Hero edition! (kinda)
Black King Bar/Sange & Yasha
Both BKB and S&Y are items found in Phantasy Star Online – an RPG made for the Dreamcast all the way back in 2000. (Image credit: Sega/Nintendo)
Earthshaker/Skeleton king/Pudge (Butcher)
Earthshaker was an item in Diablo II that could proc "fissures". Leoric is a name coming straight from Diablo – he was also a king turned undead by Diablo. He made an appearance in the first game and other titles like Heroes of the Storm.
In Dota 2, his name was changed from Leoric to Ostarion. The Dota 2 Butcher was no doubt inspired by the Butcher in Diablo. There is also a Butcher (directly derived from Diablo) in HotS, just to make it a bit more confusing! (Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)
Morphling
Morphling is a direct reference to a creature in Magic: The Gathering. Much like the Dota 2 hero, the card can switch stats. (Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)
Sven
Sven is named after the Danish actor and body-builder Sven-Ole Thorsen. In the original DotA, the description for his abilities featured Sven's catch phrase "I want to pump you up". (Image credit: Sven-Ole Thorsen via Twitter)
Ulfsaar (Ursa)
Ursa's name has remained the same in both DotA and Dota 2. Ulfsaar may be coming from the Norse Ulfsark, warriors who wore only animal pelts into battle, quite similar to berserkers which meant "bear strength". (Image credit: Witcher wiki)
Juggernaut's Omnislash
Juggernaut's ultimate ability Omnislash could be a direct reference to the ability of the same name possessed by Cloud Strife from the Final Fantasy series. (Image credit: Square Enix)
Mortred
Phantom Assassin's name is possibly inspired by Mordred from the legend of King Arthur. In it, Mordred is a traitor who manages to wound the king. (Image credit: Wikipedia)
Leshrac
Leshrac is a direct reference to a planeswalker of the same name from Magic: The Gathering. Diabolic Edict, one of Leshrac's spells, is also a card from Magic: The Gathering. (Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)
Bradwarden (Centaur Warrunner)
Centaur's name, Bradwarden, is derived directly from R.A. Salvatore's book The Demon Awakens. (Image credit: Valve Corporation)
Dota 2 has been out for over 7 years and it'll have its 8-year anniversary in 2021. The original DotA is much older than that and numerous references are still scattered in the modern-day sequel. Today, we're continuing our journey through some of the most interesting references in Dota 2. Let's go!
READ MORE:
For more Dota 2 and gaming news, stick to EarlyGame. Check out our Twitter and Facebook, and ring that bell on our YouTube channel!
