HoN, LoL and Dota - which goes?
Posted by The DS Prince on August 21st, 2009 | Visited 10657 times, 18 so far todayIn a survey thread recently concluded in DS, we had the opportunity to gauge the popularity levels of Heroes of Newerth, League of Legends and DotA itself among DS members. The results were as follows:
- League of Legends - 534
- Heroes of Newerth - 348
- Neither - 659
All right, before I’d say anything about the results, I gotta admit that the “Neither” option was a bit ambiguous. It could have meant only DotA, or both LoL and HoN or all 3 since there sincerely might be game geeks who will love DotA and all its succeeding ripoffs. Therefore it is not surprising to me that “Neither” got the most number of votes.
Lesson for the mods: make clear vote options. But that will be for next time.
Now, having said that, the numbers for LoL speaks volumes. Just ONE, clear-cut option gave it as much as 534 votes, indicating very much that LoL is bound to get a lot of fans and players from DS itself right after its official launch. Also, it’s openly known that Pendragon aka Steve Mescon, as well as Guinsoo aka Steve Feak were (and are) very much involved in DotA. It’s obvious they’ve been riding on the DotA tsunami to crash land LoL on our shores, presenting it as an attractive diversion. It is still unknown why a fallout happened between Icefrog and the two guys, but I bet gold it’s definitely got something to do with the thought-of notion that LoL will supersede DotA to oblivion.
May I suggest somebody go undercover to find out what’s really happening? 
You could start at their official website, http://www.leagueoflegends.com/
And then HoN. First things first, I think that HoN has several glaring weaknesses in terms of marketing and presentation. As of this moment, nothing concrete is being presented on their official website at http://heroesofnewerth.com/. Other than some eye-candy and a link to Facebook, we don’t know what hot stuff is going to take place on HoN and how. It’s true that Facebook is notorious for viral marketing and so the strategy of having an FB (not “a”, “an”) spotlight helps a lot, but you still gotta have a PROPERLY functioning website or blog first. Bad move.
Then the accusation that HoN is literally a clone of DotA. In this respect I have to admit that a perception battle is being waged and guys at S2 don’t seem to have it their way. The battle is not yet concluded, but if anything I think that HoN had better do something to avoid charges of unoriginality at the people’s court. The way I see it, the frog will never admit defeat. He is definitely adamant at making DotA stand out and make people who contend that LoL or HoN will eclipse DotA swallow their words. Remember, Blizzard has a stake in this battle too. If Dota gets less popular this equals very much less WC3 players. In other words, this is WAR and it is not just about defending the ancients anymore.
In this respect, it maybe why HoN got lesser votes than LoL or “neither”. I also noticed with a slight amusement how our DS member Blarfles consistently prepped up LoL at the expense of HoN. Maybe I’m thinking a little too much, but somehow LoL is really lucky to have free propaganda.
As for me, I’m relishing the opportunity to catch both HoN and LoL in action. I don’t care about the tripartite war, all I care for is profit. And a dose of entertainment. 
August 21st, 2009 at 8:20 am
hehehe….Steve Feak :))
August 21st, 2009 at 8:23 am
Now this is something i can truly agree with. I’m sick of reading the forums and seeing “LoL>HoN”, “HoN is teh best!!!1!!eleven!” or “Nothing will ever beat DOTA”, from people who I’m confident haven’t played either, let alone both of the betas. It’s good to see an unbiased and logical look at what’s to come, and I know that I for one, will reserve my judgement until after I see what all 3 parties have brought to the table.
August 21st, 2009 at 8:25 am
Pendragon and Icefrog split up, because Pendragon wanted to monetize DotA and Icefrog (the only one who deserves money for DotA) did not want to. Icefrog does not even serve ads on the official DotA sites or on his blog, because he develops DotA for himself and for the community.
Pendragon got in bed with Riot games, and they have used his position within the DotA community to leverage LoL right into the spotlight.
Their attack vector seems to be supporting the DotA community, with tournaments et al(like the one they just announced with 15k in prizes) but really their ultimate goal is to move players into the LoL community. There is nothing wrong with that, it just is what it is.
