Auto Chess threatens to take over the Dota 2 world

gabhernandez Published 05/02/2019

The Dota 2’s chess hype continues and as the game has now reached more than 200,000 players.

After several Twitch and YouTube streams promoting the new custom game mode, players are starting to reinstall Dota 2 just to play Auto Chess.  The game mode offers an exciting balance of luck and strategy that has proven a draw to players.

The game starts off with the players as a courier with 100 hit points. Eight competing players are given different chess boards, and can choose from a randomized set of five heroes with different classifications.

Each lost round deals damage to the courier based on the number of an opponent’s remaining chess pieces after battle. Heroes level up through merging three copies of the same hero, and heroes became stronger when paired or grouped with heroes of the same class and species types.

The Auto Chess economy also plays a large role as players learn how to create small advantages through gold interest and managing winning or losing streaks.

The goal of the game is to synergize one’s chosen heroes and to create the strongest army on the board, eventually staking a place as the last surviving courier.  

Auto Chess was developed by Drodo Studio and launched January 4. There are player ranks and leaderboards, but the Chinese developers have not specified what goes into these rankings.

Popular Dota 2 personalities including WehSing “SingSing” Yuen and Henrik “AdmiralBulldog” Ahnberg have started streaming Auto Chessm and these streams have attracted many new players. Surprisingly, League of Legend veteran Michael “Imaqtpie” Santana has the highest viewership of an Auto Chess stream on YouTube with more than 250,000 views.

There are claims that the high Auto Chess player count is at least partially attributable to a glitch. A thread on Reddit provided a brief explanation on how Auto Chess may yield an inflated player count through a bug in Dota 2.

Read Also

Dota 2

Oddin.gg’s head of risk helps explain how alleged match fixing during Dota 2 at EWC was flagged Michael Hassall The Dota 2 competition at The Esports World Cup 2026 was shaken to its core during the Survival Stage earlier in the week when Southeast Asian-backed, South American team PTime (better known as PlayTime) were removed from the event citing “integrity concerns.” While the case is still ongoing, and none of the accused confirmed to be guilty, one of the biggest questions behind the incident was just how these concerns ...

Dota 2

PTime removed from Dota 2 at EWC 26 as ESIC investigates coach and captain Michael Hassall Filipino organization PlayTime Esports has been removed from the Esports World Cup 2026 Dota 2 competition following an intervention by the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) and a ruling by the Esports Foundation and EWC. Following a postponement of the PTime vs. Vici Gaming Survival Stage matchup on July 14, ESIC announced that it was actively investigating two members of the South American-based PTime organization, Team Captain Gonzalo "DarkMago" Herrera and ...

Esports Betting

Here’s the complete Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 schedule Hannan Mundia The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 has finally arrived, and here’s the complete schedule for the event to ensure you don’t miss anything. While it isn’t exactly the newest name in the esports scene, the EWC has quickly become a leading event for esports fans worldwide. It brings together professional players and fans from various games, combining them into one long event that everyone can enjoy. 2026’s Esports World Cup ...

Dota 2

Dota 2 at the EWC 2026 preview, details, predictions, and more Michael Hassall A titanic 24 teams are set to compete in Dota 2 at the Esports World Cup 2025 in one of the largest events of the competitive season. These two dozen organizations are set to take over the Paris Convention Center, filling it with top-tier competitive Dota 2 action. With a $2,000,000 USD prize pool, the largest on the Dota 2 calendar, there’s everything to play for in the final major ...

Dota 2

Top Dota 2 combos to boost your MMR fast Wasif Ahmed Dota 2 is a complex and interesting game that requires skill, strategy and teamwork to be successful. Having said that, one of the best ways to improve your MMR is by learning certain Dota 2 combos that have proven themselves over time. It’s worth knowing that there are not that many Dota 2 combos that have survived the test of time because every new patch changes the game’s meta. Nevertheless, ...

Dota 2

Dota 2 temporarily deletes popular hero before launching huge Dark Carnival update Michael Hassall If you were an Axe player in Dota 2 earlier this week, you’d have found yourself out of luck when you tried to pick the stalwart Oglodi warrior, as the hero was straight up removed from the game on June 23. The hero was completely missing from All-Pick and his hero model was replaced with a missing poster. Axe couldn’t even be demoed or picked in a custom game for ...

Dota 2

Team Yandex stop the magic, defeating LGD in BLAST Slam VII finals Michael Hassall Team Yandex have defeated LGD Gaming in the grand finals of BLAST Slam VII in a dramatic 3-1 series that saw both teams pushed to the limit, but ultimately Yandex come out on top. Concluding the last major tournament before teams head to the Esports World Cup and The International 2026 next month and in August, Yandex were able to counter the momentum of LGD that had brought them into ...