Everything you need to know about Valve's official take on Auto Chess.
Our Dota Underlords guide contains everything you need to know about the mode, with details on how to play, how to download and install, beginner tips, info on upcoming content and more.
Dota Underlords is Valve’s official take on the Auto Chess craze that’s swept across Dota over the last few months, and it’s not just a tack-on for Dota 2. It’s a fully fleshed, standalone game that’s based in the Dota universe and will feature it’s own development progress over time.
In our regularly updated guide to Dota Underlords, we’ve put together information on how it plays, how to download and install the game on your device, what heroes are available and upcoming features too.
As we gain more experience with the game, we’ll be fleshing the guide out considerably, so keep us bookmarked and check back for more updates in the very near future.
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What is Dota Underlords?
Dota Underlords is Valve’s official take on the unofficial Auto Chess mod which has proved immensely popular over the last few months.
Dota Underlords is currently available on PC, as well as iOS and Android devices.
How does Dota Underlords play?
Dota Underlords plays almost identically to the unofficial Auto Chess mod that you’re likely already familiar with.
Although it will of course develop in its own direction over time, and under Valve’s curation.
Here’s a quick rundown of the fundamentals:
Eight players enter a game space, and each player has a tiled-based “chess board” on which they can place attacking units.
When combat rounds commence, players travel between boards and their units automatically attack each other.
Gold is received based on combat performance, and this currency can be used to purchase further units.
Your goal is to build up a strategically synergistic fighting force, one which continues to overwhelm all opponents in a series of encounters.
As players are beaten in individual rounds, they slowly drop out of the running. It’s a case of being smarter, and more prepared, than the seven other players in order to become the last person standing.
For more insight into how this sort of game works, we highly recommend checking out our Dota Underlords: How to Play article.
How do I install Dota Underlords? (PC and Mobile)
Dota Underlords is now in open beta for Steam, iOS and Android devices.
Simply search “Dota Underlords” in Steam and select “Install” to get the game on your PC.
For those on iOS and Android, search “Dota Underlords” in the App Store or Google Play Store and select “Download”. Make sure you double check that the version you’re downloading is published by Valve as you don’t want to accidentally install a cheap knock-off.
Other essential Dota Underlords guides
- Dota Underlords: How to play
- Dota Underlords: Tier List
- Dota Underlords: Item list
- Dota Underlords: Alliances guide
Video by Amaz
What heroes are available in Dota Underlords?
Here’s a quick list of every Hero that’s made it into the open beta version of the game:
While Dota Underlords is entirely separate to Dota Auto Chess, it’s very similar. With this in mind, it’s worth having a glance at our Auto Chess Tier List page as it’ll give you a better idea of which heroes are stronger than others.
We’re currently in the process of putting together an Underlords Tier List, so keep an eye on our site for an update very soon!
- Abaddon
- Alchemist
- Anti-Mage
- Arc Warden
- Axe
- Batrider
- Beastmaster
- Bloodseeker
- Bounty Hunter
- Chaos Knight
- Clockwerk
- Crystal Maiden
- Disruptor
- Doom
- Dragon Knight
- Drow Ranger
- Enchantress
- Enigma
- Gyrocopter
- Juggernaut
- Keeper of the Light
- Kunkka
- Lich
- Lina
- Lone Druid
- Luna
- Lycan
- Medusa
- Mirana
- Morphling
- Nature’s Prophet
- Necrophos
- Ogre Magi
- Omniknight
- Phantom Assassin
- Puck
- Pudge
- Queen of Pain
- Razor
- Sand King
- Shadow Fiend
- Shadow Shaman
- Slardar
- Slark
- Sniper
- Techies
- Templar Assassin
- Terrorblade
- Tidehunter
- Timbersaw
- Tinker
- Tiny
- Treant Protector
- Troll Warlord
- Tusk
- Venomancer
- Viper
- Warlock
- Wind Ranger
- Witchdoctor
What can we expect from Beta Season of Dota Underlords?
According to the in-game announcement, the devs expect a beta testing period of around three months before Season 1 begins.
However, this doesn’t mean the game will be light on content. It seems like the devs have quite a few things planned to keep things fresh and rewarding.
Here’s a look at all the upcoming features which will debut during the Beta Season:
- Ranked Matchmaking: “Everyone starts at the bottom, but by playing against other Underlords you’ll climb through the ranks and prove that you are the right person to rule White Spire.”
- Underlords Battlepass: “The Battle Pass will introduce progression, cosmetics, custom boards, and a host of other new features to the Dota Underlords experience.”
- Tournament Ready: “Create your own private lobbies and matches, then invite spectators to watch eight Underlords duke it out.”
- Seasonal Rotation: “Every season we’ll say goodbye to certain heroes, items, and traits to make room for new additions that will shape the ever-evolving world of Dota Underlords.”
- Match Replay: “Relive and share your favourite moments of the season with our replay viewer.”
- Online/Offline: “Offering a sophisticated AI with 4 levels of difficulty, offline play is a great place to hone your skills. Pause and resume games at your leisure.”
- Choose Your Underlord: “Choose an Underlord persona from our ever-expanding roster that fits your play style. With unique gameplay-affecting changes, there’s an Underlord for everyone.”
Valve assures us there’s a lot more in store for the Beta Season, so for now we’ll just have to wait and see how the game evolves. We’ll update this section as soon as we know more.
That wraps up the second edition of our Dota Underlords guide! We’ll have much more detail for you once we’ve had deeper hands-on experience with the game ourselves. Check back soon for an update.
