Heroes in DotA 1: everything you need to know about the characters in Dota 2's legendary ancestor

Defence of the Ancients (DotA 1) is a popular multiplayer MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) map originally created for Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, developed and released by Blizzard Entertainment. DotA was created by a community of players and developers, including Steve Feak, better known as Guinsoo, who first worked on the map, after which work on Defence of the Ancients was taken over by IceFrog.

The gameplay included elements of strategy and team play. Players chose heroes from a huge list of characters and fought in teams, the goal of which was to destroy the enemy's main structure located in its base. It is called Ancient. The map itself is divided into two parts, namely Sentinel and Scourge. Matches are played in a 5 on 5 format.

The main features of DotA 1 include:

• Hero Selection: Players could choose from over a hundred different heroes with unique abilities and characteristics.
• Team Gameplay: DotA focused on team gameplay, where coordinated co-operation between players was the key to victory.
• Strategic Elements: Players developed strategies and tactics to fight enemies and fulfil the main goal of destroying the ancients.
• Updates and Balancing: The game was constantly updated and the developers kept a close eye on balance, making changes to heroes and items.
• Compelling Scene: DotA laid the foundation for Dota 2, a more successful, standalone and popular sequel.

Defence of the Ancients featured a total of 112 heroes, split between the aforementioned Sentinel and Scourge. But in the game itself you could play the Scourge hero for the Sentinel side and vice versa, there were no restrictions in this regard. All heroes were divided into three classes: strength, dexterity and The International ellect. You had a choice of 37 characters with the main attribute of strength, 35 characters with the main attribute of dexterity, and 40 heroes with the main attribute of The International ellect.

It is important to note that each character has both strengths and weaknesses, and as the level increases, the main attribute of the hero gets the biggest boost. Also, depending on the abilities and the intended play style are allocated both easier and more complex heroes. For beginners, the Ogre Magi, Drow Ranger or Skeleton King will be perfect. And experienced players may prefer to play Visage, Chen, or Invoker.

Speaking about which characters are better or worse, it is difficult to say unequivocally. In the right hands, all characters can show great play on the map. But we can say that the core of any team is the keria characters, whose task is to kill other heroes and win in the later stages of the game, because that's when such characters have all the necessary items and abilities. Supports, it would seem, do not often win matches, because they are objectively weaker in head-to-head confrontation. But without the right support player it can be very difficult to win a match, and competent support characters sometimes save the most crucial confrontations on the eѕportѕive arena.

Popular Dota 1 heroes names

There are a number of characters in DotA 1 that are particularly popular. These include Pudge, who fans love for his distinctive appearance and Hook ability. This skill allows you to attract characters and creatures with a meat hook.

Crystal Maiden is an extremely popular puppet because of its effective abilities that allow you to freeze and slow enemies, as well as increase the mana regeneration of allies. At the same time, the hero has a small amount of health and armour, which makes him vulnerable to heroes that deal physical damage.

In DotA, the Illidan model from Warcraft 3 is used for the Anti Mage character. The character is often chosen by carry players because of its huge potential, which is revealed late in the game. Also one of the features of the character is a passive ability that burns mana from opponents during physical attacks. At the same time Anti Mage is quite mobile thanks to his Blink skill.

Conclusion

DotA 1 became so popular that it attracted the attention of many developers and investors, and eventually led to the creation of Dota 2 by Valve Corporation, which is the official sequel and improved version of the original. Dota 2 remains one of the most popular MOBA games in the world and has an active community of players and professional tournaments. And at the biggest championships in the discipline, esports players sometimes win entire fortunes.