Every newcomer who has just started playing the most popular MOBA is immediately interested in all the heroes of Dota 2. And this is not surprising, since at the time of publication of the material Valve had prepared neither more nor less — 121 characters!
It is clear that we physically cannot talk about everyone in one article. The Invoker alone is worth a full-fledged material due to its abilities. And the Legion and Tinker are not as simple as they initially seem. But we will still tell you about some features; someone will probably need this information in the future.
How events developed
To understand the chronology, first we’ll tell you how many heroes there were in Dota 2 initially, i.e. November 2010, when the first public Alpha started. We think there is no need to tell you that initially DotA was just one of the many mods for Warcraft 3, but at one point Gabe Newell from Valve realized the value of this asset and lured modders under his wing.
Moreover, the springboard for development already existed, even the heroes were ready. All that remains is to rebalance them for the new format, improve their appearance and introduce them into the second part of the game.
The following guys from three factions stood in the vanguard:
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Strength: Axe, Earthshaker, Pudge, Sand King, Sven, Tidehunter.
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Agility: Anti-Mage, Drow Ranger, Mirana, Morphling, Razor.
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Intelligence: Crystal Maiden, Dazzle, Lich, Lina, Lion, Necrophos, Puck, Shadow Shaman, Storm Spirit, Vengeful Spirit, Witch Doctor.
Total — 22 heroes. Not enough, but it was enough to start a new project. Testers tried out new mechanics, edited the map, added or removed obstacles along the way, and shaped the forest and balance in general. There are probably still those in the game who remember how different Dota was “at that time.” depending on the current situation.
Active Beta period
When the Beta Test hit, which happened in January 2011, the overall growth expanded significantly with characters from different factions. At this point, MOBA had already begun to take on the shape that remains virtually unchanged to this day. Of course, if you don’t count the right balance from patch to patch.
At this stage, the pool of characters was replenished with the following comrades:
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January 2011: Sladar;
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February 2011: Enigma, Faceless Void, Tiny, Viper;
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April 2011: Venomancer, Clockwerk, Nature's Prophet, Dark Seer, Sniper;
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May 2011: Pugna, Beastmaster, Enchantress, Leshrac, Shadow Fiend;
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June 2011: Tinker, Weaver, Night Stalker, Ancient Appartion, Specter, Doom;
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July 2011: Chen;
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September 2011: Juggernaut;
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October 2011: Bloodseeker, Kunkka, Riki, Queen of Pain, Wraith King, Broodmother, Huskar, Jakiro, Batrider;
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November 2011: Omniknight, Dragon Knight, Warlock, Alchemist;
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December 2011: Lifestealer, Death Prophet, Ursa, Bounty Hunter;
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January 2012: Silencer, Spirit Breaker, Invoker, Clinkz;
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February 2012: Outworld Destroyer;
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March 2012: Bane, Shadow Demon, Lycan, Lone Druid;
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April 2012: Brewmaster;
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May 2012: Phantom Lancer, Treant Protector, Ogre Magi;
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June 2012: Gyrocopter, Chaos Knight, Phantom Assassin, Rubick, Luna, Io;
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July 2012: Undying, Disruptor, Templar Assassin, Naga Siren, Nyx Assassin, Keeper of the Light, Visage;
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September 2012: Meepo;
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October 2012: Magnus, Centaur Warrunner;
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November 2012: Slark;
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December 2012: Timbersaw;
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January 2013: Medusa, Troll Warlord;
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February 2013: Tusk;
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March 2013: Bristleback;
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April 2013: Skywrath Mage;
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May 2013: Elder Titan.
Total — 77 new faces.
In total, how many heroes were there in the game Dota 2 at the time of release? That's right, 98. But 121 is still missing something. So let's talk about the later stages of MOBA.
Official release and situation today
Dota 2 fully announced itself on July 9, 2013. Yes, there were problems at the learning stage, but no one is perfect. Nevertheless, the game went “gold”, and at the same time presented gamers with several more interesting characters:
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July 2013 — Abbadon;
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November 2013 — Ember Spirit and Earth Spirit;
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December 2013 — Legion Commander;
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January 2014 — Phoenix and Terrorblade;
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September 2014 — Techies;
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November 2014 — Oracle;
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February 2005 — Winter Wyverne.
Despite the hero, how much mmr you get on him in Dota 2, anyone can become a top. If only you had steady hands and an understanding of game mechanics.
Moving to a new engine
In 2015, Valve announced a large-scale transfer of all developments from the proprietary Source engine to Source 2, which automatically improved graphics, gameplay, ease of creating custom mods for the Steam Workshop and a number of other aspects of interest to developers and ordinary gamers.
The project was pathetically dubbed “New Life” and is still being developed today. As part of it, the roster was replenished with 11 more characters between December 2015 and April 2021, namely:
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Arc Warden;
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Underlord;
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Monkey King;
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Dark Willow;
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Pangolier;
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Grimstroke;
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Mars;
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Snapfire;
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Void Spirit;
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Hoodwink;
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Dawnbreaker.
We hope you have counted how many heroes there are in Dota 2 2021? That's right, exactly 121 pieces according to patch 7.29c, which is current at the time of publication. In the near future, the developers do not plan to further expand the fleet of fighters in global patch 7.30.
Key changes will be made to the old heroes, who will be thoroughly rebalanced. Chen's healing will be cut, Enigma will be fixed in one place and his talents will be upgraded, Venomancer will have his agility reduced and his health bar slightly improved at level 10.
Vague information slips through only Faceless Void and Specter, but this is a pitchfork in the water. The recent Dota anime also revealed some interesting details, but we can only wait.
