Face-off: Character Responses - Dota 2

In this Face-Off we're going to look at the character responses of both Dota 2 and League of Legends and see how the games compare in this aspect.

Dota 2 features some really great voice acting for its heroes and announcers, and it really helps to bring the game to life and add some story behind the fast paced multiplayer game.

Valve's taken heroes' lore and applied it to the game through hero interactions in-game. One of my favourite relationships in Dota 2 is between Tidehunter, the Leviathan and Kunkka, the Admiral. It seems that they're in an eternal battle over the sea. Tidehunter is quite bitter and insults Kunkka whenever he can. Meanwhile, Kunkka takes every opportunity to mock the fishy beast with a bit more wit.

Lina is a pyromancer of sorts who can put out a ton of nuke damage. Valve likes to make some heroes throw puns left and right, and Lina is one of them. Many of her responses relate to heat or fire but my favourite response it what she says when she kills Morphling, who is a water elemental.

This has to be in my top 3 favourite responses of all-time. Bane is a strange demon-horse-nightmare-creature-thing that has a very.. unique voice. His excitement at acquiring a Blink Dagger (which is an item that allows you to teleport anywhere up to 1200 units away on a short cooldown) makes any player in-game say "wtf?!" It's certainly a gem.

Anti-Mage, as you may have guessed, hates magic. A lot. One of his abilities is a blink, much like the Blink Dagger. So, as to be expected, Anti-Mage isn't as thrilled as Bane to spend 2150 gold on a redundant item. Of course though, everyone knows Blink Dagger/Force Staff is a pro strat for Blinkin' and Slammin'.

Sniper is, well, a sniper. He's a dwarf with an attitude and he loves his gun. It's a really simple clip, but I like it because it references the common 'aw sheeeet' while still maintaining Sniper's gun lovin', gun wielding character.

Gyrocopter is a crazy old man in a plane! Valve make a references to Starfox and Top Gun (when playing against a hero named Viper) with this strange pilot. Gyrocopter is one of those heroes that is always fun to play, partially because of his character.

Storm Spirit is an outgoing, pudgy little hero who can fly around the map easily. He's a very sassy and quirky hero with tons of great responses, although my favourite has to be his best response to losing.

Orge Magi is a two-headed ogre with two different quirky personalities. Valve breaks the third wall when Ogre Magi levels up (the heroes light up when they hit a new level). It's fun to play this hero just to hear what they say to each other. Even after losing a game, playing this hero makes you smile.

Undying is exactly what he sounds like; a no good, dead-raisin' zombie. These responses, as far as I know, are not featured in-game, but are in the game files. These clips explain that Undying likes gummy vitamins, because he likes the taste, and because they're like gummy worms. It's completely out of character for Undying to say things like this, which is why it's the theme of many videos by community members.

If your heroes aren't entertaining enough, Valve also offers announcer packs including Portal 2, Bastion, and Pyrion Flax; all of which add charming and witty quotes to your game.

So, can League of Legends he--cough--champion responses hold a candle to Dota 2's heroes'? 

Your move, League.