Summary
DOTA 2is an extremely popular MOBA that has been around for a good decade. It pits two teams of 5 players in a competitive match that tests how well they havemastered the Heroesthey have chosen for battle. Strategy and knowing the best team composition are essential to winning games, and its wide roster ensures that no one match plays the same.
But which other games provide the same experience asDOTA 2? Here are some titles that share the same real-time strategy and champion mastery only MOBA games can deliver while adding some aspects of their own to make them stand out:
Pokémon Unitesees the eponymous Pocket Monsters duke it out incompetitive battles in a MOBAsetting. Popular Pokémon such as Pikachu, Charizard, Venusaur, Blastoise, Greninja, and Snorlax can be played and have their own specific abilities that players can utilize during matches. Pokémon that have multiple evolutions start matches as their first stage and evolve as they gain levels throughout the match.
Speaking of matches, unlike conventional MOBAs, players can only knock opposing Pokémon out: doing so results in them dropping Aeos Energy. The main goal of teams is to dunk as much Aeos Energy on the opposing team’s goal zones that will count as points for their team. As the match ends, the team with the most points wins.
Experiencing Pokémon’s attacks outside the main titles makes Pokémon Unite a fun gameplay mechanic. Trying out all available Pokémon and figuring outhow their abilities workwith one another allows for mixing and matching for players and teams to pull off clever combos.
4Brawl Stars
For players who want to experience a cartoony MOBA, they can tryBrawl Stars. This title offers players quick free-for-all, 2-on-2, and 3-on-3 battles that usually last around 15 minutes, depending on which game mode they play. Such game modes include Showdown, Heist, Gem Grab, and Knockout.
Brawl Starshave a stark cartoony design, with its Brawlers havingquirky unique abilitiesthat help separate them from one another. In terms of gameplay, all Brawlers have some sort of ranged attack, except for melee Brawlers: since teams are composed of three players, it is up to them to figure out the best combination to defeat the opposition.
Casual players who just want to get into quick skirmishes can choose Solo Showdown. In a last-brawler-standing mode, competitors have to outwit and outplay one another, knocking them out until only one Brawler remains after time runs out.
Smiteis a fun MOBA with an interesting premise: what if the different gods or personalities across multiple mythologies clashed in epic team fights? Playerspick their deitiesthat possess tremendous powers that determine how they will affect the battlefield. This includes Warriors, Mages, Hunters, Assassins, and Guardians.
Related: Smite:A Comprehensive Guide To Conquest Roles
Unique toSmiteis its third-person view compared to conventional MOBAs. Its gameplay also leans towards skill shots which means players need to master how far their gods’ abilities can travel before hitting their intended target. As far as game modes,Smitehas the typical three-lane Conquest Mode, a two-lane and one-lane variant in Slash and Joust, respectively, Assault, a randomized version of Joust, and Arena where two 5-person teams are tasked to defend their respective portals and reduce the opposing team’s point total to zero.
Arena is a morefrenetic game modeas competing teams start with 500 stock points, and defeating different enemies will factor into how many points are deducted from teams. Killing other players net more point deduction, and allows the winning team to summon powerful minions to further stack the battle in their favor.
2Heroes of the Storm
Blizzard’s official entry to the MOBA genre,Heroes of the Stormhas players pick from a veritable roster of Heroes that span popular Blizzard games. This includes theWarcraft, Starcraft, Diablo, andOverwatchfranchises: these gaming universes are depicted as “realms”, and their Heroes are sucked into their realms’ Nexus, a stability point each realm possesses, via the Singularity.
The goal inHeroes of the Stormis similar to other MOBAs: two 5-person teams compete against each other to destroy their Core first. What sets Heroes of the Storm apart is its map variety. Each match is set on a different map and presents teams with different objectives to sway the tide of battle in their favor. Adding to this element is the cleverly-designed Heroes who have varying abilities to further ensure each match is different, and that player expression via their Hero selections is evident.
Along withDOTA 2,League of Legendsis synonymous with MOBAs in terms ofpopularity and player base. Sporting a huge roster of Champions that have unique skills and abilities, players can choose which ones they feel are the best combination for their respective 5-person teams.
Each Champion is classified under a specific Role that covers their playstyles and allows for creativity and skill expression for players. Speedy and mobile Assassins, powerful Mages, high damage-dealing Marksmen, formidable Fighters, tough-as-nails Tanks, and reliable Support Champions provide players with different means to dominate the match either by lane, objective, or map control.
League of Legendsalso has a thriving Esports scene that sees players from various regions across the globe compete in different splits each year to determine their placements for the World Championship.
