DotA 2 Game Review

Antoan Vasilev | 2016-10-27 |

When talking about the impact of eSports, we can’t fail to mention the giants of DotA 2. Compared to some of the traditional sports like cycling, tennis, and even English football FA Cup, the prize money of The International (biggest DotA 2 tournament) is bigger. Similar to the game League of Legends, DotA 2 is a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena video game.

Developed and published by Valve Corporation, DotA 2 is the stand-alone sequel to Defense of the Ancients (DotA), which was a community-created mod for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion pack, The Frozen Throne.

What is the Object of the Game?

DotA 2 is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) 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. Each player controls one of the game’s 112 playable characters, known as “heroes”, with each having their own design, abilities, and weaknesses.

Game Modes

DotA 2 also features seasonal events that present players with alternative game modes that do not follow the game’s standard rules.

DotA 2 Match Making Rating (MMR) system

The Match Making Rating is calculated similarly to the other games using the same system. While making a match, DotA 2 considers MMR as primary factor but not the only factor. There are 2 categories of DotA 2 MMR:

Normal DotA 2 MMR: This MMR number is not visible on your profile, but it is stored in DotA 2 Database. DotA 2 uses this MMR when they are making your normal match. It is different for Solo Player matches, Party matches, and DotA 2 Team matches.

Ranked DotA 2 MMR: This MMR number is shown on your profile and it is used once DotA 2 is making a Ranked Match. It is different for Solo Player matches, Party matches, and DotA 2 Team matches.

Competitive Scene

The DotA 2 competitive scene is one of the most intensive in eSports. It is mostly dominated by the Chinese region with a lot of good American and European teams as well. As previously mentioned, DotA 2 is the game with the biggest prize pools. This is due to the integration of a Compendium before the biggest event, The International. Compendiums are self-updating, interactive booklets that track statistics for certain tournaments. Compendiums usually come with tournament tickets, and allow its owner to make predictions on the tournament’s outcome. Some compendiums may reward its owner with cosmetic items over time, or for accurate predictions. It’s the same case with the DotA 2 Compendium or Battle Pass.

DotA 2: A Betting Perspective

Lastly, we should mention that the huge interest and enormous prize pools of events like the DotA 2 International, bring the game onto the radar of almost all of the eSports sportsbooks. The game is represented in bookmakers like Pinnacle, Ladbrokes, William Hill, etc. If you want to learn how to bet on DotA 2, check out our eSports Betting Guide.