As a seasoned Dota 2 aficionado with over a decade of gaming under my belt, I must say that Valve has truly outdone themselves with the introduction of Ringmaster. The anticipation leading up to this moment has been palpable, much like the tension before a crucial team fight in the heat of battle.
In an unexpected yet joyful development for Dota 2 enthusiasts, Valve has unveiled the Ringmaster – marking him as the 125th character to join the game. The Ringmaster‘s debut occurs just before The International 2024, scheduled from September 4-15 at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, and will be released concurrently with the International Compendium 2024.
After months of eagerly waiting since the hero’s unveiling at TI13 last year (you can catch the debut video here), I’m now ready to step into the shoes of Ringmaster, voiced by none other than John de Lancie, who played Lord Ritterfau in DOTA: Dragon’s Blood. As a ranged Intelligence hero demanding a fair amount of skill, I’m looking forward to putting my gaming skills to the test with this character.
Ringmaster’s Abilities In Dota 2
From his skill set, it appears that Ringmaster may be a versatile character in Dota 2, as he can effectively fill roles such as a Support, Offensive (Nuker), or Disabler. Here’s a summary of Ringmaster’s abilities:
- Tame the Beasts (Q): This is a channeled ability where Ringmaster cracks his whip, damaging and fearing enemies. Longer channeling increases damage and fear duration but reduces the effect radius, forcing enemies to flee in terror.
- Escape Act (W): This move allows the Ringmaster to hide himself or an ally in a box, granting phased movement, slow resistance, bonus magic resistance, and bonus speed. The boxed unit is untargetable, silenced, and disarmed until the effect ends.
- Impalement Arts (E): is a point-target ability where the Ringmaster throws a dagger, dealing impact damage, slowing the target, and causing them to bleed. The bleed inflicts damage based on maximum health for heroes and flat damage for creeps over time.
- Wheel of Wonder (R): This is a point-target ability where the Ringmaster rolls a wheel to a target location, knocking back enemies. Upon arrival, it deals damage over time and slows enemies. Heroes staring at the wheel for over 0.5 seconds are mesmerized and drawn towards it. The first mesmerized enemy triggers a timer for the wheel to explode; otherwise, it explodes after a few seconds.
In the heat of battle as I’m playing Dota 2, nothing beats the Ringmaster’s Shard upgrade, named Spotlight. With this badge equipped, I can cast a blinding light over an area, exposing stealthy foes, forcing them to miss their attacks, and even damaging illusions. It’s like having my very own superpower in skirmishes, giving me the upper hand when the going gets tough.
Ringmaster’s Innate and Facet In Dota 2
Currently, Ringmaster lacks a Facet or Aghanim’s Shard enhancement, but it may be introduced at a later point by Valve. His innate ability is known as “Dark Carnival Barker,” which grants him a single-use Souvinir at random whenever an enemy unit is slain in proximity to him. This feature can prove useful for tactical decisions during team fights or escapes.
- Funhouse Mirror: Creates an imperfect illusion of Ringmaster that lasts for 18 seconds. The illusion deals 28% damage and takes 300% damage.
- Strongman Tonic: Temporarily increases an allied hero’s Strength attribute by 5 + 1.5 per Ringmaster’s level for 8 seconds. The effect holds for 4 seconds and deteriorates over the duration.
- Whoopee Cushion: Propels Ringmaster forward by 400 units and leaves a 200-radius stink cloud behind for 3 seconds that slows enemies by 30%.
As a fan, I can’t help but notice the striking similarities between Ringmaster and the puppet master-inspired character from Heroes of Newerth – the Puppet Master. His design seems to be heavily influenced by the idea of a puppeteer, with an intriguing set of abilities that allow him to manipulate and control characters. This resemblance has ignited quite a buzz on social media platforms, as fans speculate about possible playstyles and strategies for this captivating character.
In the lead-up to The International 2024, Ringmaster’s introduction serves to revitalize the roster of heroes once more, and it also unveils fresh strategic opportunities. Valve’s move to introduce a character like this at this point could be the unexpected factor that stirs up the competitive landscape, making this year’s TI one of the most thrilling and unforeseeable tournaments yet.
To learn more about Ringmaster, be sure to check out his brand-new comic!
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2024-08-23 12:13