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Defense of the Ancients: Allstars (or simply "DotA Allstars" or "Allstars") a variant of the custom map Defense of the Ancients for Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne by Blizzard Entertainment. The objective is to destroy the opponent's World Tree if one is affiliated with the Undead Scourge side or to destroy the opponent's Frozen Throne if one is affiliated with the Night Elf Sentinels using one's hero along with allied heroes and allied "creeps" (AI-controlled fighters). Pendragon_ is a jew. Burn him in the ovens.

For further information about the mechanics of the game and its concepts, please refer to DotA Allstars' parent game, the Defense of the Ancients.

History

Some information partially adapted from the DotA Allstars site introduction/FAQ (written by 28awg)

Defense of the Ancients: Allstars is based on the concept of Aeon of Strife which originated from Starcraft, by Blizzard Entertainment, and is the first of its kind to introduce custom skills. One of the first AoS style maps in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos was done by a map maker named Eul. However, after the release of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, Eul did not port the game into the new expansion set. In time, several spin-offs of DotA started circulating on Battle.net (the official multiplayer gaming server network for Warcraft III by Blizzard Entertainment). Allstars at that time was a compilation of all the "cool" heroes in each spinoff and origin alike, and it quickly became one of the most popular custom games on B.Net. Nevertheless, the person who put together DotA Allstars ended its revisions after releasing a Human vs Orc variant of Allstars. Shortly after, Guinsoo stepped up and became the main programmer for DotA: Allstars spanning multiple versions.

Note: Eul did in fact make a DotA version for The Frozen Throne which is actually DotA 2; titled Defense of the Ancients: Thirst for Gamma.

Development

Currently, in most versions of Allstars, the map contains many more heroes and items than does the original DotA, and is updated frequently, which may explain its ongoing popularity. However, this popularity sparked a controversy over who ought to be credited for its fame. For instance, a number of Classic players resent Guinsoo for having 'stolen' their game, especially since he is alleged to have similarly 'borrowed' most of his triggers, spells, heroes and items from other people; Guinsoo, for his part, maintains that the map was created from scratch and based only spiritually on Eul's work (Guinsoo has only admitted to taking the terrain and the idea for some heroes: everything else is his own, he claims). Regardless, Allstars remains widely played, and is rumored to be the most popular Warcraft 3 custom map of all time.

Bugs in version 5 of AllStars prompted many to offer fixes to Guinsoo but the development of the code was opaque and release schedules were discretionary. As such, the map forked in version 5.84b with Guinsoo releasing version 6.

The 5.84+ Series

Guinsoo ended the version 5 series with the creation of DotA Allstars 5.84, which added new heroes and a few bug fixes. Still, several errors and imbalances were overlooked in 5.84, such as the 100+ HP regeneration rate bug of Dragon Knight's skill Dragon Blood, causing Guinsoo to release a corrected version immediately, known as 5.84b. A developer named True.Rus (from Russia) developed an unofficial fork named 5.84c. Every version of Allstars released prior to 5.84c had focused on new functionality or heroes. The version created (or rather modified) by True.Rus did not feature any new functionality. Instead:

  • It refactored the map tokens to allow for faster loading times (reports from frequent Battle.net players indicate a reduction of almost 1-2 minutes)
  • It also fixed some game bugs which were caused by the 1.18 Warcraft 3 patch that affected 7 heroes, for example Chaos Knight, Phantom Assassin, Broodmother, Juggernaut and Vengeful Spirit.

However, this fork introduced a few minor issues such as:

  • The hero Black Arachnia (the Broodmother)'s ability Spin Web, which usually gives her extra speed and invisibility in the game, only functions to provide a speed bonus, while the invisibility is non-functional.
  • The hero Ursa Warrior's ability Fury Swipes, which gives a stacking damage bonus on every consecutive hit, does not work at all.

The DotA 5.84+ Series still has a following among DotA players. For example, DotA 5.84c is still commonly hosted by Malaysian and Singaporean players on the Battle.net realms of Azeroth and Lordaeron and also on private servers (using PvPGN).

The 6+ Series

On February 28th 2005, a new era of Allstars began. Massive changes including new heroes, new items and a new icy terrain were released in version 6.0, a huge step from 5.84b. The changes were drastic and many people resisted and preferred to stick with 5.84.

The major changes involve:

  • Inclusion of more heroes, items, and item recipes.
  • Changes to some of the existing items and recipes; this includes the changes of recipe "levels" from 3 levels to 4 levels.
  • Changes to the abilities of existing heroes, which require new strategies for gameplay (for example, the Stealth Assassin/Silencer whose abilities have been changed, therefore requiring a new style of play). This is a major factor which caused a number of DotA players to stick to version 5.84.
  • Icy terrain and redesign of the map layout (such as the center lane tower positioning and the pathways in the Scourge side of the map).
  • Loading screen and map picture

Shortly after the release of 6.01, Guinsoo went missing. During Guinsoo's absence, IceFrog stepped up along with Neichus. IceFrog is now the main programmer for the map, doing anything from implementation and balancing to debugging. With each consecutive version released by the team in the 6 series, bug fixes, new heroes and additional spells have been introduced. And Pendragon_ is a Jew, and a gay and needs to die.

