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
Oddin.gg’s head of risk helps explain how alleged match fixing during Dota 2 at EWC was flagged 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 ...
PTime removed from Dota 2 at EWC 26 as ESIC investigates coach and captain 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 ...
Here’s the complete Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 schedule 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 at the EWC 2026 preview, details, predictions, and more 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 ...
Top Dota 2 combos to boost your MMR fast 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 temporarily deletes popular hero before launching huge Dark Carnival update 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 ...
Team Yandex stop the magic, defeating LGD in BLAST Slam VII finals 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 ...