Ultimates become available based on damage taken, and you can get them at level 1!
Highly competitive map which popularised having a large quantity of heroes and items.
Has a large number of deeply interwoven mechanics, leading to a complex and deep competitive experience. Players have shown a high level of engagement with its massive esports scene: with the annual 'The International' tournament consistently offering the biggest prize-pools in esports history.
An immersive and hectic battle of attrition, with a rich variety of playable heroes and heavy emphasis on world-building and lore.
Emphasises rich and engaging hero combat. The game has many unusual skill-shots, and there no stuns or randomness. Combat instead focuses more on displacement and environmental or situational damage.
The jungle is a persistent team objective rather than an economic space for a single hero to occupy, and a variety of different creep camps and reward structures have appeared in the game over the years.
The game had an unusually refined item system, with a fullscreen shop interface, typed shortcuts, recommended items, recipe autocompletion, all items stacking with each-other (at reduced efficiency), and custom item stats like bonus ability radius or duration.
Has multiple bosses, and various combinations of beating them levels up your army. Also the first lane-pushing game to introduce quest items.