The 6.20+ Series

On October 31st, yet another era of Allstars began. With the newfound endorsement from Blizzard Entertainment themselves and a Cyberathlete Amateur League division dedicated to Defense of the Ancients opening up, the new version took another drastic step forward which included many changes.

Some of the notable changes include:

  • Balance changes/tweaks, which mean slight changes to some statistics of certain Heroes to balance up the game.
  • Loading screen and map picture have been redesigned
  • Return of the Deathmatch (-dm) mode.
  • A new League mode (-lm) for 5 vs 5 games, where Sentinel and Scourge players select their heroes in an alternating fashion to ensure fair distribution of heroes.
  • A new grassy terrain replaced the icy terrain from Allstars versions 6 to 6.19.
  • A new Scourge hero, Abaddon (with the hero model of Arthas Menethil from the original Warcraft III).

With such changes, reactions have been both positive and negative, but it remains to be seen how the changes affect the game in the long run.

The latest version is 6.27b, edited and updated by IceFrog.

Differentiating DotA Allstars versions

The 5.84b-5.84c versions can be easily differentiated from the version 6.00-6.19 series due to the fact that the 5.84 series has a grassy terrain (similar to those of the lands of Lordaeron in Warcraft III). On the other hand, the version 6.0-6.19b series have an icy terrain (similar to the lands of Northrend in Warcraft III). Version 6.20+ have grassy terrain, again.

6.30+ and Beyond (in development)

As of 6.27b, development for version 6.3x has begun. The latest suggestions from the official website state that a new recipe shop and a new tavern will be added to faciliate the new items and six new heroes that will be added in 6.3. IceFrog, the main developer of the map, says that this version will be heavily tested before release in order to avoid the large amount of bugs that the early 6.2x series suffered from. A new terrain is being discussed and is at present not confirmed.

Current player trends

Currently, players have shown increasing interest in the 6.xx versions as with each consecutive version, more bugs are fixed and the map is believed to be more stable and balanced. Version 6.27b, the most current official version, is the most frequently played on Battle.net and LAN parties. It has been noted that a few South-East Asian countries still frequently play 5.84c on the Battle.net servers, though even those numbers are diminshing.

Currently, DotA Allstars is popular among many players around the world, as observed on the Battle.net servers and the PvPGN network of private servers. Players of DotA Allstars, particularly in the Asian region, normally go to cybercafés for friendly matches and cash tournaments.

Dota Allstars was also featured in the Malaysian and Singaporean World Cyber Games 2005. Version 6.27b is slated to become the next official version for league and tournament play.

Blizzard has officially recognized DotA Allstars as its first Spotlight Map entry in the Battle.net Hall of Fame. It was also an independent tournament item at the debut of Blizzard's BlizzCon convention in 2005.

Clan TDA (Team DotA Allstars) of Battle.net's "Azeroth" gateway (serving the East coast of the United States) is the clan officially charged with arranging DotA Allstars matches. Recently Clan TDA has opened a branch at the West Coast gateway, Lordaeron, and the Europe gateway, Northrend.

Terminology

Players of DotA Allstars (and DotA in general) have developed a list of jargon and terminology that is frequently used during in-game chat sessions and inter-player communication.

For DotA terminology (in general), please refer to DotA Jargon.

Allstars Commands and Modes

The following is a list of Dota Allstars commands (adapted from dotaportal.com).

Common Game Mode Abbreviations

These commands are usually typed by the host during the first 45 seconds of each game and is often seen in the room title when a player connects to a Warcraft server. These game modes will often affect the playing style of the players.

  • -ap - Short for "All Pick"; player may pick hero from all teams' taverns.
  • -ar - Short for "All Random"; all players start off with a random hero chosen out of both taverns. Repick cost is 400 up from 150.
  • -ctf - Short for "Capture the Flag"; instead of destroying the ancient, players in this game mode must travel to the enemy base to capture the flag located there and bring it back to the friendly base, receiving one point for each flag returned. Any hero who holds the flag is rendered visible to his opponents and the hero's mana is constantly set to 0; the team who scores 5 points first wins. (Currently inactive).
  • -dm - Short for "Death Match"; if a player's hero dies, that hero type is removed from gameplay and the player chooses a new hero from the remaining selection. When a team has thirty deaths, it is defeated. Upon death, you lose the normal amount of gold and one level. (This was changed in new versions — you no longer lose a level) Level loss is not a bug: previous versions had a hero lose all levels and all items. This is merely a step up, as the dev team did not wish to change dm too much. As of 6.20, Deathmatch mode has been reactivated.
  • -du - Short for "Duplicate Mode"; more than one copy of the same hero may be selected by different players. Currently only compatible with -allrandom mode.
  • -id - Short for "Item Drop"; enables random item drop upon death instead of losing money. Note that the game randomly chooses one item slot to drop, so buying lots of cheap items is not a help.
  • -lm - Short for "League Mode"; a new mode introduced in version 6.20 which is only useable in 5v5 games. In "League Mode", each player takes turns choosing a hero, so Player A on the Sentinel will choose a hero, then Player B on the Scourge will choose a hero, and so on.
  • -mm - Short for "Mirror Mode"; players may choose a hero as normal, but after a given period of time, the teams will be randomized according to the heroes chosen by both sides and corresponding players given the same hero. The resulting teams will be identical, hence the name of the mode (5v5 game = 5 pairs of heros chosen from 10 possible ones). (Currently inactive).
  • -re - Short for "Reverse"; heroes are chosen by the enemy team and vice versa. (Currently inactive).
  • -sc - Short for "Super Creeps"; random super creeps may spawn every creep wave. Completely random except for the progression of supercreeps (Golems, Scary Fish, Ancient Hydra) and played for the increased gameplay dynamics. Not completely considered "fair", due to the randomness and inconsistency of the super creeps spawning per side (e.g. Sentinels may receive spawns very late in the game compared to the Scourge getting spawns frequently earlier on). Newer versions (such as 6.27b) try to fix this bug with simultaneous spawns. In addition, super creep kills are worth about as much as tower kills, encouraging players to go after them.
  • -sm - Short for "Short Mode"; building and tower hit points are reduced, higher rate of hero experience and gold accumulation.
  • -np - Short for no powerups, powerups no longer randomly spawn in the river.
  • -tr - Short for "Team Random"; players receive a random hero on his corresponding side (either Sentinel or Scourge), he can repick for 500 gold during the first minute of the game by using the command -repick (see below).

