Original Dota 2 Heroes

Dota 2 is one of the most "flexible" and diverse competitive games in eSports . Both the genre of the game and Valve 's MOBA mechanics contribute to this. In addition, the key aspect of DotA has always been its heroes.

Now in the “Battle of the Ancients” 123 characters are available for the game. Dota 2 heroes were added to the multiplayer MOBA in turn, and this is the catch. It's all about the history of the creation of Dota 2.

Dota (Defense of the Ancient) was originally a custom modification of Warcraft III. Eul and Guinsoo were involved in the development, and later IceFrog joined them, who became the “father” of DotA. It is he who can be credited with the birth and bringing to mind the majority of the inhabitants of the Battle of the Ancients.

All DotA heroes that came out before 2016 were somehow created in the image and likeness of the characters of the original strategy from Blizzard. But the situation changed with the arrival of Valve, who took the franchise under their wing in 2010.

In this article, we will not talk about all 123 Dota 2 characters. Instead, we will pay attention to the ORIGINAL heroes invented by Valve.

All original Dota 2 heroes

Having finished with a lengthy preface, we move on to the main part of the material. The first authentic Dota 2 hero was Monkey King, and there are 11 of them in total.

Monkey King

Release date in Dota 2: December 12, 2016

Attribute in Dota 2: Agility

Abilities: Boundless Strike [Q], Tree Dance [W], Primal Spring [E], Jingu Mastery [D], Mischief [F], Wukong`s Command [R]

The Monkey King was the debut character designed without looking back at the original. However, Valve had some clues, as information about a similar character that IceFrog planned to add to Allastar, which was supported by Dota at that time, repeatedly surfaced on the network. Be that as it may, the character did not appear in the original Dota.

When creating the hero, Valve took the “mythological” component of the hero as a basis. Valve was inspired by Chinese mythology, and the release of the hero was accompanied by a themed comic that teased one of the future inhabitants of the Battle of the Ancients.

Dark Willow

Dota 2 release date: October 31, 2017

Attribute in Dota 2: Intelligence

Abilities: Bramble Maze [Q], Shadow Realm [W], Cursed Crown [E], Bedlam [D], Terrorize [R]

Dark Willow is Valve's second unique character. The heroine was shown during the final stage of The International 2017.

The hero himself made his debut in Dota 2 two and a half months later. The hero did not get a high-profile appearance with the accompanying additional content, but Mireska has a lore component.

In the world of Dota, she is the daughter of one of the most influential merchants, who decided to disown her father. Behind her, on the orders of the same father, hunt Bounty Hunter. The company of the fairy is the “firefly” Jax, who only at first glance may seem like a good-natured person.

Pangolier

Release date in Dota 2: October 31, 2017.

Attribute in Dota 2: Agility

Abilities: Swashbuckle [Q], Shield Crash [W], Lucky Shot [E], Rolling Thunder [R]

Pangolier, like Mireska, was added to the game in October 2017 after being announced at The International 7. The pair of heroes was the first duo to appear in DotA at the same time after the main show of the year.

Pango doesn't have a rich background like Dark Willow and didn't earn the same honors when released as Monkey King. However, Valve did not deprive him of an exclusive set in honor of the release, and the character himself brings some humor to the harsh company of the inhabitants of the game thanks to his caustic phrases and remarks.

Grimstroke

Release date in Dota 2: August 24, 2018

Attribute in Dota 2: Intelligence

Abilities: Stroke of Fate [Q], Phantom`s Embrace [W], Ink Swell [E], Soulbind [R]

After introducing the “humorous” Pango and Dark Willow into the game, Valve changed tactics in 2018. As part of The International 8, two characters were again shown: Grimstroke and Mars. The first was added to the game the day after the show.

Grimstroke gave off gloominess and looked very unfriendly - the point is in the backstory of the character. According to the lore of Dota, he is responsible for the destruction of the inhabitants of the Isle of Masks and turning their souls into ink.

The character is closely related to Juggernaut and sheds light on one of the main mysteries of Dota 2,

Mars

Release date in Dota 2: March 5, 2019

Attribute in Dota 2: Strength

Abilities: Spear of Mars [Q], God`s Rebuke [W], Bulwark [E], Arena of Blood [R]

Mars got to DotA six months after the release. There was no conditionality for such a long study of the character.

On release, Mars was a fairly straight forward character with minimal gameplay flexibility, but he quickly insinuated himself into the DotA meta and became one of the most beloved characters by pros. In places, the meager game design of Mars compensated thanks to the rich lore and background.

