Dota 2 News

Dota 2 Bot TI returning for its third run later this month

Beyond The Summit has revealed Bot TI is returning for its third run soon, to help smooth over the gap until TI10. The main tournament has been delayed until next year because of the pandemic and has already reached a record breaking $34 million prize pool.

The Bot TI plays out much like the regular TI tournament, which is the biggest event not only in the Dota 2 esports calendar, but one of the biggest esports tournaments full stop. The only difference is that the bot version of the tournament is played entirely by AI, and instead of the usual crowd funded, multi-million prize pool, there is no prize money. Bots don't need cash, after all.

"Bots can't get COVID so they are totally unaffected by the pandemic right now," BTS says in its announcement post on Reddit. "However, the Bots are wearing masks and social distancing as a sign of solidarity to their human Dota player brethren." The tournament will run September 23-27.

Read the rest of the story...

This Dota 2 and League of Legends app translates between the two MOBAs

If you're a diehard Dota 2 player, or League of Legends aficionado, and have always wanted to check out your rival MOBA game, a handy calculator has been made to do just that.

Demoed on his YouTube channel, creator Tzar Potato runs through the mobile app. You can select champions and items, then input what your favourite or go-to is, and then the application will give you a list of recommendations that have a statistical match to your choice. The example in the video for champions is Dota 2's Batrider - Tzar selects Batrider, and is then given the League's most Batrider-like champion, Singed. The pair have fire trail and target stun, and both are in the same lane. Clicking into Singed - or any other champion - shows all the other characters they're matched with, opening the possibility to work through different champions on a similar wavelength to find what really makes you comfortable.

Next is the items, and Tzar shows the choices for Dota 2's Drum of Endurance. The top pick is LoL's Shurelya's Reverie, which is for spellcasters, but he wants something better for a tank, so goes for Dead Man's Plate instead. Buttons at the top let you switch between Dota 2 and LoL at any point, so you can also browse at your leisure. All the common terminology is included, and the layout is easy to understand in the video, if currently unpolished.

Read the rest of the story...

The best Dota 2 heroes for beginners

What are the best Dota 2 heroes for beginners? Getting started in Dota 2 can seem like a bit of a daunting task. 119 heroes staring at you from the pick screen, arranged in all sorts of categories, grimacing at you unattractively. Learning the game is complex enough without having to narrow down your hero choices, so we've done all the hard work for you - we advise picking one of the following.

All of the heroes play a very specific role in battle. Some of them can be played in multiple roles, sometimes even within the same game. To do well at Dota 2 it is important to understand what these roles are and how they interact with each other. But it is equally as important to realise that a hero's role should inform how you play them and the items you purchase.

If you're finding these basics a touch confusing, don't worry: so did we when we started playing. But now we've learned the strategies behind a great team, we can provide you with advice to help you choose the right character, and understand their position in the five-player team.

Read the rest of the story...

Dota 2 - Aghanim's Labyrinth Update - August 27, 2020

General
- Added three new playable heroes: Queen of Pain, Slark, and Templar Assassin
- Added a fifth ascension level: Apex Mage
- Added four new ascension modifiers: Glutton, Clumsy, Glimmer, Meteoric
- Bristleback now sells a variety of minor upgrade shards for the chosen heroes in the game
- The rate of earning Battle Points during the game has been increased

Aghanim's Trials
- The next Trial will be on the Grand Magus ascension level

Valve still isn't committing to rescheduling TI10 and Dota Pro Circuit

Dota 2 developer Valve has admitted it still "can't yet commit" to rescheduling The International 10 or the Dota Pro Circuit as the situation around the coronavirus pandemic is still too unpredictable.

While a lot of major esports have seen their premium events move online, such as the Call of Duty League's Championship, Valve has refused to do the same for TI10, which was meant to have taken place last week in Sweden. There is still no time frame as to when Dota esports fans can expect to see the world's best teams do battle at TI10, despite other premium tournaments such as the League of Legends World Championship committing to an offline tournament later this year, albeit with teams in a bubble system and potentially no audience.

"In following how the pandemic has been developing globally, the recent increase in the unpredictability of COVID-19 means we can't yet commit to new dates for TI10 and the DPC," a post to the Dota 2 Twitter account reads. "We share your eagerness in returning to these events, and will announce updates as soon as we can."

Read the rest of the story...