HoN has taken a different approach. They have attempted to remake DotA-like gameplay, but with a more sophisticated, modern engine. Most of the heroes are direct ports of DotA heroes, with new stories, animations, and tooltips. They have done a very good job. The gameplay feels identical to DotA, and anywhere is strays from a direct copy of DotA, it is to the benefit of the game.
S2 asked Icefrog for permission before they directly ripped off his game, and he granted it.
All things considered: HoN is a better game. If you’re a long time DotA player and too stuck up to try it, because it’s a knock off, I emplore you: please give it a shot. You will be impressed. HoN takes the best from DotA and adds to it world class graphics and matchmaking and ranked ladder.
My vote goes for HoN. If yours doesnt, you probably haven’t given it a shot.
source: long time DotA player, HoN beta tester, LoL beta tester.
I have no affiliation with HoN, LoL, S2, or Riot.
August 21st, 2009 at 11:38 am
I haven’t tried either game, and I voted “Neither”. I voted that coz for me, accessibility is key. But still, nothing beats a well made game, no matter how ripped off it is.
I will try both when I can.. That is when I get a better computer
August 21st, 2009 at 12:09 pm
@ top i have tried HON but all the heroes look the same to me in that game =_=
August 21st, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Oh my. This is getting serious. And I believe that my Dota playing friends are still most oblivious to this.
August 21st, 2009 at 8:09 pm
Wow, that is a LOT of words by nick!
Keep up the comments people, I’m getting 664 views on day 1 already. Ownage!!!
August 21st, 2009 at 9:08 pm
do you know how hard it is for me and Barfles to knock HoN and advertise LoL without breaking the LoL NDA?
@Nick
a smooth transition would be ideal, moving DotA out of wc3 and improving it. LoL does that, HoN does not.
source: long time DotA player, HoN beta tester, LoL beta tester.
I have affiliation with Riot through continued active participation in beta including but not limited to feedback and suggestions as well as the testing of the game itself.
I have dropped affiliation with S2 because I disliked the game.
August 22nd, 2009 at 3:33 am
Idk why Icefrog didn’t want to monetize DotA…After all, we wouldn’t mind if he did it(mostly…). After all, he should get something for making the game…He could also join up with either one of them after he stops making DotA(as he said in his blog that he would, in a year or so…)
August 22nd, 2009 at 7:54 am
How is it even possible to compare them when HoN obviously is a LOT better, both regarding gameplay and graphics?
August 22nd, 2009 at 11:03 am
I only learned about LoL and HoN after having been prompted to take the DS survey last time I logged on. In that regard, thank you for showing me that these two games are out there.
I am trying to get some beta keys to try these games out but so far, no such luck. From my point of view, and from what I’ve seen on facebook, youtube and blogs about these games, they both look interesting in their own way and I can’t wait to play them so I can have a better idea of the gameplay.
Good posts by everyone, thank you guys for the information. See you somewhere in the LoL and/or HoN universes!
August 23rd, 2009 at 5:06 pm
I would just like to say HoN has a blog, but they prefer to keep it secret. Also, they only wish to further the short comings of the wc3 engine which is why so much is the same. They only seek to better it, not surpass it.
August 24th, 2009 at 5:02 am
you know that to be better than something and to surpass something is the same thing?
August 27th, 2009 at 6:42 am
My friends like HoN mostly because of the better graphics. Also they find it easier to try a new game that’s exactly like Dota xP.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
The Legendary DOTA Cannot be beaten with A shit Game like HON
August 28th, 2009 at 7:43 am
Wonder if Icefrog will port DOTA onto the SC2 engine when it comes out…
August 28th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
@jack
he said he would like to try provided it has the ability to do so.
