In a classic Valve move, Ringmaster just appeared in Dota 2 after months of waiting

Dota 2The 125th hero is finally playable after Valve rolled out a (not-so-surprising) update ahead of The International 2024, and he’s as creepy as they come.

Valve first revealed Ringmaster on October 29, 2023, just ahead of Dota 2’s The 2023 International Final was played. Although the Dota The developers never actually announced a release date, with the teaser confirming that Ringmaster would be released in 2024. Most fans assumed this meant the character would ship with the Crownfall updates, but Valve is taking things at its own pace – we’re now just 12 days away from The International 2024.

Cogliostro Kettle, also known as Ringmaster, is an Intelligence support hero who grants five abilities without any of Aghanim’s upgrades. A puppet turned mass murderer, Ringmaster’s abilities offer impressive crowd control and a quick escape for him or his teammates, with each ability showcasing the character’s showmanship. The hero’s Innate ability unlocks his fifth spell, Dark Carnival Souvenir, which charges whenever an enemy unit dies near Ringmaster. You can choose from three unique Souvenir options for each charge.

At launch, Ringmaster doesn’t have the Facet of Aghanim Scepter upgrade, but you can use his Shard to shine a spotlight over an area. This Spotlight seems particularly powerful for teamfights, as it reveals unseen enemies in the area, makes enemies miss their attacks (30 percent chance), and damages any illusions spawned by opponents.

A lot of Dota2 Players are already finding Ringmaster underwhelming, especially since most fans speculated based on the original reveal that he would control enemy heroes. Other players, however, are finding Ringmaster to be incredibly supportive due to his AoE disarm, save for allies, and an ultimate that mimics fear debuffs.

Whether Ringmaster disrupts the meta remains to be seen, but he is undoubtedly an exciting support. With just a few days left before Dota 2’s The International 2024 teams will need to quickly develop a theory about the hero’s feasibility.