Commands for Players

Commands during hero selection:

  • -random - selects a random hero from your side. You can repick another random hero by typing -repick at the cost of 200 gold (note the different gold costs for repicking in -allrandom games and repicking when you yourself choose to -random.)
  • -repick - Gives you a new, random hero if you're in an -ar game and you want to change your hero (costs 400 gold/200 in normal pick). There is a limited time window (45 seconds) for repicking (the maximum number of "repicks" is one). It is possible to type -repick if you intentionally chose a particular hero, though this will only be a set back to the player as the player will just waste more money and lose the chosen hero. The only practical time when this is done is when a player accidentally presses a hotkey (while a tavern is selected) that summons a hero.

Informational commands, used to display messages on screen:

  • -beamcounter - Used to show the number of beams Luna Moonfang, the Moon Rider has casted. (Since version 6.18, it was removed and according to Icefrog, will never be put in again.)
  • -matchup (-ma) - Displays the enemy players' aliases, team colors, along with which hero they are currently controlling.
  • -movespeed (-ms) - displays current move speed (for debugging and informational purposes). This also reflects item and skill bonuses.

In-game commands, usually to solve minor issues with heroes:

  • -disablehelp - Disables Test of Faith to be casted on player controlled hero by allied Holy Knight.
  • -enablehelp - Enables Test of Faith to be casted on player controlled hero by allied Holy Knight.
  • -recreate - for heroes that have the ability to undergo a metamorphosis that is not tied to the unit in the world editor map, namely Dragon Knight, Lycanthrope, Lifestealer, and Soul Keeper, where there are occasional problems with losing control of the unit. This is resolved by bringing the unit back to the 'fountain' area and typing this command. The command has a 200 second channeling time, to prevent abuses.
  • -refresh - with the Phantom Assassin (PA), it is used for refreshing her partial invisibility due to her "Blur" (due to a bug that removes this invisibility on death). Since the release of version 6.10, it no longer casts a Frost Nova animation on the PA. It should be noted that not typing -refresh will still grant the PA the passive evasion bonus, she is just rendered visible. Technically, the player suffers no real penalty for not typing -refresh, other than that the PA is easier to be spotted. For version 6.20 and later, this command is inactive as the PA will automatically refresh herself.
  • -unstuck - transports your hero to the fountain after 50 seconds; it's used when you are stuck in a unmovable place (e.g. trapped in an area of trees). You cannot move while transporting, and the cast time exists to discourage abuse by players.

Allstars Hero Classifications

Heroes in Allstars are given certain classifications which will influence their method of play. For example, stunners (heroes which can stun enemies) are usually accompanied by assassins or nukers to efficiently kill an enemy hero.

This is an alphabetical listing of common classifications and their characteristics. Do note that some heroes can be given more than one classification (e.g. Lion as a stunner-nuker-disabler).