but it also depends on the success of HoN and LoL
August 30th, 2009 at 6:27 am
HON pawns LOL
s2games is a good company, LOL sucks characters are rubish, effects? hmm suckish look at the character that…um controlls time the skill time bomb ew failure
HON feels like dota, improved graphics, better gameplay, its still in beta and it pawns asses of LOL,and if icefrog and his team joined s2games and improved HON…
WOW and HON would own the top online games
and common its obius look at the graphics of the games compare them, gameplay compare them, its such a big difference
icefrog announced it there will be no dota haizzz, I emailed him too, yes I know icefrog chatted with him etc, he replied no dota next year, yes he will support HON,
I’m gonna miss DOTA so much, I wonder what would happen to garena….. what about team mineski waaaaaaa
August 30th, 2009 at 6:35 am
yes micheal142 garena is made for W3, DOTA only! while the popularity increased they added new games to the system. Garena replied to the messages of the people, they said that they’re gonna work even harder and improved the system even further, they will keep holding tournaments using the older versions of dota (after 1 year the latest would be like 6.80 or something I MIGHT BE WRONG) but icefrog said he and his team will keep improving dota AS A MINIGAME OF HON, since Dota started all this, so guys you can expect that dota will last untill version 6.80+
and you guys know the horrible and painfull truth, no more dota, things can’t last its forever so sad WAAAAAAAA, so I guys I should tell you to play dota while it still lives play HON or LOL later maybe next year:D,
September 1st, 2009 at 1:04 am
hey caspian! What happened to your blog?
Did you move it?
September 1st, 2009 at 1:08 am
I’m posting here, for the foreseeable future. Old blog’s no more
September 1st, 2009 at 10:10 am
Well, I tested lol and hon and played dota for 3 years. I must say hon gets my vote. Eul’s helping hon and also icefrog is supporting hon. Lol is sucky. Dota>lol even though hon costed money to develop. Don’t go for lol if u want to change and go for hon.
September 1st, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Dota type games are based on Competition.. and until there is a mass exodus of DOTA players to either HON or LOL.. ill just keep playing DOTA
September 3rd, 2009 at 3:07 am
Persoanly i have playe DotA, HoN and LoL and to tell the truth the only half decent one is DotA. Making Hon and LoL was a stupid decision. I play dota because its awsome and when i played LoL and HoN i was very dissapointed. There too much like WoW and anywone who plays WoW can call me and ik personally shove their computer up their ass coz its so nerdy!
Well Catchya
September 4th, 2009 at 7:07 am
@big_baby- wait wut?
I’m sorry I don’t speak bs. And what the hell are you doing here if you weren’t a nerd? GTFO pop preppy.
I’d love to play lol or hon but it seems that I’ll have to wait.
I found out about lol a month or two ago on gametrailers and thought it was pretty cool. Then I showed it to my friends (one of them being a long time Dota player) and they were instantly captivated by it. I didn’t really check out the site before today. As for HoN I just found out about it a couple for weeks ago and still haven’t showed it to my friends. IMO, HoN looks way better than lol, gameplay, as well as visually. And checking out the shops and skills, there are a few newcomers but mostly alot of re-hashed old-timers. Not necessarily bad, since some of them have been given a face lift as well a new skill or the like.And the fx and details are stunning in HoN. LoL to HoN by me just seems like LoZ wind waker compared to LoZ the twilight princess. Too cartoony and childish graphics for my taste. But I haven’t played them, I just think HoN looks better overall. CAN’T WAIT.
September 4th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
I dont wanna play game who is copy of dota !! I will just play dota
!
September 5th, 2009 at 6:46 am
From what I have seen, I’ll be very game when LoL hits the street, it’s innovative and creative, I’m really quite indifferent to Hon when it really only is Dota with facelift, and Dota’ Fx is not that bad.
My 50cent
September 5th, 2009 at 9:13 am
HoN sucks donkey balls, the most imbalanced game ive ever seen, where teams are taken down by 1 hero. graphics may be good looking, but most heros look alike, and you dont know whether he’s an ally or enemy. maybe it can get better after a while, but for now…no thx. haven’t tried LoL.
So for now DotA > all the other crap copies
September 5th, 2009 at 11:52 am
HoN, is poor. :/
I played it, and wow, yeah ok the graphics are smoother, but apart from that, it’s horrible!
DotA > HoN
Dunno what LoL is xD
<— Noob
September 6th, 2009 at 6:36 am
Whether its LoL or HoN, either is necessary for Dota to advance. WC3 programming using JASS is tedious and slow, therefore an upgrade is needed. Even the SC2 engine is gona be great if dota ports over.
