win.gg
Win.gg Dota 2 Dota 2 updates hero leg counts, reignites fan controversy

Dota 2 updates hero leg counts, reignites fan controversy

Author Icon
William Davis Published 15/08/2021

Dota 2 players are obsessed with weird stats. The number of legs each Dota 2 hero officially has is one of them, strangely enough. 

In a recent Dota 2 update, Valve has once again made adjustments to the canonical number of legs each hero has. Players expecting balance patch 7.30 were understandably disappointed. Instead, the update reignited the community discussion around how many legs Dota 2 heroes have.

To clarify, “legs” doesn’t refer to some kind of gameplay mechanic or cosmetic. It’s referring to the body part. Dota 2’s heroes vary from regular humans sporting the standard pair to insects with six or more. Many heroes have no legs at all. OpenDota even measures pick and win rates for heroes based on their number of legs. The statistic is really only used for battle pass challenges but the community is divided on the number of legs some heroes have. 

In the most recent update, Ancient Apparition and Oracle both had their leg counts dropped to zero. The most recent Captain’s Mode addition Hoodwink was updated from two legs to four to reflect her squirrelly design. The most controversial change is to Underlord, who was swapped to two legs and four arms. The front pair do have knuckles but it’s difficult to imagine Underlord walking around on just his hind legs.

Valve has an official number of legs for every hero but the discussion is still live among Dota 2 fans. Do mounted heroes like Chaos Knight have six legs or just two? Does Arc Warden’s clone feet count? What about Lone Druid and his Spirit Bear? Does Broodmother or Meepo have the most legs? The corner cases are too many to name.

Why are legs a stat in Dota 2?

Dota 2’s leg controversy originated from a humorous panel moment from The International 2012. TongFu had just knocked Evil Geniuses out of the playoffs to advance to the top eight. Commentator Bruno Carlucci commented that TongFu won because their hero picks had zero legs. Evil Geniuses, by contrast, drafted 18 legs among five heroes. Lina was the first notable Dota 2 legs edge case. Bruno argues that since she floats to move around, Lina technically doesn’t have legs. 

The number of legs a hero has doesn’t affect gameplay in any way. The statistic is only used for certain battle pass challenges. Weekly missions and cavern crawl can both require picking heroes with a certain amount of legs. Mounted or four-legged heroes do generally have faster base movement speed but that decision is purely coincidental.

William Davis
About William Davis

View full profile
Read Also
TI15’s opening ceremony weaves a tapestry of emotion for Valve’s storied title Dota 2
TI15’s opening ceremony weaves a tapestry of emotion for Valve’s storied title Michael Hassall The main stage of The International 2026, TI15, kicked off today with the traditional opening ceremony heralding the start of the biggest celebration of Dota 2 on the calendar. On Aug. 20 fans in Shanghai, China, and at home, were treated to a rousing 11-minute series of performances and video packages, introducing TI15’s main stage show. Here’s how the magic unfolded: The ceremony began with a graphic which quite literally ...
The International 2026 (TI15) Playoffs preview and predictions Dota 2
The International 2026 (TI15) Playoffs preview and predictions Michael Hassall The Group Stage of The International 2026, TI15, is in the books and we’ve whittled down 16 of the world’s best Dota 2 teams to just eight finalists. One of these talented lineups will be the ones lifting the Aegis of Champions come Sunday, Aug. 23, but until then, there’s plenty of playoff shenanigans that could go on. Below we’ve put together a preview of the upcoming Playoff Games, along ...
The Esports Nations Cup Has Been Postponed to November 2027 News
The Esports Nations Cup Has Been Postponed to November 2027 Ben Boland The 2026 Esports Nations Cup has been suspended until 2027. The Esports Foundation announced the delay on August 18, citing ongoing regional uncertainty. The inaugural competition was scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, comprising over 100 national teams and featuring 16 different games, including League of Legends. According to the Esports Foundation, this decision follows ongoing developments in the region and consultation with key stakeholders. Moving the event ...
Team Spirit vs Iron Wing at TI15: Best Betting Predictions and Picks Dota 2
Team Spirit vs Iron Wing at TI15: Best Betting Predictions and Picks Owen Harsono The playoffs for TI15 starts off with an absolute banger of a match between Team Spirit and Iron Wing, and the betting odds could not be any closer. Here are our TI15 Team Spirit vs Iron Wing predictions. Tournament: The International 2026 (TI15) Stage: Playoffs Game: Dota 2 Format: Best of 3 Betting tip: This is the closest series we have at the first round of the TI15 playoffs, as ...
Who Will Win The International 2026 (TI15)? These Are Our Best Picks Dota 2
Who Will Win The International 2026 (TI15)? These Are Our Best Picks Owen Harsono The TI15 group stage is over, and we’re down to the top eight teams. We’ve now got a pretty good idea of which teams are the favorites heading into the playoffs based on recent performance and season results, so here are the teams we think have the best shot at winning TI15 and claiming some of The International  prize pool. The TI15 group stage saw eight teams exit the event ...
The International 2026 (TI15) Elimination Stage Preview and Predictions Dota 2
The International 2026 (TI15) Elimination Stage Preview and Predictions Owen Harsono The TI15 Group Stage is almost over, and all that’s left is the very deadly Elimination Stage, which will eliminate five teams and allow the five survivors to advance to the playoffs. Below, we’ll walk you through how the Elimination Stage works, the matchups, and our best picks. The Elimination Stage is the final phase of the TI15 Group Stage. The modified Swiss format promotes the top three teams directly ...
Team Spirit vs TEAM VISION at TI15: Best Betting Predictions and Picks Dota 2
Team Spirit vs TEAM VISION at TI15: Best Betting Predictions and Picks Owen Harsono We’re two days into TI15, and we have our first significant match of the tournament. Team Spirit will take on TEAM VISION (PARIVISION) for the first playoff spot. Here are our predictions for the big match. Tournament: The International 2026 (TI15) Stage: Group Stage Game: Dota 2 Format: Best of 3 Betting tip: TEAM VISION enter TI15 as the tournament favorites, but Team Spirit are playing under zero pressure at ...