  • AOE Heroes - AOE is short for "Area Of Effect". AOE heroes tend to refer more to heroes with the ability to do massive area damage.
    • By definition, AOE spells are spells that are cast by certain heroes, causing devastating amounts of damage or long-duration stuns in a large radius within a short period of time.
    • Heroes with AOE spells are almost always used in higher level play and clan matches due to their ability to quickly disable and/or kill the opposing team within a relatively short period of time.
    • Examples of AOE Heroes: Sand King (with his Epicenter and Caustic Finale in version 6), Leshrac/Tormented Soul (with all 4 of skills: Chain Lightning/Earthquake/Diabolic Edict/Pulse Nova), and Crystal Maiden (with Freezing Field/Frost Nova).
  • Assassins - Heroes which specialize at killing other heroes quickly.
    • These heroes usually deal physical attacks. Queen of Pain and Nerubian Assassin are two examples of those that mainly use spells. All of them have some form of invisibility or sudden ambushing ability. Most assassins are agility-based heroes.
    • Any hero with Windwalk, an invisibility skill or partial concealment (Blur), or blink (teleportation) can fall into this category, depending on what build is used and how the hero is played, of course.
    • Examples of Assassins: Nerubian Assassin, Stealth Assassin, Phantom Assassin, Bounty Hunter, Bone Clinkz, etc.
  • Disablers - Heroes who possess the ability to "disable" other characters, basically forcing them into a disadvantage while they attempt to fight or flee.
    • Disabling skills include any that affect the enemy in one or more of the following ways (with examples):
      • forced movement (Greater Bash, Berserker's Call)
      • disallowed/slowing of movement (Shadow Strike, Frostbite)
      • prevention/reduction of physical attack (Heartstopper, Decrepify)
      • prevention of spell-casting (Global-Silence, Silence)
      • increased damage taken (Decrepify, Terror)
    • One of the most common forms of disable, "Stun", incorporates the middle three criteria as per the list (refer "Stunners" below). Many other skills, including some of the ones listed above, fit into several categories. Only a few examples are given for each type; this is by no means the complete list.
    • Though many spells fall under the above categories, the common definition of a disabling spell is one that can extend an enemy's presence in combat against his or her will, which therefore only includes the first two of the listed effects. It is also possible to buy Eul's Scepter of Divinity (upgradable to Guinsoo's Scythe of Vyse) to add another disabling ability to a hero's repertoire.
    • Examples of Disablers: Rhasta, Lion and Bane Elemental, all having two main disable skills (Lion has Impale and Voodoo, Rhasta has Shackles and Voodoo [he can also trap via Mass Serpent Wards if targeted properly], and Bane Elemental has Nightmare and Fiends' Grip).
  • Nukers - Heroes who possess the ability to cause a significant amount of damage in a single instant via use of activated abilities in lieu of a physical attack.
    • Almost all nukers are intelligence heroes, for the reason that very few others have the mana to cast a concurrent series of spells to significantly do damage to their opponent.
    • Examples of heroes which are Nukers: Lich (with Frost Nova and Chain Frost), Crystal Maiden (with Frost Nova and Frostbite combined with Freezing Field), Lion (with Impale and Finger of Death).
  • Pushers - Heroes which can quickly destroy enemy towers and creep generators due to their ability to summon additional units or deal damage to an area of enemy creeps.
    • These heroes often get items like Mekansm and Ring of Basilius to boost the power of their creeps.
    • Examples of Pushers: Furion the Prophet (with Force of Nature), Death Prophet (with Carrion Swarm and Exorcism), and Keeper of the Light (with Ignus Fatuus).
  • Setters - A term referring to the type of heroes who can "set-up" attacks to enemy heroes.
    • Setters usually cause enemy heroes to gather on one specific area, so that teammates can easily attack.
    • Examples of such Setters: Magnataur (with Reverse Polarity), Darchrow the Enigma (with Black Hole)
  • Spammers - Heroes who "spam", or repeatedly cast offensive spells in an attempt to kill an enemy hero or disrupt the opponents' play.
    • This frequently causes enemy heroes to go back to their Fountain of Health to heal, thereby wasting time and causing the enemy hero to lose experience. A "spammer" is typically just a specific kind of nuker, with the ability to repeatedly cast a particular spell efficiently.
    • Examples of Spammer heros: Zeus (with continuous Lightning Arc), Tinker (with Heat-Seeking Rockets and Rearm) and Death Prophet (with continuous Carrion Swarm, buffed by the Witchcraft skill).
  • Stunners - Heroes who possess the ability to Stun other characters.
    • Some heroes have Stun as an active spell.
    • Other heroes have passive skills enabling their attacks to have a chance of stunning. When such heroes are able to keep the enemy constantly stunned it is known informally as permastun (a portmanteau of permanent-stun).
    • Such passive stunning heroes are usually equipped with items which increase attack speed and the item Cranium Basher to improve the percentage of hits which can stun an opponent.
    • A stunner also belongs in the "disabler" hero classification, but as they are so common, they have a subgroup.
    • Examples of Stunners: Centaur Warchief (with Hoof Stomp), Sven the Rogueknight (with Storm Bolt), and Tauren Earthshaker (with Fissure and Aftershock).
  • Support - Heroes whose skills are meant to directly aid the rest of the team.
    • Heroes with healing and buffing skills fall into this category. "Pushers" (see above) can also be counted as support, although sometimes they can be used individually instead of working together with the team.
    • Mekansm, and to a lesser extent, Ring of Basilius, are often used to heal and boost the armor of teammates (Mekansm's equivalent in version 5.84+ is Nethrezim's Buckler).
    • Examples of Support heroes: The Omniknight (with Purification, Repel, and Guardian Angel), and the Treant Protector (with Living Armor, Eyes of the Forest, and Nature's Guise) are good examples of support heroes.
  • Tankers - Heroes who can absorb huge amounts of damage with either high health or armor count, usually both.
    • Typically used to attract tower fire and bait enemy heroes into wasting nukes or into traps.
    • In order to further improve tanking ability, items that boost strength and health like multiple Plate Mails, the Black King Bar which grants magic immunity for ten seconds, Heart of Tarrasque which gives a massive strength boost and HP regeneration, and Aegis of the Immortal which gives the user 3 charges of Reincarnation, are often seen on such heroes.
    • e.g. Treant Protector (with Living Armor), Centaur Warchief (with high base Strength and Great Fortitude), Axe (with Berserker's Call), Pudge (with Flesh Heap), and Morphling (with Morph Strength).

