.jpg "Technology secretary launches Women in Tech Taskforce")
Valve has outlined what’s new in Dota 2 patch 7.40 and provided a rundown of its latest hero, Largo.
“Dota is an ensemble cast, but keen observers looking through the collection of rogues, wizards, druids, and knights (not to mention two characters named ‘ranger’) may have noticed the absence of that most maligned of hero classes: the bard. At least, up until now,” Valve teased, before introducing Largo himself.
Largo is the shamanic head of the bardmonk order, and unlike bards that “sing about current events and chord changes,” he “tailors every song to his exact circumstances, raising his allies’ spirits or, if necessary, their foot speed as they run toward battle (or away). As a frog, his prehensile tongue has, shall we say, all kinds of tricks.”
One such trick is his Catchy Lick, in which he targets someone, licks them, pulls them back a short distance, and applies a basic dispel. If they’re an ally, he pulls them out of harm’s way, and if they’re an enemy, his tongue deals damage. By dispelling an effect from a target, Largo gets a brief health regen, too. He can also fire froglings that stomp the ground every second, dealing damage and ministuns, and minimize ally mana costs with his Croak of Genius skill.
His ultimate skill is Amphibian Rhapsody. To be honest, with a name as incredible as that, I don’t even care what it does, but for those wondering, it’s essentially a mini-rhythm game.
“Largo gets ready to groove,” Valve explains. “He is disarmed and his ability bar switches to three song abilities, each with different effects. Songs are only effective if strummed on the beat.
“Every time he strums successfully, he gains a stack of Groovin’. Each stack gives him bonus armor and reduces the mana cost of every song, but he loses a stack if he misses a beat. Stacks linger for a short duration when Largo’s song ends.”
As is tradition, the full patch notes are so huuuge they’re too big to publish on Steam itself, but you can find them on the Dota 2 website right here.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
