The Best of Dota 2’s Workshop

One of the coolest elements of Valve’s massively popular MOBA is its Steam workshop integration, which allows players to create, buy, and sell wholly original items all through the online community. While Valve obviously has a staff of very talented artists creating assets for the game, crowd-sourcing the manufacture of in-game items is a brilliant idea that necessarily lends diversity and breadth. We’ve been scouring through some of the best offerings, looking for items that are both visually arresting and unique, and we sifted out some real gems.

The Mask of the Plague Bringer

Hero: Rotund’jere the Necrolyte

Appropriate for a Necrolyte, the medieval plague mask was symbolic of the ubiquity of sickness and disease. While in our world doctors wore these masks to avoid infection, Rotund’jere’s is stuffed with “poisonous leaves and fungus” designed to propagate death.

The mask manages to make Rotund’jere even more alien and horrifying look, and features some excellent detail work. The inlays along the “snout” and crownpiece and the spiderweb cracks are testament to a mask that was lovingly crafted but has been liberally exposed to the horrors of battle.

Workshop page

Tsunami Blade

Hero: Kunkka

One of the coolest looking weapons in the workshop, the Tsunami Blade is a great match for its wielder. Its aqua blues reflect Admiral Kunkka’s nautical theme, and the curved blade of a scimitar looks appropriate in the hands of a man of the high seas.

What really drew our eye though, aside from the vivid coloration, was all the detail work on the hilt and blade. The hilt appears to be an ornate work of wrought gold, and the edge of the blade is inlaid with a series of arcane runes and symbols which no doubt add the bite of magic to the storm blade.

Workshop page

Shagbark

Courier

Inspired by a love for Nature’s Prophet and the loyalty of man’s best friend, Shagbark is one of the cutest, coolest looking couriers in Dota 2. While we’re not entirely clear on what exactly Shagbark is, other than some bizarre forest denizen, we love his design, from his giant wagging tongue to the bird companions dangling from his head. We’ve always had a soft spot for designs that take advantage of Dota’s bright, cartoonish palette, and Shagbark squarely targets the cluster of our brain that processes all things adorable.

Workshop page

Double Trouble

Hero: Sniper

This one’s pretty self explanatory. Taking a gun to a sword fight strikes us as a great idea, especially when the gun is the medieval equivalent of a sniper rifle-shotgun hybrid, complete with a huge drum clip and low-light scope. We imagine the recoil is a beast, though; the weapon is nearly as big as Sniper himself, and those barrels look like they fire some pretty massive ammunition.

Workshop page

Tinker Bot Courier

Courier

We admit to a certain weakness for the steampunk aesthetic, and Tinker Bot captures it just about perfectly. All those big metal rivets, the giant cog in his head, and his chunky black metal backpack give Tink an almost tangible quality; it’s easy to imagine how heavy the little guy would be if you tried to pick him up. Add in a jet of superheated fuel for traversal and the some adorable antennae and you’ve got a courier that manages a tight balance of form and function.

Workshop page