Valve told what's new in Dota 2 patch 7.40 and introduced a brief description of his latest hero, Largo.
Dota is an ensemble piece, but keen observers browsing the collection of rogues, wizards, druids and knights (not to mention two characters named “ranger”) may have noticed the absence of that most maligned of hero classes: bards. At least until now.” – Valve teasedbefore introducing Largo himself.
Largo is the shamanic head of an order of bardic monks, and unlike bards who “sing about current events and chord changes,” he “tailors each song to his specific circumstances, lifting the spirit of his allies or, if necessary, the speed of their feet as they run toward (or away from) battle.” Like a frog, his prehensile tongue can do, shall we say, all sorts of tricks.”
One such trick is his Catchy Lick, in which he targets someone, licks them, pulls them a short distance and applies a basic dispel. If they are allies, he leads them away from danger, and if they are enemies, his tongue causes damage. By dispelling the target's effect, Largo also gains short-term health regeneration. He can also shoot frogs that stomp the ground every second, dealing damage and mini-stop, as well as minimizing the mana cost of allies with his Caw of Genius skill.
His ultimate skill is Amphibian Rhapsody. Honestly, with such an incredible name, I can’t even imagine care what it does, but for those wondering: it's essentially a mini rhythm game.
“Largo is getting ready to go,” Valve explains. “He is disarmed and his ability bar switches to three song abilities, each with different effects. Songs are only effective if played to the beat.
“Every time he makes a good play, he gets a blast of Groovin'. Each charge gives him additional armor and reduces the mana cost of each song, but he loses a charge if he misses a beat. The stacks linger for a short time as Largo's song ends.”
As is tradition, the full patch notes are so huge that they cannot be published on Steam itself. but you can find them on the Dota 2 website right here.
Vikki Blake is an IGN reporter, critic, columnist and consultant with over 15 years of experience working with the world's largest gaming sites and publications. She is also a Guardian, a Spartan, a Silent Hillian, a Legend, and the eternal Supreme Chaos. Find her in BlueSky.