But as consumers, we can just try them and have the best of both worlds. Ive not yet tried LoL, but from trying HoN, i can see why ppl say they are not going back to dota after HoN. Its fast, gets u the game with smooth ping and ive seen very little leavers. Reconnect of dc is also very good. HoN is going to be pretty impressive once they sort out gameplay bugs/balances.
September 6th, 2009 at 9:04 am
h0w sad,i’lL miss DOTA T.T
September 6th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Hmm idk imma stick with dota i dont like copies of dota why make 3? why not jus improve dota instead of making 3 games that are the same sticking with dota =)
September 7th, 2009 at 4:59 am
what people are missing is that LoL is not a dota copy.
there is 1 AoS style map with plans for other with different objectives and yada yada.
September 7th, 2009 at 6:49 am
LoL is free, HoN is not. Easy answer right there.
Then we get the issue where everything positive in HoN exists in LoL:
Good graphics - both games.
Reconnect feature - both games.
Universal hotkeys - both games.
However, the issue that HoN is a total rip-off of DotA refuses to be ignored. For example, a friend described to me HoN’s version of the DotA Omniknight. The first niggling little detail that he even could call him “Omniknight” is a major clue that it is basically the same hero. Then what? Proved right - he apparently has almost all of the same skills. One is missing - Repel. Whats he got instead of Repel - something vastly resembling Tidebringer, which we clearly have in DotA elsewhere (Captain Obvious).
No I have not played it, but I don’t need to play it to know what a clone sounds like.
Finally - would you seriously play something called “Heroes of Newerth”? Just repeat that to yourself aloud - Heroes. Of. Newerth. I’m not trying to compare it to League of Legends in that respect, just… listen to yourself saying that.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
hello there guys I am really tired finding for only 1 HoN beta key so pls…pls.. send me one if you have .. henrynavoa@yahoo.com pls send the beta key to this email pls…thank you
September 14th, 2009 at 9:54 am
HoN is currently ON BETA HELLO You cant expect PERFECT from it right now. Dota has been out there for so long. Give it a break and try something better.
League of Legends - 534
Heroes of Newerth - 348
Neither - 659
“Neither - 659″ Not everyone gets a beta key to try them out. Or maybe their coms cant make it.
September 18th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
“nick Says:
August 21st, 2009 at 8:25 am
Pendragon and Icefrog split up, because Pendragon wanted to monetize DotA and Icefrog (the only one who deserves money for DotA) did not want to. Icefrog does not even serve ads on the official DotA sites or on his blog, because he develops DotA for himself and for the community.
Pendragon got in bed with Riot games, and they have used his position within the DotA community to leverage LoL right into the spotlight.”
Dear rumor spreader,
Where did you get this information from? I posted that to Pendragon to see if any of your sh*t was correct and he laughed.
Your sources are weak, because they’re untrue. Your vote is pointless.
Source: RL Friend of Pendragon.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:29 am
@nick: Pendragon has been with DotA a LOT longer than Icefrog. Guinsoo made allstars, Guinsoo and Pen worked together with the DotA community a long time.
Pen is the one who had the power, Pen chose to let Icefrog use the official website, without it Ice would just be another random mapmaker like the makers of 5.84d.
Pendragon, as the community creator, deserves credit for DotA almost as much as the mapmakers.
September 23rd, 2009 at 8:12 am
In regards to the Dota vs HoN vs LoL debate, I’d like to give my input.
Forst of all, Dota is a wonderful game, as we all know, which is why we read and look at great website such as DS. Dota has a lot going for it, but it is limited by battle.net, and by the wc3 engine. Due to these constraints, it clearly was necessary for dota to either migrate awat from wc3. Essentially, both HoN and LoL are both representative of that.
Both HoN and LoL pull a lot from dota. HoN especially, because as far as I can tell, it is an almost direct copy of dota, with some improvements, such as rankings, a better matchmaking system, and the ability ro reconnect to games (thank god!). HoN has the same game modes, same map, same heroes for the most part, with a few exeptions, same items, with different names, etc. However, I find the graphics more confusing, the heroes look very very similar across the board, and the item buying system in HoN, and dota, are vastly worse than the system in LoL.
