A true battle arena

Enlarged image for Dota 2
Dota 2 0/8

Dota 2 is a free action-fantasy strategy game released in 2011, and its gameplay is derived from the widely successful Warcraft 3: Defense of the Ancients by Blizzard.

Fight with honor

Take control of your character from a top-down perspective as you progress through 25 levels of challenging gameplay.

Face-off in a 5v5 arena, where you aim to destroy the opponent’s team’s fortified stronghold called "Ancient Fortress". You defend your base by strategically placing your heroes, each with unique character traits and abilities, on tower lined lanes.

You take control of your character from a top-down perspective as you progress through 25 levels of challenging gameplay. You accumulate gold and experience throughout the game, with the more dedicated players getting the best rewards, which permits them to progress through levels faster.

Despite being a MOBA, Dota 2 is entirely free to play. All heroes and items are available to you from the start, and any gained experience serves to unlock ranked play. The only time you have to spend money is when you’re buying hero items, which only change the character’s appearance, but they’re completely optional and don’t impact gameplay.

Your biggest obstacle as a newbie will be the intimidating learning curve at the beginning. Getting crushed, several times, by more experienced players is common. Luckily, a vast community supports the game with forums, fan sites, and most importantly, in-game build guides. You choose the best pre-build suggestions that highlight what items to get, and what skills and talents you should invest in at each level.

Where can you run this program?

You can install this game on Windows 7 and up, Mac OS X+, and modern Linux distributions.

Is there a better alternative?

No. Although there are other widely popular MOBAs like League of Legends, Smite, or Heroes of the Storm, they can’t keep up with Dota 2.

Our take

If you’re a fan of tough PvP action-fantasy strategy games and like to choose from a wide variety of powerful characters, then you should play Dota 2.

Should you download it?

Yes. Dota 2 is not only free to play, but it remains-top ranked in its genre. The battles are challenging and action-packed. Each victory feels extremely satisfying.

  • Pros

    • Addictive gameplay
    • Intense battles
    • Thrilling spectator sport
    • Large player base
  • Cons

    • Steep learning curve
    • Matches last too long
    • Unbalanced matchmaking

Specifications

Platform
  • Windows
  • Mac
Language
  • Arabic
  • Czech
  • Danish
  • German
  • Greek
  • English
  • Spanish
  • Finnish
  • French
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Dutch
  • Norwegian
  • Polish
  • Portuguese
  • Russian
  • Swedish
  • Turkish
  • Chinese
License

Free

Latest update
Downloads in last month
103
Developer
Valve Corporation

Also available in other platforms

Program available in other languages



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