DOTA 2 is one the one of the top fighting games available to play. Dota 2 tournaments has always ruled the heart of fighting game lovers.
DOTA 2 is an RTS-styled MOBA-type competitive team game with RPG elements. Two competing teams (Radiant and Dire) consist of five players each. The main objective in DOTA 2 is to destroy the enemy Ancient inside their stronghold. These strongholds are protected by multiple towers down 3 lanes. Instead of building armies of units like in classical RTS games, each player controls a single Hero, a strategically-powerful unit with unique abilities and characteristics which can be improved over the course of the game.
GAMEPLAY –
DOTA 2 is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game in which two teams of five players compete to collectively destroy a large structure defended by the opposing team known as the “Ancient”, whilst defending their own. As in Defense of the Ancients, the game is controlled using standard real-time strategy controls, and is presented on a single map in a three-dimensional isometric perspective. Ten players each control one of the game’s 119 playable characters, known as “heroes”, with each having their own design, strengths, and weaknesses. Heroes are divided into two primary roles, known as the core and support.
Cores, which are also called carries, begin each match as weak and vulnerable, but are able to become more powerful later in the game, thus becoming able to “carry” their team to victory. Supports generally lack abilities that deal heavy damage, instead having ones with more functionality and utility that provide assistance for their cores, such as providing healing and other buffs.
Players select their hero during a pre-game drafting phase, where they can also discuss potential strategies and hero matchups with their teammates. Heroes are removed from the drafting pool and become unavailable for all other players once one is selected, and can not be changed once the drafting phase is over. All heroes have a basic attack in addition to powerful abilities, which are the primary method of fighting.
DEVELOPMENT –
The DOTA series began in 2003 with Defense of the Ancients (DOTA)—a mod for Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos—created by the pseudonymous designer “Eul”. An expansion pack for Warcraft III, titled The Frozen Throne, was released later that year; a series of Defense of the Ancients clone mods for the new game competed for popularity. DOTA: Allstars by Steve Feak was the most successful, and Feak, with his friend Steve Mescon, created the official Defense of the Ancients community website and the holding company DOTA-Allstars, LLC. When Feak retired from DOTA: Allstars in 2005, a friend, under the pseudonym IceFrog, became its lead designer.
By the late 2000s, Defense of the Ancients became one of the most popular mods worldwide, as well as a prominent esports game. IceFrog and Mescon later had a falling out in May 2009, which prompted the former to establish a new community website at playdota.com. Valve’s interest in the DOTA intellectual property began when several veteran employees, including Team Fortress 2 designer Robin Walker and executive Erik Johnson, became fans of the mod and wanted to build a modern sequel.
The company corresponded with IceFrog by email about his long-term plans for the project, and he was subsequently hired to direct a sequel. IceFrog first announced his new position through his blog in October 2009, with DOTA 2 being officially announced a year later.
Game Release –
DOTA 2 was first made available to the public at Gamescom in 2011, coinciding with the inaugural International championship, the game’s premier esport tournament event. At the event, Valve began sending out closed beta invitations to DotA players and attendees for the Microsoft Windows version of the game. Although the game was originally meant to publicly release in 2012, Valve later scrapped that plan as it would have kept the game in its closed beta state for over a year. Due to that, Valve lifted the non-disclosure agreement and transitioned the game into open beta in September 2011, allowing players to discuss the game and their experiences publicly.
Following nearly two years of beta testing, Dota 2 was officially released on Steam for Windows on July 9, 2013, and for OS X and Linux on July 18, 2013. The game did not launch with every hero from Defense of the Ancients. Instead, the missing ones were added in various post-release updates, with the final one, as well as the first Dota 2 original hero, being added in 2016.
DOTA 2 ESPORTS –
To ensure that enough Defense of the Ancients players would take up Dota 2 and to promote the game to a new audience, Valve invited sixteen accomplished Defense of the Ancients esports teams to compete at a Dota 2-specific tournament at Gamescom in August 2011, which later became an annually held event known as The International.
From The International 2013 onward, its prize pool began to be crowdfunded through a type of in-game battle pass called the “Compendium”, which raises money from players buying them and connected lootboxes to get exclusive in-game cosmetics and other bonuses offered through them. 25% of all the revenue made from Compendiums go directly to the prize pool, with sales from the 2013 battle pass raising over US$2.8 million, which made it the largest prize pool in esports history at the time.