The character was again created by Valve with an eye on mythology, this time on the Roman one. With Mars, a funny story turned out: in the game, this is the son of Zeus, who acts as the Supreme God in the pantheon of deities of Ancient Greece, and his son, Ares, the god of war or Mars in Roman mythology.

The god of war in Dota 2 finally erased the boundaries and allowed Valve to fantasize in any way, combining the cultural heritage of world powers, making homages to it in their game.

Snapfire

Release date in Dota 2: November 26, 2019

Attribute in Dota 2: Strength

Abilities: Scatterblast [Q], Firesnap Cookie [W], Lil` Shredder [E], Mortimer Kisses [R]

Beatrice, or Snapfire, debuted at the Battle of the Ancients in November 2019. The character was first shown as part of The International 2019.

Snapfire after the harsh pairing of Grimstroke and Mars was designed to “dilute” the tone. The hero succeeded, because she does not have a special place in the plot of Dota, and in itself is far from the title of a deity or a crazy ritualist.

However, at The International 2019 Valve was not limited to one Snapfire Valve. In the same year, the central character of Dota 2 was introduced.

Void Spirit

Release date in Dota 2: November 26, 2019

Attribute in Dota 2: Intelligence

Abilities: Aether Remnant [Q], Dissimilate [W],Resonant Pulse [E], Astral Step [R]

The show of Void Spirit at the final stage of The International 2019 caused a furor at least among Dota 2 lore fans. The fourth Spirit has finally reunited with his brothers.

The hero was teased long before the presentation at the main tournament in 2019. He appeared back in 2016 in a Monkey King comic.

Valve polished the character for 3 years and did it for good reason: according to the plot of Dota 2, Inai was in the Void all the time (hence the Void Spirit), watching what was happening from his intangible abode. The character came to the Battle of the Ancients to prepare its inhabitants for the Great Confluence, which, according to Other, will turn the universe upside down.

With the release of Void Spirit, Valve cast the bait for future global updates. While the developers of Dota 2 are in no hurry with them, however, it is unlikely that they just got confused with the presentation and design of the hero.

Hoodwink

Release date in Dota 2: December 17, 2020

Attribute in Dota 2: Agility

Abilities: Acorn Shot [Q], Bushwhack [W], Scurry [E], Sharpshooter [R]

It took Valve more than a year to introduce a new hero to Dota 2 players. It was the intelligent squirrel Hoodwink, who appeared in Dota 2 before the “Aghanim’s Labyrinth” event and played its role as part of the “Enmity” seasonal event.

By analogy with Snapfire, the character was added to the game on the principle of "unloading". No higher missions have yet been entrusted to Hoodwink.

Dawnbreaker

Release date in Dota 2: April 9, 2021.

Attribute in Dota 2: Strength

Abilities: Starbreaker [Q], Celestial Hammer [W], Luminosity [E], Solar Guardian [R]

9 new Dota 2 hero is Dawnbreaker. The character was released under the "Enmity" event, which is closely related to the heroine's lore.

The backstory of Valora is very romantic: she was created from the heart of the Metal Star, and her calling was to fight the forces of darkness. In the battle for the source of power, Dawnbreaker failed and, after millennia of being in the cosmic void, literally fell on the battlefield of the Ancients.

Probably, Valora, like Inay, is destined for one of the key roles in the upcoming large-scale Dota 2 updates.

Marci

Release date in Dota 2: February 23, 2022.

Attribute in Dota 2: Strength

Abilities: Dispose [Q], Rebound [W], Sidekick [E], Unleash [R]

The penultimate new DotA hero is Marci. The character was announced at The International 10 and debuted in the game after it ended.

Unlike previous characters, Marci had her own prototype, but not the same as the “old” Dota 2 heroes. Marci first appeared in the anime DOTA: Blood of the Dragon, where she made an impression on fans of the Battle of the Ancients.

With the addition of Marci to the game, Valve has discovered another source of inspiration and a place to draw ideas from.

Primal Beast

Release date in Dota 2: November 26, 2019.

Attribute in Dota 2: Strength

Abilities: Onslaught [Q], Trample [W], Uproar [E], Pulverize [R]

Primal Beast is the last original Dota hero at the time of writing. His appearance as a playable character was preceded by the addition as the final boss in the Aghanim's Labyrinth event.

The performance of Primal Beast as the final boss of the temporary event is the only special feature of the hero. Otherwise, this is an ordinary, wild beast, hardly influencing what is happening behind the scenes of Dota.