What is Dota 2? A Comprehensive Overview of Valve's MOBA
Millions of gamers worldwide enter the battle every day as a part of over a hundred Dota Heroes in a 5v5 team fight. Dota is the deepest multi-player action role-playing strategy game ever made, and there are always new strategies and tactics to learn.
The heroes in Dota 2 are exceptionally diverse. From magical tacticians to fierce brutes and cunning rogues, their hero pool is massive. Whatever style of gameplay you like, there's someone for you to pick up and play with.
So, what is Dota 2?
(Updated as of: November 15th, 2023)
Dota 2 is a 2013 multi-player online battle arena game that was developed and released by Valve. It was published as a sequel to the game Defense of the Ancients (DotA), a community-developed mod for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos by Blizzard Entertainment.
Dota 2 consists of matches between two five-player teams, with each team defending their base on the map. Every player controls a powerful character. This is called a "hero". They each have unique abilities and varying styles of play.
During a battle, players collect experience points and items which will help them to successfully beat the opposing team in player-versus-player matches. To win the game, you have to be the first to destroy the enemy's "Ancient", which is a huge structure positioned within their base.
The development of Dota 2
Development of Dota 2 started in 2009 when the lead designer of Defense of the Ancients, was recruited by Valve to develop a modernized remake within the Source game engine. The game was released for Windows, OS X, and Linux on Steam in July 2013, after a Windows-only open beta phase that started two years before.
Dota is completely free to play without any gameplay elements needing to be purchased or unlocked. To sustain this, Valve sells loot boxes and a battle pass subscription system, called Dota Plus, which offers non-gameplay changing virtual items, like audio replacement packs and hero cosmetics.
In 2015, the game was ported to the Source 2 engine, making it the first game to use it.
How do tournaments work?
Team Spirit 2nd TI.Credits: Valve
Dota 2 has an active esports scene with professional leagues and tournaments featuring international players. Valve's official esports event is called the Dota Pro Circuit, which awards qualification points for winning in-season events and direct invites to The International, a tournament held annually.
Dota 2 features a crowdfunded prize money system, and the prize money has amounted to upwards of $40 million USD. This makes it the most lucrative esport out there. In many of the tournaments, the media is provided by a group of on-site commentators who are on-hand to give fans an insight into the game and the teams involved.
The games are live broadcast to millions of viewers online, and occasionally they're also simulcast on television with peak viewership in the millions.
As of November 2023, Valve has discontinued the DPC and will instead try out a new method to hand out invite for The International.
When was Dota 2 released?
Dota 2 was first made available to the public in 2011 at Gamescom, which is when the game’s first-ever tournament, the International Championship, took place. At the event, Valve started sending out invites to the Dota 2 community to test the game’s beta.
Originally, the game was supposed to be released in early 2012, but Valve later canceled that plan because it wouldn't have allowed the game to release until late 2013, keeping the game's closed beta status for over a year. Valve lifted the non-disclosure agreement and allowed players to post their experience publicly in September 2011.