Hon heroes in dota 2

DOTA 2 vs Heroes of Newerth

It’s difficult to try and suggest one MOBA game over another to other people without hours and hours of experience, measuring minute differences and playing with every character available, at least to a decent level. Of course, there are people that actually do that, who write guides and test balancing and a whole manner of things that I wouldn’t even know how to begin with. What more casual players of the genre look at – and there are casual players, really there are – are graphics, ease of use and community. Over the past few days I’ve been playing Heroes of Newerth and DotA 2 quite a bit, so I thought we’d take a look at the ups and downs of both games, and which you should play.

Graphics

The first thing you notice in any game are the graphics, an instant first impression that can make or break your entire experience. The case of DotA 2 vs Heroes of Newerth, the call is actually pretty difficult to make. DotA 2 definitely looks the better game, but, for a two year old game, Heroes of Newerth definitely brings it. In the end though, DotA definitely looks cleaner, the interface nicer, the quality of the world and the textures better. It’s honestly not quite as wide a difference as perhaps you’d guess though and nobody is going to leave Heroes of Newerth because of the graphics.

Winner: DotA 2

Gameplay

How do you judge two games that are practically identical in terms of basic gameplay? Both games boast the same objectives, the same types of character – at times, even exactly the same character, but with a different name and body type – and the same items. It really is a difficult one, because while I prefer DotA 2 for its easier, cleaner interface, Heroes of Newerth has a lot going for it as well.

I think it all comes down to personal experience and what you’re looking for in a game. Both DotA 2 and Heroes of Newerth are quality titles, offering drama, excitement and suspense. For me, DotA 2 manages to push that level of quality to a more easily accessible place and for that, it has to be the winner.

Winner: DotA 2 (but it was a close one)

Value for Money

Heroes of Newerth has recently gone completely free-to-play and initially being both a paid-for game and, after that, offering a few characters at a reduced price. DotA 2, still in closed beta, is going to launch free-to-play, with a store offering items starting at £1.99 and with packs as expensive as nearly £50. In the HoN store, almost everything starts at around $10 – we’re talking taunts, alt avatars, account vanity items – but most of them can also be bought with the silver coins earned in-game.

Once DotA 2 has been publically released and the store has been built up (and Steam Workshop integration has fired up a little more), it might be a bit more of a fair fight, but the fact that the vast majority of items can be gotten without paying a penny (through hard work) in Heroes of Newerth makes it our winner for this category.

Winner: Heroes of Newerth

Content

This one is rather stacked against DotA 2, because it’s not officially released yet and there is work on-going. It doesn’t change the fact though that there’s not a full roster of heroes, only one map to play on and occasional balancing issues which may or may not affect you. Heroes of Newerth, on the other hand, isn’t always perfect in terms of balancing, but has had longer to fix any bugs, add additional heroes and to add a couple of extra maps (although the traditional one is the best, I think).

Winner: Heroes of Newerth

Community

The MOBA genre is notorious for its elitist players and their inability to understand that some people are just new. Many a potential player has been turned off these games completely after somebody with too much time and an itchy keyboard has gone too far in offering, well, we’ll call it constructive criticism.

I’ve yet to play a game of Heroes of Newerth where a teammate hasn’t insulted somebody else on the team. On the other hand, I haven’t seen it once in DotA 2. Does the latter hold a nice community or is the threat of being reported – in a note shown at the start of every match asking people to report others who deserve it – pre-policing the community? Whatever is happening, it works.

Winner: DotA 2

See our DOTA 2 Video review here->

Innovation

Innovation isn’t an easy one because, again, MOBA isn’t a genre built on innovation and change. (Read our History of the MOBA Genre for more information) Instead, it’s a genre built on forever balancing, adding new heroes (without breaking the roster) and impressing both old time and newer fans. With that said, the inclusion of the fantastic Steam Workshop more than makes DotA 2 the more impressive of the two games in terms of innovation, as well as small, general polish sort of things. It might not move the genre on massively, but it’ll make DotA 2 feel like a different experience entirely.

Winner: DotA 2

Conclusion

Heroes of Newerth definitely held its own in quite a difficult fight. With the powerhouse of Valve and the entire Steam network behind it, DotA 2 should have obliterated Heroes of Newerth but, in actual fact, there are things that the folks at S2 are doing that Valve are yet to catch up with. All this could change in 12 months, of course, as DotA 2 opens to everybody and the developers continue work. Still, if you’re yet to get into the DotA 2 beta, you could do a lot worse than Heroes of Newerth and it’s definitely worth a look if you’re planning to get into the DotA/MOBA scene – just be sure to wear a thick skin.

Comparing MOBAs: Dota 2 vs. League of Legends vs. Heroes of Newerth

Above: Dota 2, League of Legends, and Heroes of Newerth.

Note: We updated this comparison with new info and games here.