As far as LoL goes, it differs from both dota and hon quite a bit. Yes, the general gameplay fundamentals are still there.. for the most part. No more denying though. Which I cant say I miss too much. It did take some getting used to though. Apart from that, and from the (mostly) very different heroes (Fiddlesticks = Pugna.. sort of), it really isnt all that different.. until you get into the metagame, which is the summoner. This, in and of itself, adds so much more depth to the game. Summoner abilities(heal, flash, ghost, exaust, etc, on large cooldowns), rune systems to increase stats on your characters, such as crit, regen, dodge, movement speed, etc, and more importantly, mastery trees, with 3 trees, offensive, defensive, and utility.
Another really nice aspect of LoL.. is that it is so much more team based. yes, you have carries, but I have yet to see a carry who can 1v3 or 1v4 a team. As much as dota, and therefor HoN are team based games.. LoL is even more so.
Honestly, I prefer LoL simply because it is different, and has more depth to it. It Maybe the graphics wont be appealing to some people.. but, to each his own.
Also, for anyone wantign to get into either beta, there are really easy ways. For LoL, go to curse.com, and sign up and follow the links. BAM! Beta key is yours.
For HoN, just do a quick google search for HoN Beta, and the first few links will give you keys as well.
In summary, LoL>Dota>Hon for me.
September 25th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
hon ftw
lol is crap
October 13th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
I personally believe that HoN is a great game even though it may seem like a clone, it has it’s own maps and heroes. HoN’s gamespeed is much faster than DotA, and graphics are much nicer. Playing a few games on HoN, I thought it was terrible and could not beat DotA. However, giving it more time, I have developed an addiction for HoN and have not been playing DotA since. As for LoL…I quit that game knowing that it is nothing like DotA, except for the fact that you pick heroes and gank. Also, LoL does not support denies and I personally believe the game is made more for the newbies of DotA rather than the pros.
Review by BadgerKW, Experienced DotA player, and beta testers of LoL and HoN
October 15th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
LOL rocks, people that like HON are just too afraid to try anything new.
I played all 3 games, in beta for HON and LOL.
HON is just a direct copy of dota with a few changes. Why even play HON, just play DOTA
If you want to play a faster paced game than DOTA, something new, with the whole summoner system (skill trees as you level up by playing matches), choosing 2 abilitys your summoner can use in game + 4 from your hero. Then LOL is for you.
Its so easy to get into, yet complex to master.
I love it, because my friends can easily get into that game, unlike dota, which has a huge learning curve. Oh yea, HON’s interface sucks, I hate their shop, unless you know what your getting, forget finding an easy way to find anything…
October 18th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
HON is terrible. not only is it a knock-off of dota, it’s a knock-off that doesn’t get much right. the gameplay mechanics that dota players know and love are there but they’re either made way too flashy for what they are (ie unreal tourney style “DENIED!” floating text, spell effects that crowd the screen and blind the player from wtf is actually going on, etc.) or not done properly (ie. tower ai, “pudge hook”, etc.).
I’ll give it to HON that it has more up-to-date graphics than the old ass wc3 engine, but that doesn’t necessarily make them better.. at least in dota, heroes are characterized by their models; you know who you’re looking at…in HoN every character is so homogenized in terms of their appearance that you have to make an educated guess as to who they are, and once you do know who they are, spell effects fill up the screen so fast that it doesn’t really matter and you end up mashing your hotkeys in desperation. so HoN = thumbs way down.
LoL on the other hand is a much more playable game. while not as flashy or glitzy as HoN might be (because being shiny and sparkly makes all games great - sarcasm), the gameplay really stands out. it’s much faster than dota in that hero kills are encouraged as opposed to pushing and early-game play and creep mechanics are dumbed down (as much as denying added to dota, it was really really boring).
the added dimension of summoner spells (global player-chosen spells which are not hero-specific), summoner masteries (a la WoW talent trees), and runes (which give marginal buffs to different aspects of your hero ie mana/hp regen, armor, attack speed) also makes LoL unique. the best part about it is that the balance is really maintained even with the addition of this extra layer of customization. masteries and runes add to your character, but not in such a way that it makes the game imbalanced and unplayable (ie permabash troll/void). at summoner level 30 in the closed beta i reached about 5% attack speed, 15 hp/5sec, and -5% spell cooldowns at max level (some runes increase stats based on hero level), which is equivalent to maybe a tier 2 or 3 item in dota.
bottom line is that LoL is not a clone of dota, nor is it much like dota in many of the most important aspects of the game. lol has taken the basic formula of dota and made it into to something quite new whereas HoN has taken everything from dota and made it an exact duplicate or worse.
