The idea
Battle Brawlers combines the two games I love most, Dota 2 and Battlerite, with new gameplay improvements that I think suit it better.
It takes the heroes of Dota 2 into a small arena and gives them a new way to fight. Every hero moves with WASD and aims every skill with the mouse: nothing locks on, every arrow can miss and every dodge counts.
Matches are short and sharp: two teams, best of five rounds, a ring that closes in and orbs worth taking a risk for. Every hero is a Dota hero reborn with a kit built for this arena, and a name of its own.
Aim everything
WASD moves, the mouse aims. Skill shots, dodges and outplays decide the fight, not clicks on a target.
Short rounds, big moments
Two and a half minutes on the clock, then Sudden Death. Health Cap makes burst count; orbs make the map matter.
Heroes rebuilt
Each Brawler starts from a Dota hero and leaves with a new kit, a new name and, when it needs them, new animations.
Tuned by playing
Every number is tested in real matches, and the changes are written up in the dev blog so you can follow how the heroes grow.
Vote for the next Brawler
The community picks who joins the arena next.
Open →Send a hero idea
Design a kit on the Hero Ideas page. The more upvotes an idea gets, the higher the chance it becomes an official Brawler.
Open →Tell me what you think
Feedback and bug reports go straight to the developer.
Open →Join the Discord
Meet the other players, follow the playtests and share your clips.
Open →Who makes it
Battle Brawlers is an independent project made by Ray, a solo dev. Follow the dev blog to see it grow, and say hello on the contact page.
Can I play it?
Not yet. Battle Brawlers is in early development; the roadmap and the dev blog will say when playtests open.
Where do I play it?
Inside Dota 2. Battle Brawlers is a Dota 2 custom game, so all you need is Dota 2 (free on Steam); custom games live under Play Dota, Custom Games. It is not public yet: this site and the dev blog will say when and where it opens.
Will it cost anything?
Dota 2 custom games are free to play, and Battle Brawlers will be too.
Is it made by Valve?
No. It is a non-commercial fan project built with Valve's Dota 2 Workshop Tools. All hero models, textures and some animations belong to Dota 2 and Valve.
How can I help?
Vote for the next hero, send a hero idea, share your feedback, spread the word, support the project, or animate a hero with one of our rigs.
Credits
- Battle Brawlers is a non-commercial fan project. All hero models, textures and some animations belong to Dota 2 and Valve Corporation, as do Dota 2's sounds and art.
- Gameplay inspired by Battlerite by Stunlock Studios.
- Fonts: Grenze, Grenze Gotisch, Barlow Condensed, UnifrakturCook and Cinzel, all under the SIL Open Font License.