On day 5 of the International 6, Valve announced the Monkey King release as part of the New Journey scheduled in the fall. The arrival of the Monkey King – Sun Wukong signifies the first ever new Dota 2 hero to be integrated into game play – all other previous heroes having been migrated over from DotA.
UPDATE (August 13th):
TI6 final standings, updates and highlights – HERE
Monkey King release Monkey King release Monkey King release Monkey King release
Monkey King release Monkey King release Monkey King release Monkey King release Monkey King release
Things just keep getting better at the International 6. Performances and team story-lines have been top notch – potential two time Aegis winners, the Dark Horse/Underdogs and the new Chinese sensations are all gracing the podium as the last three remaining teams.
Production level has been to the maximum with Augmented Reality Holigrams and hero skills displayed during drafts
Fanfare service has been outstanding -from the special appearance by Lindsey Stirling in the opening ceremony, to the puppet panel, the Kaci Aitchison and Jake “SirActionSlacks” Kanner duo and Kevin “Purge” Godec’s weatherman segments.
When the long awaited Pitlord release was revealed at the TI6 All Star Match, the stadium went into a frenzy and roars of approval erupted throughout KeyArena. There was nothing that Valve could do to top things off at TI6 five days in.
Until they did.
Digital Chaos wiped through Fnatic and became the third team to be left standing for a shot at the most coveted grand prize in Dota 2 history – the stadium was electrified, the crowd was buzzing.
Taiko drums started to beat forcing the crowd into a rhythmic lull and the stage was adorned with sword wielding martial arts performers.
And then it happened.
Valve announced Monkey King release – the first ever new hero to be integrated into Dota 2. All of the current heroes have been migrated from DotA, with the final one being PitLord – scheduled to be released into game play August 23rd.
Although Sun Wukong had been teased in DotA days, he never made an appearance.
The Monkey King release is expected in the fall as part of the “New Journey” – appropriate as Sun Wukong‘s roots can be traced back to the 16th century Chinese classical novel Journey to the West.
The Monkey King’s abilities have not been revealed – but it’s easy to surmise from the trailer and lure that he will be a skilled warrior and possess immense strength and speed.
According to the story, Sun knows 72 transformations, which allow him to transform into various animals and objects. Each of his hairs possess magical properties, capable of being transformed into clones of the Monkey King himself, and/or into various weapons, animals, and other objects. He knows spells to command wind, part water, conjure protective circles against demons, and freeze humans, demons, and gods alike.
The specific date for the Monkey King release and New Journey have yet to be revealed but no doubt fans will eagerly await his arrival and pro players will be chomping at the bit for a chance to be the first to master this new hero.
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2 Comments
935ice
(969 comments)3 teams left, what a TI run this is. Can’t wait for the last day. Its bittersweet knowing that TI is almost at its end but knowing that there will be a grand champion for TI6 is trilling. EG take my energy! \o/ When monkey king’s icon appeared in the floor of the stage the fans went wild. TI6 has been really full of surprises. TI6 hype!
August 13, 2016 at 5:23 pmbakala
(868 comments)Here is the concept of the hero in Dota 1 (it’s not completely new to Dota actually, but he never got into the game untill now). http://www.dotaplayer.info/heroes/monkeyking/
August 15, 2016 at 8:23 amThey will probably rework him a little, but the main concept is there.