Valve revealed the newest hero coming to Dota 2 at the International tournament yesterday, and it was a big one. Underlord is the reimagining of the original game’s Pit Lord, which means every hero from the original mod is now included in Dota 2. This begged the question: “What’s next?” Valve’s answer for that is obvious: brand new heroes. Say hello to the Monkey King:
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guGFT27SavM[/embedyt]
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From the trailer, we can gather a few things about the Monkey King. First, we know that he will join the Dota 2 roster with “The New Journey” update coming this fall. The title of that update is fitting, as the Monkey King is the central character in Journey to the West. And, although Valve has not released an official hero preview yet, the video gives some hints as to what the Monkey King’s Dota 2 playstyle and abilities might look like.
Some of the abilities shown off in the video such as flying through trees, agile dodging, and even camouflaging himself as a tree point to the Monkey King possibly playing like Riki or Bounty Hunter. As a character in Journey to the West, the Monkey King possesses godlike strength, speed, and agility, so there is a possibility for insane, in your face damage. Finally, the trailer concludes with the Monkey King removing a few hairs and using them to create an army of clones. Perhaps this will be his ultimate ability? It would be pretty useful in eliminating creep waves and pushing bases.
Even though Dota 2 has finally got the full original roster playable, it seems Valve is showing no signs of slowing down. Why would they? The 2016 Dota 2 International tournament (which concludes Sunday) has the largest prize pool in eSports history: over $20 million. Last year’s champions, Evil Geniuses, are still in the tournament, but will need to win the lower bracket finals to get a rematch with the team that sent them there, Wings. They will begin to play tomorrow against another North American team, DC.
Excited for the Monkey King in Dota 2? How do you think he will compare to other heroes in the game? Let us know.
