On Friday, we showed you my favorite items, equipment, and tool mods built by players that are currently available in Dota 2's store through Steam Workshop.
Today, we take a look under the hood and browse the unrefined, experimental, and sometimes creepy suggestions waiting for judgement in the Steam Workshop. Let's skip the creepy and go straight through 12 of our favorites.
1
Glacial Tiny
I'm starting off strong: this Russian nesting doll of a reskin is my personal favorite in the entire list. Creator gramps has tackled a big project here--Tiny grows in size as you level his Grow ability, meaning that he needs four different models to progress through. Gramps produced an awesome lineup based on a solid concept that lends an icy touch to the granite soon-to-be-giant.
Vote for or against it on its Steam Workshop page
2
Cult of the Anti-Magicae
Now I'm a bit biased on this one--I love the Anti-Mage. This equipment overhaul redesigns the lone mage-stalker as a member of a larger cult, complete with matching robes and formal masks for dinner parties. while the images shown on the Workshop page are concept art, the author (Hawf the super rad) promises that the whole thing has been built as a 3D model ready for use. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, but I love that it adds to the existing lore rather than simply making him a hair dresser or something random.
Vote for or against it on its Steam Workshop page
3
Dinosaurs Courier
I'm not sure what else you think you need to know about this mod before voting for it, but I assure you you're wrong. It is a dinosaur. He replaces the donkey as your courier. He has armor and a keg. He is a dinosaur. He carries your stuff. He is a dinosaur. Go vote for this now.
Vote for or against it on its Steam Workshop page
4
Storm Spirit Sombrero
Okay, this one's a little more open to opinion. Most absurd/random/silly equipment ideas get thrashed pretty quickly in Dota 2's Steam Workshop. Dota 2 is serious business and most fans don't see room for silly humor in the game's no-nonsense world. The most common comments found on silly item suggestions like monocles, top hats, and butterfly wings are "leave this stuff in TF2" or "don't make this LoL please."
Creator Crocodile Dendi makes a decent argument justifying the sombrero's inclusion, however, pointing out the Storm Spirit's back story emphasizes his "good humor" and he's described as "jovial" and "jolly." Whether or not that'll actually make you feel better about sombreros in Dota 2 is up to you.
Vote for or against it on its Steam Workshop page
5
Twisted Firekeeper
The Warlock has a pretty sweet torch by default, but this gnarled version adds a nice, more natural look to the obsessed sorcerer. Of course, he will still summon flaming golems on top of you while shackling you to your friends so that you all die slow and painful deaths.
Vote for or against it on its Steam Workshop page
6
King of the Desert
The Sand King is king of the dunes--a sand-filled armor shell that is the endless deserts' "guardian, warrior, ambassador" according to Dota 2's official lore. This equipment pack by Anti-(Flux) Mage gives him a wardrobe worthy of a desert ruler (and also makes him look a bit like a Sphinx from the shoulders up). The colors are toned well and don't make it feel goofy or outrageous. It's a nice addition to the theme without taking it too far.
Vote for or against it on its Steam Workshop page
7
Ghostly Kunkka
"It's not fair!" they cry in the comments section. And, well, they're right. Adding this much transparency to a usually very-visible hero gives him an advantage, even if it is minor. But that is a small price to pay for gaining a ghost pirate in your game. Ever since I battled LeChuck in the first Monkey Island game, I've wanted ghost pirates in just about every game I've played. There has to be a way to balance out this transparency perk--adding particle effects around it or lessening the transparency or adding a more noticeable outline--and make the skin work. I love the idea.
Vote for or against it on its Steam Workshop page
8
The Pirate Cap'n voice pack
I'm not just including this one because of my love of all things peg-legged and rum-filled. Bingo Bango provides some of the highest quality voice acting I've seen in the Workshop yet. He delivers his pirate-y lines with enthusiasm and an accent that doesn't induce cringing. This is a great voice pack, but I really think the community can come up with better ideas than a pirate captain. I hope to see a lot more of these added in the future. If anyone needs a nerdy twenty-something for recording lines, you know where to find me.
Vote for or against it on its Steam Workshop page
9
Hammer of the Dingus
The Omniknight is no fun at parties. He's all holy light, wards, and guardian angels--focused on his big moral crusade and all that. This Hammer of the Dingus lightens the mood a bit, replacing his serious silver, runed hammer with something a little more playful. Wrapped leather straps give it a more home-made look while the turquoise and gold mallet keep the regal feel. The shaft probably needs to be a bit longer to work with the current animations, but other than that, I dig it.
Vote for or against it on its Steam Workshop page
10
Pilots Chem Mask
Rememeber Hawf the Super Rad from one of the first slides? He's also built an awesome broken gas mask for the Bat Rider, who'll make good use of it while hurling napalm, molotov cocktails, flaming lassoes, and other large blazes down on the ground beneath him. Like his other projects, only the artwork is shown, but he assures everyone that it's fully modeled and ready to go. I hope the model looks as good!
Vote for or against it on its Steam Workshop page
11
Conicial Hats for Brewmaster
"Stepbrothers is a very entertaining movie." If you know nothing about Dota, that is the only bit of description the author, Vodka Putin Thunder, gives for this equipment upgrade for the Brewmaster. Anyone familiar with Dota, however, will know that the original Brewmaster was a Pandaren monk with a classic chinese conical hat. Dota 2's version is sadly hatless, until you install this pack at least. The author has also been very responsive to feedback, updating his/her textures to incorporate more lore-friendly symbols.
Vote for or against it on its Steam Workshop page
12
Bloodseeker-Legacy Weapon
I may have saved the best for last. This weapon mod for Bloodseeker splits his large blades into multi-bladed shredders wickedly drenched in the blood of all sorts of squishies. It brings back the look of the original Dota model without flatly copying it--which would be an extremely poor choice considering Dota 2's much more powerful graphics engine. I have no reservations here: I want to tear people up with these.
Creator Grimm is working to build an entire mod bundle that incorporates this weapon and changes the entire appearance of the Bloodseeker, shown as a work-in-progress above. He's gotten a lot of positive feedback, and I can't wait to see the finished product.
Vote for it on its Steam Workshop page
Source: PC Gamer (opens in a new tab)