Dota 2 is one of the biggest Esports titles in the world, and it is also one of the most lucrative games in professional esports. The game was created by Valve in combination with Icefrog, one of the original developers of the MOBA genre. The game is available for free on Steam, and anyone can play it.
Dota 2, or Defense of the Ancients, is a popular MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) Game. It was created by Valve and is the most-played game on Steam. Players have a very simple objective: Destroy the enemy’s Ancient before they destroy yours. Although the objective is pretty straightforward, in order to be successful, players have to work as a team and do many other things before they can destroy the opposing Ancient.
A game of Dota 2 can go on for anywhere between 20 minutes to over an hour. Winning the game requires a combination of skill, luck and teamwork. Without proper teamwork, winning a Dota game is extremely difficult. It is most enjoyed by playing with friends.
Dota 2 History
Icefrog, the original developer of the game, has been working on it since the 2000s. It is adapted from the popular RPG World of Warcraft. Although the game was originally supposed to come out in 2012, Valve made it available to the public in Gamescom 2011. After a couple of years of Beta testing, Valve launched it on the Steam store on July 9, 2013. Since then, Valve has constantly been creating and introducing new heroes to the game.
Dota 2 has been called one of the greatest videogames of all time. This is due to the dynamic nature of the game which is a tower defence + RPG format. There is a huge learning curve to the game, and first-timers have a hard time understanding what or how to go about playing it.
For a more detailed insight into Dota 2 history, be sure to check out this video
How many heroes does Dota 2 have?
As of the latest update, which includes the new hero Hoodwink, Dota 2 has a total of 120 different heroes. They are further divided into Ranged or Melee heroes and into Strenght, Agility and Intelligence heroes. According to the latest news by Valve, a new Dota 2 hero will also be introduced in the 2nd week of April, taking the list of heroes to 121.
Some heroes such as Monkey King, Pangolier, Dark Willow, Grimstroke and Mars are entirely new, and they were not a part of the original version of Dota 1 or Dota 2.
Best Dota 2 players
There is no possible way to pick out one best player in Dota 2. However, recently, Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon, the Thai professional player became the first person to hit the 12,000 MMR mark, making him the highest-rated MMR player in all of Dota 2.
But Dota 2 is a team game, and it is all about teamwork to win the game. But, certain roles being successful in the laning stage is more crucial than others. Here is a list of some of the best Dota 2 players in the world:
- Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen: The two-time TI winner for OG. Ever since Topson came to pro-Dota 2, he has been giving tough competition to SumaiL, the legendary EG player.
- Nikolay “Nikobaby” Nikolov: An upcoming player for Europe, who has been playing for Alliance, Nikobaby is making waves as a carry player, and has single-handedly turned around a lot of games for Alliance.
- Artour “Arteezy” Babaev: The NA Carry legend, Arteezy is part of EG’s roster, and he has put on some dominating performance in the professional circuit in the last 5 years. He is in his 4th year with EG and has transitioned from being a mid player to a carry player.
The International & Prize Money
Since 2011, Valve hosts the annual Dota 2 tournament, dubbed The International or TI. For professional teams, qualifying for TI and lifting the Aegis of Champions is the ultimate goal. It is a massive tournament, which boasts of a pretty humongous prize pool. Since TI4 in 2014, it has constantly broken the world record for the highest prize pool among esports tournaments for 6 years in a row.
Over the last nine years combined, TI has had $140,755,722, with the winner of TI, OG, taking home a staggering $34 million. Every year, Valve releases a Battle Pass for Dota 2. A particular cut from the sales of the Battle Pass goes directly into the Prize Pool of TI for that year.
Biggest Dota 2 Events
Apart from TI, there are other Dota 2 events that are popular and draws a massive audience. Here is a list of the most popular Dota 2 events:
- Dota Pro Circuit (Regional Qualifiers)
- DreamLeague
- BTS Pro Season
- ESL One Championship
- Epic League
