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Mars hits Dota 2 today – here are his abilities

Valve lifts the veil on Mars

Dota 2’s latest hero is Mars, and he’s hitting the game today. Valve has fully lifted the veil on the god of war after first announcing him months ago at the International, and today brings both a rundown of his abilities and his proper appearance in the game. Mars’s abilities seem to draw on some familiar sources – to the point where fans are already calling him ‘Bristlefront.’

The Spear of Mars launches a projectile which damages each enemy it hits. It’ll also provide knockback on the first enemy hero it touches – if that hero hits a tree, building, or cliff, they’ll get stunned as they’re impaled to it. God’s Rebuke sends out a shield smash which pushes enemies back and deals a critical hit.

Bulwark will bring out a big shield to defend against physical strikes from the front or sides. Arena of Blood will summon an arena alternately lined with walls and shielded undead warriors. Mars is protected from outside attacks while inside, and any enemies trapped in there with him will suffer damage if they touch the warriors on the outer wall – given all Mars’s knockback abilities, you can imagine the potential.

You can check out more details at the official site, or just launch the client to start playing with Mars for yourself.

The old trailer above will also give you a bit more flavour, if that’s what you’re looking for.

Related: Let us help you decide which MOBA is right for you

Dota 2 Auto Chess has been big business for Valve’s MOBA, and the proper Dota 2 player count is standing strong. Players eager for something new in the more traditional arena have plenty of incentive to hop back in with Mars.