Valve Releases Dota 2 Update: Meet the New Hero, Ringmaster, with Unique Abilities and Mechanics

Valve has released an update for Dota 2, introducing balance changes and adding a new hero, Ringmaster, to the roster. Ringmaster is now the 125th playable character in Dota. The last time Valve introduced a new hero was in March 2023 with the release of Muerta.

Initially, the community speculated that Ringmaster's abilities would closely mirror those of Puppet Master from the MOBA game Heroes of Newerth. However, while Ringmaster does have abilities that control enemy characters, he brings his own unique skillset and a special souvenir mechanic to the game.

Ringmaster's Abilities:

• Dark Carnival Barker: Whenever an enemy hero dies within a 925-radius of Ringmaster, he receives a random carnival souvenir—a unique, single-use item. If Ringmaster already has an unused souvenir, new ones accumulate as charges. Upon respawning, if Ringmaster has no souvenirs, he will automatically receive one.
• Tame the Beasts (Interruptible): Ringmaster winds up his whip and strikes a targeted area. Enemies within the area take damage and flee in fear. The longer the wind-up, the more damage and fear duration, but the smaller the strike radius. Maximum wind-up duration is 1 second.
• Escape Act: Ringmaster or an allied hero is temporarily placed inside a mobile extradimensional box, allowing the target to pass through units. The box increases movement speed, magic resistance, and resistance to slows. While inside, the hero cannot be targeted, but also cannot attack, use abilities, or items. The box will open prematurely if it moves more than 500 units from its point of creation.
• Impalement Arts: Ringmaster throws a dagger in a chosen direction. If it hits an enemy, the dagger slows them briefly, deals initial damage, and causes bleeding. Bleeding deals damage every second based on the victim's maximum health if it’s a hero or deals fixed damage if it’s a creep.

Ultimate Ability:

Wheel of Wonder: Ringmaster sends a Wheel of Wonder to a designated point, pushing away enemies in its path. Once it reaches its destination, the wheel deals damage to all nearby enemies and slows them by 50%. The wheel mesmerizes and draws in enemy heroes who gaze at it for more than 0.5 seconds. If it mesmerizes a target, a countdown begins, ending in an explosion that deals area damage. If no one is mesmerized within 8 seconds, the wheel explodes automatically.

Souvenirs:

• Funhouse Mirror: Creates an illusion of Ringmaster that lasts for 18 seconds. The illusion takes 300% damage and deals 28% of Ringmaster’s damage.
• Strongman Tonic: Temporarily increases an allied hero’s strength by 5 + 1.5 per level of Ringmaster. The maximum effect lasts 4 seconds, then gradually fades, disappearing completely after 8 seconds.
• Whoopee Cushion: Propels Ringmaster forward by 400 units and leaves behind a smelly cloud with a 200-radius for 3 seconds, slowing enemies by 30%.

Ringmaster was announced on the final day of The International 2023, where the world championship organizers showcased a cinematic trailer featuring the hero.