Each iteration of The International since then has surpassed the previous one’s prize pool, with the most recent one, The International 2019, having one at over $34 million.
To ensure that enough Defense of the Ancients players would take up Dota 2 and to promote the game to a new audience, Valve invited sixteen accomplished Defense of the Ancients esports teams to compete at a Dota 2-specific tournament at Gamescom in August 2011, which later became an annually held event known as The International.
From The International 2013 onward, its prize pool began to be crowdfunded through a type of in-game battle pass called the “Compendium”, which raises money from players buying them and connected lootboxes to get exclusive in-game cosmetics and other bonuses offered through them.
25% of all the revenue made from Compendiums go directly to the prize pool, with sales from the 2013 battle pass raising over US$2.8 million, which made it the largest prize pool in esports history at the time. Each iteration of The International since then has surpassed the previous one’s prize pool, with the most recent one, The International 2019, having one at over $34 million.
Awards received by DOTA 2 –
Following its reveal in 2011, Dota 2 won IGN’s People’s Choice Award. In December 2012, PC Gamer listed Dota 2 as a nominee for their Game of the Year award, as well as the best esports game of the year. In 2013, Dota 2 won the esport game of the year award from PC Gamer and onGamers.GameTrailers also awarded the game the award for Best PC Game of 2013, with IGN also awarding it the Best PC Strategy & Tactics Game, Best PC Multiplayer Game, and People’s Choice Award. Similarly, Game Informer recognized Dota 2 for the categories of Best PC Exclusive, Best Competitive Multiplayer and Best Strategy of 2013. The same year, Dota 2 was nominated for several awards by Destructoid.
DOTA 2 Tournaments –
Top DOTA 2 tournaments are mentioned below with all their information.
The International –
This is the annual esports world championship tournament for the video game Dota 2, hosted and produced by the game’s developer, Valve. The International was first held at Gamescom as a promotional event for the game in 2011, and has since been held annually. The tournament consists of 18 teams; 12 earning a direct invite based on results from a tournament series known as the Dota Pro Circuit and six from winning regional qualifying playoff brackets, one each from North America, South America, Southeast Asia, China, Europe, and CIS regions. The most recent champion is OG, who are also the only team to win an International more than once.
Libertango Cup –
Format –
Two 6-team groups with Bo3 round-robin
The standings are determined by: 1.series won 2.game differentials 3.h2h results
Top 2 teams of each group advance to upper bracket of the Playoffs
3rd and 4th place of each group advance to lower bracket of the Playoffs
Other teams are eliminated
Bo3 Double-elimination Playoffs, except the Bo5 Grand Final.
Prize Money –
A total amount of 7,141 USD is distributed as the prize money of the tournament.
5,571 USD is given to the winner of the cup.
2,141USD is given to the runner up.
1,428 USD is given to the third position team.
DOTA Summer League –
Group Stage –
8-team Best of three single round-robin
The standings are determined by: 1.series won 2. game diff 3. h2h results 4. Additional games.
Top 4 teams advance to the upper bracket of the Playoffs.
Other teams are eliminated.
Playoffs –
Best of three double-elimination, except the Bo5 Grand Final.
Prize Money –
A Total amount of 14,282 USD is given as the reward money of the tournament.
7,141USD is given to the winning team.
4,285 USD is given to runner up
2,856 is given to the third position team.
Reception of DOTA 2 –
As like all DOTA games DOta 2 was also well liked by the audience and generally received positive reviews from fans and reviewing websites.
Players praised the graphics and a lot of heroes to choose from which makes the game really enjoyable. Game was cited as one of the greatest video games of all time by Metacritic.
Let’s take a look at the reviews received by the DOTA 2 from Top websites.
Metacritic – 90/100
Eurogamer – 9/10
Edge – 9/10
IGN -9.4/10
Gamespot – 9/10
Polygon – 8.5/10
Videogamers.com – 9/10
These ratings from top agencies are enough to prove that Dota 2 is actually a very good game and probably one of the greatest as mentioned by Metacritic.
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