| Dota 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
| Release Date | |
|---|---|
| July 9, 2013 (Steam) More Details |
|
| Genre | |
| MOBA | |
| Platforms | Price (MSRP) |
 |
Free-to-Play |
| Developer | Publisher |
| Valve | Valve |
| Number of Players | Age Rating |
| 10 (5v5) | T |
| Time to Finish | Cross Platform Play |
| 30-45 minutes (per game) | No |
| Official Website | Official Website for Dota 2 |
Dota 2 Latest News
⚫︎ Introducing Kez and Crownfall Act IV (dota2.com)
⚫︎ Falcons, BetBoom, and AVULUS earn upper bracket starts in ESL One Bangkok 2024 Playoffs (gosugamers.net)
⚫︎ Kiyotaka commented on BetBoom Team's performance with Gpk (hawk.live)
Dota 2 Overview
Dota 2 is a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) developed and published by Valve. The game is a direct sequel to Defense of the Ancients (DotA), which was a community-made map and mod for Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos. Led by the ever-elusive IceFrog, who was the lead designer of the original DotA, development of Dota 2 started in 2009, when Valve wanted to modernize the game in the Source engine. While the game is fully free-to-play, players can opt to buy virtual cosmetics and other audio packs to personalize their experience.
Known as one of the most popular esports in recent history, Dota 2 has a large, persisting scene where teams compete in many different leagues and tournaments globally. One of the main things the esport is known for has been "The International," the game's premier annual tournament, which has had a crowdfunded prize pool of $40 million at one point. Teams will have to compete through Valve's own regional "Dota Pro Circuit" and accumulate enough points to gain a direct invite into the annual premier.
Dota 2 Gameplay
Two teams comprised of five players each battle it out to defend each of their own bases on separate sides of a map. The goal of the game is to destroy the opposing Ancient, a large structure located at the center of their team's base.
Each player will independently control their own character or Hero of their choice, each having their own unique abilities, strengths, and playstyles.
They will then aim to strengthen their heroes by leveling up their abilities and getting items to increase their stats through collecting gold and experience points (XP) from various sources around the map. Additionally, the game is a player-versus-player game, meaning that teams are also looking to defeat each other in combat, where kills and assists net players a sizable reward of gold and XP.
Dota 2 Reviews
Hard to Learn, Even Harder to Master
Dota 2 is known for its steep learning curve and complexity, with players needing to learn many different aspects in the game. Despite this, however, it has been considered one of the greatest video games of all time, even so far as making to IGN's Top 100 Video Games of All Time List created back in 2021. It has been one of the consistently most played games on the Steam platform since its release back in 2013, with peaks of over a million concurrent players. Additionally, the popularity of the game has led to several adaptations, merchandise, and other references from other games and mainstream media.
OneEsports called Dota as "one of the deepest games in terms of how much players need to assess gameplay over an extended amount of time." The reviewer also touched on the game that rewards players for making the correct decisions as well as being mechanically skilled. Additionally, they pointed out that being able to contribute to a winning team by giving vision, communication, and taking control of the game is the most rewarding part of playing the difficult MOBA. Ultimately, the reviewer highlighted the game's constant need for teamwork and being able to keep up with many micro-decisions to be made in a single match, which can be the difference between a satisfying victory or a crushing defeat.
Polygon also reviewed the game, with the reviewer accumulating a total of 4,749 hours, calling it "both the best and the worst game," as it has rewarded their time for making the correct decisions, and has also made them miserable for several losses. The review highlighted the game's depth and how Valve continues to update the game with changes which continues the cycle of learning the game with its ever-increasing evolutions. Another emphasis was made on how flexible the game is, where items, strategies, and decisions should be made in accordance to the enemy lineup, how the game is going, and more.
Dota 2 Announcement Trailer
Gamescom Trailer
Dota 2 Trivia
⚫︎ While commonly known to be the sequel of the community-made map in Warcraft 3, the idea was actually inspired by another community-made map in Starcraft called "Aeon of Strife".
⚫︎ Some items in the original game are actually references to several items in other Blizzard IPs (e.g. Buriza-do Kyanon, Messerschmidt's Reaver, etc.)
⚫︎ Some of the designers of the game went on to develop Riot Games' League of Legends, the direct competitor of the MOBA.
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