Nouns and Miscellaneous Terms

  • backdoor - This term is used to indicate a hero that sneaks into an opponent's base to cause damage to buildings WITHOUT pushing the creeps back. It is not considered backdooring if you have fought against the creeps until you reached their base. Backdooring is generally frowned upon by many players. In league play, this is a bannable offense in Clan TDA's league matches (referring to Team DotA Allstars rules in the game). According to the rules the only form of illegal backdooring is teleporting into enemy base (i.e. Furion) while no creeps are there. Attacking towers/buildings without creeps is considered legal, but highly frowned upon.
  • BL/Banlist - A free 3rd party program that keeps track of leavers and prevents them from joining games. It works outside of WarCraft 3 and intercepts packets. In-game, the user can label people as leavers and keep track of them in a database, pinging players to check for latency (laggers), detecting players marked in the database, recognizing multiple players with the same IP address (this means they're on LAN), and more. This program has greatly reduced leavers, unwanted and bad mannered players. Banlist is highly used in Clan TDA's league. Players who use Banlist usually mark their games with a "-BL" or "Banlist"" tag. Refer the links section for download links.
  • bs - refers to one of three terms:
    • "backstab", same meaning as "to ambush". Refer "backstab/bs" in the next section for details.
    • "bullshit", used to express disbelief at something unexpected, such as a kill steal or being gangbanged.
    • "Bloodseeker", one of the Scourge heroes (not used often).
  • cm - refers to either:
    • A short form of "clan match". Clan matches are played against other DotA clans. Similar in use to "inhouse".
    • The hero Crystal Maiden (Sentinel).
  • feeder - A player letting himself be killed by his opponents over and over again, sometimes due to inexperience but other times intentional, feeding them with experience and gold, creating an advantage for these opponents.
  • ff - Stands for the word "Forfeit", used mainly in TDA games and other forms of higher level play as a way for a team to forfeit and withdraw from a game before the Throne/World Tree is destroyed.
  • gg - Good game. A term used by players as respect to their opponents, meaning the game was good. It is usually said at the end of the game (though not only in DotA). It is sometimes used sarcastically; since gg usually is said at the end of a game, players saying gg before the game are implying the other team or their own teammates that the outcome has been already decided.
  • griefer - Someone who intentionally makes it hard for their team. Examples of "griefing" are relaying what plans your team is making, buying items for the enemy team, stealing/destroying your own team's items, using bug abuses to hinder your team with your hero's skills, blocking, friendly-fire (killing friendly heroes which are near-death, inflicted by Shadowstrike or Doom) even when they wouldn't have died, and feeding.
  • imba - Imbalanced. Used to indicate a hero, item or team that is considered inherently to be too strong.
  • inhouse - Also know as "ih", a game in which players who join are from a specific channel/clan, usually seen as more of a competitive style of play as opposed to public games, as only a select few may join. Compare: public games.
  • ks - Kill Steal. Used to indicate the action of a hero "stealing" what another considers his kill; for example a hero attacks an enemy until near death, and the hero who "ks" delivers the final attack to the enemy, thereby getting a kill point (for any version of DotA). May also be extended to tower kills. Usually this type of action is not encouraged. A player that KSes is called KSer.
  • leaver/quitter - This is a player who has left the game. This is quite a problem for the DotA community, because when a person leaves the game, it creates a favorable position for the opposing team. The "leaver" problem has prompted third parties to create the Banlist program (refer "Banlist").
  • mh - Short for "maphack". This acronym is generally used to accuse a player(s) of having an unfair advantage through third-party programs that keep the entire map revealed for the accused player(s).
  • moded - A term that generally means to be defeated, killed or beaten, often suggesting humiliation, similar to "owned" or "pwned". For example, a winning team will often say to the losing team "You got moded", or simply "moded".
  • noob, newb - may imply either one of the following:
    • Simply a short form for "newbie", a person who is new to the game or unskilled in play. Antonym: pro, godlike
    • Sometimes used to address a player who doesn't listen to advice, strive to improve, or are rude to other players.
  • pub - also called "pubbie," a public game, opposite of "inhouse".
  • plug puller/puller/pp - someone who intentionally disconnects from a game. Either used to annoy the other players in the game by forcing them to wait for the plug puller to drop, or to be able to claim that you did not purposefully leave, so as to avoid being put on a banlist (see above). Name derived from the act of physically pulling the Ethernet cable out from its port, hence the name.
  • Roshan - The strongest neutral creep in the map, near the center-most tower on the Scourge side. All players of the team that slays Roshan will receive +800 gold and the player who lands the final blow gets approximately 350 gold extra. In newer versions, Roshan has a slight chance to drop an item as well, although that has been disabled in the most recent.
  • player 13 - Neutral creeps. Currently removed in 6.2x due to the game announcing "Neutral Creeps" or "Roshan" whenever a player is killed by Player 13.
  • sg/my and other country abbreviations or two-letter country codes - a suffix often added to game titles meaning the game host is from a certain area and therefore prefering players in the same country. This is because the geographical closeness of players within the game affects latency. "sg" is sometimes mistaken as "short game".

