DoTA 2 is now free to play

Valve’s wildly succesful MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) title DoTA 2 (Defense of the Ancients) is now free to play according to the game’s official blog. This game will follow the same business model as Team Fortress 2 with the game being free but in-game micro transactions using real world money. The good news however is that in-game purchases will not affect player performance as they are cosmetic in nature and more importantly, all Heroes will be available free of cost from the get go.

DOTA 2 is also now part of Steam’s workshop, an online hub where players can upload free content for others to enjoy. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Team Fortress 2 also enjoy similar Steam Workshop integration. Here’s a little heads up for those still not familiar with the concept:

If you’re not familiar with the Steam Workshop, it’s a place where fans can upload content they’ve created for a game, and other players can vote and comment on it. The development team then takes those uploads and releases them as official parts of the game itself, and the original fan creator gets a slice of the sales from the in-game store. In the first year alone over 3.5 million dollars was paid out to TF2 fans who’s creations are now a permanent part of the game.

If you’re a Dota 2 fan with some artistic skills, here’s your chance to get in on the ground floor of what’s sure to be a vibrant community for years to come, and be able to contribute directly to the game you’re already playing non-stop. If you’re still working on your art skills, you can still contribute massively by looking over the submissions as they arrive, and giving the thumbs up to ones that you’d like to see in your games.  

Of course you still need the Steam client to download and play the game. To know more about the game, we suggest you head here.