A casual observer would probably have a hard time telling the difference between League of Legends, Dota 2, and Heroes of Newerth. All three are spiritual successors to Defense of the Ancients, an insanely popular custom map for Warcraft III that pits two teams of five heroes against each other. That strategic, intense style of play has birthed a new genre, the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA).

We’re here to help you see the differences between the three most popular MOBAs currently out on the market. Some of the discrepancies may seem small, but they can make a big difference with games this complicated.

First, let’s talk about how they’re similar. They’re all free-to-play and offer plenty of microtransactions (many of which are cosmetic). They’re all based on the structure made popular in Defense of the Ancients: Your team has to destroy the enemy’s base before the other team does.

You fight other players and monsters controlled by the computer to earn gold and experience so you can make your hero more powerful, which allows you to push through lanes of the other team’s defensive towers and monsters. Even the main map in each game is essentially the same. Each features two bases connected by three lanes, with a monster-filled jungle offering branching paths between them.

Now, let’s get into the differences. We’ll start by looking at some of the basic stats in the graph below, and then we’ll briefly highlight each game.

League of Legends (LOL)

Gallery: Gallery

Above: League of Legends gameplay.

Image Credit: Riot Games

League of Legends is easily the most popular MOBA out there. While its competitors offer all of their heroes for free, LOL only gives you 10 free characters at a time. Exactly which heroes changes every week. You’ll have to pay for any other champions you want, either with real money or in-game currency that you can earn (slowly) by playing.

LOL is the simplest one of the three to grasp. While still heavily based on the original Defense of the Ancients formula, gone are some of the more advanced techniques, like “denying” (the ability to kill your own monsters before the other team can, denying them gold and experience). LOL is generally faster than its competitors although by “faster” I mean matches may take 40 minutes instead of 50.

League of Legends also offers a couple of variants on the 5-on-5 play the genre is most famous for. One is just a smaller, 3-on-3 take on MOBA action, but the other, Dominion, is a quicker-paced mode where teams of five fight over circular control points. A fourth map, the Howling Abyss, let’s two teams of five battle on a chaotic, single lane .

Dota 2

Gallery: Gallery

Above: Valve’s Dota 2 in action.

Image Credit: Valve

Compared to LOL, Dota 2 is much more faithful to the original Defense of the Ancients. You won’t find any variants on the classic 5-on-5 map. However, Dota 2 does offer immediate access to all of its heroes, with microstransactions reserved for cosmetic stuff like character skins and announcer voices.

Being the newest of the bunch, Dota 2’s also the best looking. While all three feature visuals clearly inspired by Warcraft III’s art direction, Dota 2’s graphics have a cleaner gleam and shine to them.

Generally speaking, Dota 2 is slower than LOL. While the layout of the map is identical, Dota 2’s is a bit bigger. Actions, like movement speed and casting spells, are generally slower. Also, while LOL allows players to transport back to their home base at any time, you’ll need to have a stack of town portal scrolls handy if you want to get around in Dota 2. On the plus side, using the scrolls can send you to any friendly building, including towers.

Heroes of Newerth (HON)

Gallery: Gallery

Above: Heroes of Newerth in action.

Image Credit: S2 Games

Heroes of Newerth has more in common with Dota 2 than LOL. It’s a very literal spin-off of Defense of the Ancients. Dota 2 and HON even feature many items and heroes that, aside from their names, are pretty much identical. The biggest difference between them is the pacing. HON matches tend to move faster.

In addition to the standard 5-on-5 map, HON has two more official battlegrounds. One is a smaller field for 3-on-3 play while the other is another 5-on-5 map with a different layout. Players generally stick with the original.

Graphically, HON most closely resembles the original Warcraft III mod. It doesn’t have LOL’s cartoony, dark outlines or Dota 2’s sheen.

Those are the biggest differences, but fans of each game could argue endlessly over the smaller details of character balancing and other intricate mechanics.

Of course, these aren’t the only MOBAs on the market. Guardians of Middle-earth distills the experience for consoles by using a smaller map and featuring faster action. It also, of course, includes characters from Tolkien’s popular mythology. Super Monday Night Combat combines core concepts of MOBAs, like pushing lanes and attacking towers/turrets, and puts them into a team-based third-person shooter. Even mobile publisher Zygna has released a MOBA called Solstice Arena, which simplifies things by featuring 3-on-3 battles and getting rid of nonplayer monsters.

Above: Archers at the ready in Guardians of Middle-earth.

The genre will see new competition soon, too. Infinite Crisis will pit DC comic characters against each other in MOBA action later this year, and Blizzard is working on its own successor to the original Defense of the Ancients called Blizzard All-Stars.

Until then, if you’re feeling the itch to try your hand at this new kind of game, start with League of Legends. It’s the quickest to grasp, and it’s faster action is more satisfying for newer players. If you find yourself craving more complexity, try HON or Dota 2.