Actions

  • back or b - Used to cue team members to retreat.
  • blow/det/boom - Instruction to detonate mines laid by the Goblin Techies hero (Sentinel), to damage enemies.
  • bs/backstab - In general, a hero (or a few of them) abandons his lane in an attempt to ambush heroes in another lane, generally by hiding in the woods for extended periods of time and attacking the victim from the back, cutting off easy escape. This term is said as a command for a teammate to stand behind a farming opponent, usually to cut him off as he runs away from an attack or gb/gank. This also refers to a warning to allies of an enemy hero's impending ambush (sometimes in conjunction with a minimap signal to identify the target).
  • creep - A creep is a unit that is not controlled by a player. Killing a creep yields gold for the player that killed it. In DotA this refers to the units fighting on the two sides as well as neutral ones. Also used as a verb to refer to killing creeps.
  • creep deny/exp. denial - The act of killing one's own friendly creeps who have low Hit Points, thereby denying experience and gold to enemy heroes. A similar method is used to destroy a friendly tower which is about to be demolished by the enemy.
  • defend/def - Used to cue team members to defend a tower, barracks, or lane from the opposing team. Mainly used in conjunction with a signal flare to the game map.
  • d/c - Abbreviation for "disconnected", used in reference to a player.
  • farm - This refers to the strategy of exclusively killing creeps in order to purchase better weapons and gain experience faster. More specifically, farming in the absence of enemy heroes.
  • gangbang (gb)/rape - the act of multiple heroes converging on one hero to kill that hero.
  • gank - When a hero is gangbanged from several sides. Either a portmanteau of "gangbang" and "flank" or originating from the term "gang kill".
  • (hero name/color) missing - informing friendly heroes that the particular enemy hero has abandoned his lane in an attempt to ambush and kill heroes in another lane, generally by hiding in the woods for extended periods of time.
  • Missing in Action (MIA) - The acronym "mia" is also used to warn teammates of a missing enemy hero.
  • moneyshot - Often used term which means to kill and chase an opponent's hero that is very near to death for the purpose of getting the bounty/money from that hero. The word "moneyshot" is a portmanteau of "money" (money gained for the kill) and "shot" (similar to the term "1 shot kill" from an Arctic Warfare Magnum in the popular FPS game Counter-Strike). Also an allusion to a term in the pornographic industry, i.e. ejaculating on a woman's face.
  • out - Usually said after a push by multiple heroes. Used mainly to denote that the player is going back to the fountain area.
  • pawn/pwn - Generally means 'to kill an enemy hero', usually with the intended meaning that the hero making the kill did a spectacular job in comparison with his or her adversary. Pwn originated from a misspelling of "own", which has a similar meaning in gamer jargon, resulted from the closeness of the P and O keys on a Qwerty keyboard.
  • push - Pushing is the main objective of DotA. It is accomplished by staying in a lane and advancing on enemy towers to destroy them, literally "pushing" the lines of battle further and further towards the enemy's base.
  • rax/racks/barracks - Used to cue teammates to destroy the enemy's barracks building, positioned in the enemy base. Also used (sometimes) to cue destruction of enemy buildings in general; usually accompanied by a map signal to indicate its position. Note: destruction of enemy Barracks will upgrade the team's creep damage and hit points.
  • team sell - A controversial strategy used to deal with a leaver (person who leaves prior to the end)'s items. All items from the leaver's hero are sold at half price, with the gold distributed evenly to all his teammates. In actuality, the team loses out because only half the gold is returned. It should also be noted that since all players on the leaving hero's side gain control of the leaving hero, arguments often arise as people selfishly struggle for control of the leaver's strongest pieces of equipment, although all the equipment stay in the team.
  • stacking - can refer to one of two terms:
    • The act of pooling items to a certain hero that can make it particularly more powerful than others. Most notorious stackable characters are Naix, Phantom Assassin, Sven, Magina and others that once get certain items, are almost unbeatable. TDA Rules are against this act due to imbalance issues it brings.
    • Stacking also refers to the act of combining multiple Auras, i.e. "Aura-stacking" (Aura examples: Vampiric, Command, Brilliance, Fervor, Protection, Moonbeam etc). This usage of the term is more common among Warcraft III players, as most of the auras are also found in that game.
  • TP - Short for "teleport", a spell used to instantly teleport to a friendly building or creep (e.g. by activation of Scroll of Town Portal, usage of Furion's ability, or by Boots of Travel. TP is also used to signal Chen, a Sentinel hero, to use the Teleport ability, sending a friendly player back to the team's fountain area.
  • ult/ulti - Abbrevation for the word "ultimate." Instructs another player to utilize his ultimate spell.
  • w/zap/wrath/zeus - Some players, when using Zeus (Sentinel) hero, instruct their teammates to type a phrase or ping in a specific place (such as their fountain) when his ultimate is needed for a kill. These are all examples, although there is no single generic term.