October 21st, 2009 at 6:43 am
Blizzard can try to solve this by releasing another new and improve series of warcraft meaning W4 and then DotA can be made with another game engine (W4) that uses new techy and new generation o graphcs since w3 engine is a little old and phased out software.
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Both LoL and HoN suck. Just go out and buy Modern Warfare 2.
October 28th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Hon>Lol by thousands of time, lol require less skill, is less fun, graphics sucks more, less features. Hon is superb, FULL OF FEATURE, and still on a beta! Just wait for it to get out, I can assure you the sales are gonna pwn lol, but we’re not talking about sales here right. Hon is better than lol, but you MUST give credit to dota, dota is simply a classic you almost can’t get tired of, you’re just too much used to the wc engine, but I know players will slowly adapt to Hon, and fater all, stop saying it’s imba, have you seen the version of dota we’re at compared to the first one, NUTHIN stayed the same, so, updates are made for that kind of things, no game is perfectly balanced atm, except maybe sc(but that’s another story) I know I’m right, and you guys will know it once you’ll play Hon.
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:00 pm
I have played about 8 games of HON and 3 of LOL. I love Dota. I do find that HON was more true to the origional and that HON was more geared to the mass market rather than the true DOTA players, but it still has strong similarities.
Both look to be currently free. Both are good games in their own right. I want more time in LOL to work on the “Trees” becuase I think this could bring more of a WOW arena option to the game,
I may change my mind if I become more familiar with LOL, but I am really indifferent. Same sh!t , different pile. HON for the more hardcore (though I do like the balancing) LOL for the casual and intro level…
November 8th, 2009 at 12:35 am
you need an answer from someone who has never played dota.
i’ve played hon and lol imo hon is way better… it’s just ownage. lol is kindda funny, games like lol can’t get popular
November 8th, 2009 at 12:35 am
and i’ve never played dota
November 8th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
COmparing LoL and HoN is like comparing Age of Empires and Warcraft, same kind of game but different style and gameplay… each one plays what likes more
November 11th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
I’m a dota player and I play Hon because its like dota. I really tried to play LoL but its just horrible game. the controls feel weird because the button for attack which is “A” is located on the button “X”. Wtf is with that. Why would make the Movement button right click then left click. LoL is shit compare to HoN. I rather Play smota in WarcraftIII then LoL. I’m not surprised LoL is free because it should be because it sucks!
November 17th, 2009 at 5:05 am
ok guys
i loved dota and played now HoN and LoL
and it is true:
HoN makes u addictive… its faster, has better graphics, better gameplay, better animations, better heroes, better game setup, better ideas, better style, better and more balanced new heroes. LoL cant even score one point (ok lets be fair, HoN servers suck sometimes, but thats because 2 many guys play in closed beta cuz it rocks). HoN is the new DotA, s2 games made a beautiful new game which is just making u addictive.
and this survey is just crap
cos at this point HoN and LoL werent this famous.
HoN has 100000 of players in his closed beta… its like wtf.
November 17th, 2009 at 5:16 am
@ tehmonk
dude u are just like i was when i played HoN the first time.
i played rikimaru cos i always died cos of the fast gamespeed.
i was just like wtf is going on and almost got eye cancer because of the fast and flashy graphics. so i stayed with good old dota for a while. my brother played HoN at this time and i watched him a while. so then i got used to the gamespeed and tryed on myself with nighthound(rikimaru) . i played about 5 games and i slowly loved the speed. playing axe(legionnaire) and bloodhunter(strywyr) which are easy heroes help u to make a soft beginning phase, u dont fuck up ur stats and dont get kicked or dont have to play with the ubernoobs. soon i just played hon because everytime i played dota again i felt lame and the game just looks like slowmotion. that in fact made me better in deny and last hit and gameplay ! xP
so give hon a real chance, if u play it more times it is just a blast