of new hero builds, but the latest wacky carry pick in Dark Willow will probably cost you some MMR. TI 12 is off to a roaring start, and the year’s most important metagame is quickly leaking into ranked matchmaking. Spectres and Bristlebacks are running rampant, and another hero may have just joined the pantheon. Dark Willow has been picked as a …
All about nouns, the NA team killing it at The International
William Davis
Dota 2
While most North American fans put their hopes in Shopify Rebellion at The International 2023, the group stage has revealed nouns as the dark horse of the tournament’s home region. Surprise upsets are some of the best parts of The International. Whether it was TNC Predator taking down a pre-Aegis OG or Wings pulling off the ultimate Cinderella story, those are the moments that Dota 2 fans most remember. With …
The best heroes of The International 2023 (so far)
William Davis
Dota 2
The International is always defined by its best heroes, and the 2023 edition is no different. For esports enjoyers, The International is where all of the year’s biggest storylines resolve with a rightful champion taking home the Aegis of Champions. However, for casual players, it’s the best time of the year to jack strats from the pros. With so much prestige and a decent chunk of change on the line, …
How is the low prize pool actually affecting TI 12?
William Davis
Dota 2
TI 12 is in full swing, but does the startingly low prize pool take away from the excitement? Dota 2 is going through some strange times. While massive gameplay patches and free cosmetics are fantastic for the casual player base, the competitive side has been going through it. The cancellation of the Dota Pro Circuit and the relatively tiny TI prize pool signal a major shift in how professional Dota …
How much does the TI 2023 Aegis statue cost?
William Davis
Dota 2
The real-life Aegis reward has returned in the TI 2023 Compendium, but what’s the absolute minimum amount it will cost you? One of Dota 2’s many time-honored traditions is the chance for fans to earn their very own Aegis of Champions as a reward for supporting The International. 2023 is no different, and Valve has already revealed what the newest tiny trophy will look like. In fact, this year’s souvenir …
How many TI 2023 Compendium levels can you earn for free?
William Davis
Dota 2
The TI 2023 Compendium has given Dota 2 fans another chance to score an Aegis statue, but can you get enough levels for free? The community reception for the new International Battle Pass replacement has been mixed, to say the least. The removal of cosmetics and a smaller pool of rewards will likely result in a minuscule prize pool, though there are still quite a few in-game souvenirs to pick …
TI 2023 Compendium launches with new rewards
William Davis
Dota 2
TI 2023 is fast approaching, and Dota 2 fans can finally celebrate with the in-game compendium. While the days of an arcana and immortal-stocked battle pass are over, Dota 2 fans still have plenty to celebrate with today’s update. The International 2023 Celebration Update, which was released on September 27, 2023, has added in-game support for the year’s biggest esports event with plenty of ways for players to get involved. …
SumaiL lawsuit against Evil Geniuses to move to trial
William Davis
Dota 2
After years of legal troubles, the lawsuit between Dota 2 star Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan and his former sponsor Evil Geniuses is finally going to trial. Earlier in 2023, it was revealed that SumaiL had been embroiled in legal troubles with his former esports organization Evil Geniuses. The dispute over converted shares has now reached a fever pitch and there is allegedly a court date for the issue to go to …
Quinn proves behavior score is broken, and Valve responds
William Davis
Dota 2
Three-time major champion Quinn Callahan may have finally met his match in the new Dota 2 behavior score system. Valve has taken many steps to make Dota 2 a less toxic game, but devious players will always find a way to abuse it. In the case of Gaimin Gladiators mid laner Quinn, that means being unfairly targeted for doing literally nothing at all. After more than a dozen matches with …
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.