Verbal Acknowledgements

One feature Defense of the Ancients: Allstars (like many other custom maps, including Elite Snipers) has is the use of map sounds and verbal acknowledgements. Those in Allstars are derived from Unreal Tournament, which are played once a player manages to kill 3 or more enemy heroes without being killed himself. These were first imported into the game by Guinsoo to add more excitement into the hero killing aspect of Allstars.

Note that the BlizzCon DotA tournaments used a special edition of the map where there are no acknowledgements. This was done to avoid copyright issues due to the acknowledgements, with the exception of "Fresh Meat", being the property of Epic Games. The special edition was made by IceFrog at Blizzard's request.

For consecutive kills

In DotA AllStars, when a player is able to execute 3 or more consecutive kills on an enemy without dying in the process, all players will receive a verbal acknowledgement as credit for performing this feat. Bonus gold will also be provided to an enemy hero who can stop this killing streak. They are:

  • 3 - Killing Spree (50 bonus gold)
  • 4 - Dominating (100 bonus)
  • 5 - Mega-Kill (150 bonus)
  • 6 - Unstoppable (200 bonus)
  • 7 - Wicked Sick (250 bonus)
  • 8 - M-m-m-m....Monster Kill (300 bonus)
  • 9 - Godlike (350 bonus)
  • 10+ - Beyond Godlike/Holy Shit (somebody stop/kill him!) (400 bonus)
    • The displayed text is Beyond Godlike, whereas the game's voice actually says "Holy Shit".

For special events

These two sounds are version-dependent:

  • First blood - in Allstars version 6 and above only: when a player's hero executes the 1st hero kill of the game, he/she will get extra 200 gold and also the "First blood" verbal acknowledgement.
  • Combo whore - in Allstars versions before 6 only: when two or more players combined their abilities to kill a single hero the sound "Combo whore" is verbalized.

Other sounds common to all AllStars versions include:

  • Double kill - kill 2 Heroes within a short amount of time
  • Triple kill - kill 3 Heroes within a short amount of time (any more Hero kills executed in that timeframe will result in "Triple kill" being repeated)
  • Owning - when a team gets 5 or more Hero kills in a row without any hero deaths on their side.
  • Ahh...Fresh Meat - a sound byte activated when the Scourge hero Pudge activates his Ultimate spell "Dismember". This may be familiar to players of Diablo, another game by Blizzard Entertainment, in which a boss called "The Butcher" utters those same words. This sound byte is hardcoded into the Frozen Throne World Map Editor.

Allusions

These are allusions present in the Warcraft III custom map Defense of the Ancients: Allstars variant.

Items

  • Aegis of the Immortal - A shield used by Athena, the Greek god.
  • Aghanim's Scepter - Refers to Agahnim, the final boss in some of the Zelda games.
  • Black King Bar - Appears in the game Phantasy Star Online
  • Burize-do Kyanon/Buriza-do Kyanon - Buriza-Do Kyanon is a crossbow from Diablo II. The weapon's name is either Burize-do Kyanon or Buriza-do Kyanon depending on which version of the map is being considered, with the latter choice being the current spelling. Buriza-do Kyanon is also the Japanese pronunciation (Romanji) of Blizzard Cannon.
  • Dagon - A Semitic God.
  • Demon Edge - Demon Edge is a weapon from Chrono Trigger.
  • Eaglehorn - Eaglehorn is a bow from Diablo II.
  • Eul's Scepter of Divinity - A tribute to the creator of the original Defense of the Ancients, which included an item of the same name. The item "Guinsoo's Scythe of Vyse" derives from it. The fact that the latter is more powerful (using ESoD as a recipe ingredient, and is in a higher tier of items) may have been to imply Guinsoo's superiority, or simply to represent the development of the map over time.
  • Eye of Skadi - Skadi is the wife of the Van god Njord in Norse mythology. She was the Goddess of winter, and as a tribute to her the item causes a hero's attack to deal frost damage, slowing opponents.
  • Hand of Midas - Midas is a character in Greek mythology who turned everything he touched into gold. In Allstars, this item kills and turns an enemy creep into gold.
  • Heart of Tarrasque - A nearly immortal creature from Dungeons & Dragons, also mythical creature resembling a dragon, lion and scorpion. Also a small boss from Starcraft, another Blizzard game.
  • Lothar's Edge - A tribute to Sir Anduin Lothar, the Champion of Azeroth, during the First War (in Warcraft and Warcraft II.)
  • Messerschmidt's Reaver - Messerschmidt's Reaver is an axe from Diablo II.
  • Monkey King Bar - From the Chinese folk tale Journey to the West, the Monkey King Bar was a staff used by the hero Sun Wukong and could alter its size to his will; the same bar used by the character Son Goku in the Dragon Ball series. The weapon also appears in Phantasy Star Online and maybe also be another reference to that game.
  • Necronomicon - A fictional book invented by the early pulp fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft. A book bearing this title also appeared in the movie Army of Darkness.
  • Nethrezim Buckler - The Nathrezim or Dreadlords are a race in the Warcraft universe of games.
  • Sange - A sword from the game Phantasy Star Online.
  • Yasha - A type of demon in Indian mythology. Also refers to another sword from the game Phantasy Star Online.
  • Sange and Yasha - In Phantasy Star Online The Sange and Yasha could be combined to form a formidable dual sword weapon, and thus the same is allowed here.
  • Stygian Desolator - A weapon from the game Anarchy Online.

