The Best DOTA 2 Custom Games

With The International now out of the way the DOTA world is starting to look towards what the future holds for DOTA 2 and the changes that are coming. Easily the biggest change that is heading our way is the launch of the new DOTA 2 Reborn client that will see every DOTA match switch over to the Source 2 engine. The Reborn client is currently available to all players in beta form and as a result custom games are finally playable in an easy to access way. The custom games on offer range from slight modifications of the traditional DOTA formula right through to variations that feel like totally new games in their own right. However, the biggest issue is that there is already hundreds of custom games and the discovery system for finding the best to play isn’t exactly the easiest to use. So to help you on your way to finding the most enjoyment in custom games we have selected eight of the best DOTA 2 custom games that you should install right now.

---

Overthrow

In order to show everyone how it is done Valve launched their own custom game when they sent out the Reborn beta into the world. Overthrow is a game that features no building defence and instead puts players in an all-out war where the winner is decided by the amount of kills they manage to gain. Playing alone or in teams of up to four the main objective is to reach the kill total or have the most kills once time runs out to emerge victorious, however staying in range of the Midas Throne (the centrepiece of each of the mode’s custom maps) will give you bonus gold and experience to make destroying opponents much easier. Occasional item drops can also give you the competitive advantage to send as many enemies as possible to an early grave.

DOTA 10v10

DOTA has traditionally always been a 5v5 game so when Valve announced at The International 5 All Star game that 10V10 DOTA was heading to the Reborn client many people became incredibly excited. Then they saw just how chaotic the All Star match was and decided it might not be the second coming after all. That being said DOTA 10v10 is incredibly good fun. Most of the traditional gameplay ideas go out of the window in favour of a massive fight in mid until that one guy who was clever enough to farm the safe lane for 20 minutes comes in and destroys everyone. While it probably isn’t going to become the only mode you play anytime soon, DOTA 10v10 is an incredibly good way to unwind after a stressful game or to practice your team fight positioning.

Power Multiplier + 10v10

Remember when I said that DOTA 10v10 was chaotic? Well that is nothing compared to Power Multiplier + 10v10 that involves the same 10v10 formula of the previous entry but makes almost every ability and item in the game insanely more powerful. Zeus’ ultimate does 10 times more damage than usual, Chronospheres are five times bigger and Axe can dunk an opponent to death from 8000 HP with a level 3 ult. Obviously some spells have not received quite the buffs that others have (as Heartstopper Aura would insta-kill everyone on spawn) but almost everything is insanely more powerful than usual and as a result the matches are incredibly chaotic, but ultimately a hell of a lot of fun.

Skillshot Wars

Some heroes in DOTA 2 are classed as easy to play whereas others require a lot of practise to master, and that is where Skillshot wars comes in. You are given a hero that has four of the hardest abilities to land in the game, Mirana’s Sacred Arrow, Clockwerk’s Hookshot, Pudge’s Meat Hook and Invoker’s Sun Strike and are tasked with securing as many kills with these abilities as possible. The game takes place on a custom map and sees two teams of five players battle it out to 50 kills. Unlike many custom games this has direct and almost instant benefits to your DOTA skills as any amount of time trying to hit these abilities will improve your game, and after a few hours missing a hook will be a thing of the past.

Pudge Wars

On paper Pudge Wars should be in the same boat as Skillshot Wars as they both, theoretically at least, teach you how to use Pudge’s Meat Hook ability. In reality Pudge Wars couldn’t be further from Skillshot Wars as the hooks act nothing like the standard version. Pudge Wars sees two teams full of Pudge’s face off against each other in another first to X many kills match but are separated by a river that cannot be crossed on foot. In order to secure a kill you must use the custom Meat Hook ability to grab a Pudge from the opposite team and bring him to your side of the map to punch him to death. There are also quite a few advanced mechanics such as custom items or the ability to insta-kill an opponent if you hook them as they are being pulled back by a teammate, which make this one of the most advanced and fun custom games out there.

DOTA Strikers

Imagine if DOTA was crossed with football (soccer for you Americans) and you have DOTA Strikers. Two teams compete on a custom football pitch map with custom abilities such as kick, sprint and one hero specific ability such as a modified Black Hole for Enigma or invisibility for Slark. You must try to be the first team to score 10 goals. While it won’t be challenging PES or FIFA for the best football sim out there, DOTA Strikers actually offers a fairly detailed game of football and with the right team can be incredibly fun to play; especially when you pull off a passing move that Barcelona would be envious of.

DOTA 2 Horde Mode

Horde mode, the first thing everyone makes when they get their hands on modding tools. Fortunately this version is actually quite good, and incredibly hard. Set on a slightly modified version of the map your team of five heroes must defeat increasingly difficult waves of creeps who are trying to attack the base. Once the creeps destroy the ancient it’s game over so you must hold them off for as long as possible, or if you are super good somehow destroy the enemy buildings (although I have never seen this happen). Only heroes who are decent at clearing creep waves are available but all the ones that are available function as normal, offering up some solid mechanical practise time.

Grand Magus

Grand Magus takes the idea of Gun Game from Call of Duty and Counter Strike and puts it in DOTA. You play as Rubick, as does every other player, but instead of his usual arsenal he is given random spells throughout the match. There are a few different rule combinations on offer but the most simple is that once you kill an opponent with one of the spells you are granted a new one to use in its place. The first person to a certain amount of kills wins. Needless to say this is incredibly good fun but at the same time it’s also great for learning mechanics as you are forced to use spells that you may not be familiar with.