Heroes

Note: This section only explains the possible allusions that exist in the DotA Allstars heroes and is not meant to be a hero guide/description/spell guide.
  • Abaddon, Lord of Avernus - Avernus is Latin for "void" or "abyss". Abaddon (Hebrew for "destruction") is the name of the fallen angel of the abyss from the Book of Revelation, which is the last book of the Bible. Is also a powerful character in the miniature wargame Warhammer 40,000.
  • Akasha - One of the five elements of Hinduism. Also the name of the Queen of the Damned from a book by Anne Rice. Literally speaking in Hindi, it means "sky."
  • Atropos - One of the three fates in Greek mythology, who literally "cut the thread of life" according to legend. This is characterized in DotA Allstars with the ultimate skill Fiend's Grip which severely drains enemy life. Atropos was also one of the three ultimate attacks in the game Tactics Orge: Knights of Lodis; and Fiend's Grip was a powerful attack in the game.
  • Azwraith, the Phantom Lancer - Uses a character model/icon based on a Final Fantasy character, Kimahri.
  • Barathrum, the Spiritbreaker - The name Barathrum is the word for "underworld" in Latin.
  • Black Arachnia, the Broodmother - The name, "Black Arachnia" is a character in the TV series Beast Wars. In the show, Black Arachnia is a female spider/robot for the Predacons faction.
  • Bradwarden - Centaur character from R.A. Salvatore's book The Demon Awakens.
  • Butcher - Named after The Butcher in the game Diablo and Diablo II. When he uses his ultimate spell, he uses a phrase from The Butcher as well.
  • Furion - The leader of the Night Elves, with his command of nature, in Warcraft III.
  • Ignis Fatuus - Keeper of the Light's ultimate skill, which is a phenomenal occurrence in marshlands creating a pale light, similar to Will 'o the Wisp.
  • Juggernaut - An Orc Blademaster whos' ultimate ability, Omnislash, is the derivative of Cloud Strife's omnislash from Final Fantasy.
  • Lina Inverse - Powerful spellcaster, whose name originates from Slayers, a famous manga and anime.
  • Kel'Thuzad - The Lich King's disciple in the original Warcraft III.
  • King Leoric, the Skeleton King - his name comes from a character in Diablo whose son was possessed by the demon.
  • Krobelus - A character (missionary role) in the game Summoner 2.
  • Leviathan - Strength hero that looks like a sea giant. His name comes from a Biblical sea creature.
  • Lucifer - A Doom Guard, referring to the fallen archangel (the Devil) in Christian tradition.
  • Leshrac (the Malicious) - Another character from Magic: The Gathering. (http://www.phyrexia.com/continuity/Leshrac.shtml)
  • Magnus - A reference to German physicist Heinrich Magnus who described a physical phenomenon called the Magnus effect, that is apt because of Magnus' (the Magnataur's) ultimate Reverse Polarity acting like the Magnus effect.
  • Medusa (the Gorgon) - A monster in Greek mythology whose gaze turned people to stone. This is represented in-game using the skills Purge and Gaze (certain versions only) which greatly slows enemies, however does not turn them into stone.
  • Morphling - A shapeshifter from Wizards of the Coast's Magic: The Gathering, which is also adept at switching stats. More information on this card can be found here
  • Mortred - Her name possibly derives from the name Mordred. In the legend of King Arthur, Mordred is a traitor that severely wounds King Arthur. This has a hint of similarity to Mortred's story text in the DotA game, which appears as a tooltip during hero selection.
  • Naga Siren - Derived from Greek Mythology, where sirens (half woman half sea creatures) were enticing men on ships to their island. In the game, her ultimate spell (Song of the Siren) causes all enemies in the surrounding area to sleep for a short period of time.
  • Nevermore - A shadow fiend, possibly based on Edgar Allen Poe's poem "The Raven".
  • Nortrom - His name could have been derived from Nordom, a character in Planescape Torment.
  • Rikimaru, the Stealth Assassin - A stealth ninja in the game Tenchu: The Stealth Assassins.
  • Shandelzare Silkwood - Her Magic Missile spell derives from the name of a spell in Dungeons and Dragons.
  • Squee (one of the Goblin Techies) - Character from Magic: The Gathering; a goblin from the Weatherlight saga.
  • Syllabear - Syllabear is possibly named after Syllable from Clan TDA who worked with Guinsoo in the development of DotA Allstars (referring to the DotA credits information for version 5).
  • Zeus - Leader of the gods in Greek mythology. Zeus was the god of lightning, and in DotA Allstars the Zeus hero specializes in lightning-based spells.

External links

Official

Communities

Download and Resources sites

Helper Utilities for DotA/Warcraft

Fans' Resources

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