Thank God It's FriDota: The All Hero Challenge 07/21/17

No Jeff being shocked and confused at every turn is a disappointment

You can do better than that title Jason...

I can't tell if I'm going crazy or if the audio is doing weird things. Maybe both. I'm two minutes in and it seems like someone is talking in the background. Or maybe it's Brad and sometimes he's barely picking up on the mic?

edit: or maybe it's the Dota people animating and talking.

techies mid, this is already the best game of dota ever

Doc Pack!

If this is going to be a reoccurring thing, I honestly wonder what kind of numbers its going to get compared to other content. Granted, its Free, so any talk of "But I didn't want to pay for Dota BS!" is right out the window. (Which from a paying members perspective I am grateful for, cause yah, I didn't especially wanna pay to not watch dota content).

So it feels like the "This is gonna be a free video thing" was either a conscious choice, and the right one, or just a good bit of luck in what features fell into what category behind the scenes!

Either way, cheers. Those two are Dota fans/players, they wanna do dota content together, then people who like dota on this site and likely gonna enjoy it a great deal. The rest of us non Dota fans can wait for the stuff Jeff acts like we would during such content, and leave the dota-fan base alone to enjoy this content.

You hear that my non dota-liking GBer duder/ettes? This isn't for us, but its free content. Don't like it, don't watch. But don't turn these comments into anti-dota whine fests. Sincerly-A like minded but unsympathetic too whining about it "I don't get dota" G/B duder.

Just putting it out there: I have absolutely zero interest in dota content. That'll likely be my first and last comment on these. Was really hoping West would start doing regular new content that isn't this, but alas. Feels like West is coasting and complacent imo. If it wasn't for East I would not be a subscriber anymore. That's not a whine or East vs West thing, I'm simply saying my piece. West is very erratic on the content output of "regular" features, and it often just feels like y'all are doing it out of obligation. I'm not feeling it anymore. Oh and I'm a day 1 member so it absolutely hurts to say this. I don't WANT to feel this way, but I do.

@somethingclever: Jeff is talking in the background. They talk about it about 1 minute in. Also Brad's volume is going up and down, he might be at home.

@oni: shit dude i don't care about yakuza or super mario sunshine but i don't expect GBEast to do something else just to cater to me

I'd always been bewildered by Dota content in the past, but a few hours with Heroes of The Storm primed my brain to have some basic level of moba understanding and it's made a huge difference. This stream was pretty interesting! Dunno if it will be nearly as watchable when Brad inevitably ends up getting flamed by shitty teammates, but for now I'm happy this exists. More good good Brad content is always appreciated.

@bladededge: This stance is just super confusing to me, I don't particularly like wrestling, fighting games or castlevania but I would never post in any of those videos lamenting the content.

Is it because of the jokey attitude the duders have on when DotA is brought up? I'm not calling you out in particular I just see this on any video mentioning DotA specifically. Do people expect Giant Bomb to provide all of the entertainment in their lives?

That was some nice coaching by Ben!

why do I read comments...

As a non-DOTA fan, I found this very entertaining. Thanks all!

I like this feature (despite my limited interest in mobas), but you should've gone slower in the start and explained the goal of it all and maybe the hero a bit better for non-Dota people like me.

@oni: Just putting it out there but I saw you complaining about this content in the live chat as well. I'm actually pretty hyped for this but you seem to be intensely watching more than I am.

I DONT LIKE SOMETHING, THEREFORE NO ONE SHALL LIKE IT

THX IN ADVANCE FOR TAKING THIS VIDEO DOWN

Thank you for the dotes. This was a really entertaining match to watch live. The coach system makes for a nice setup and it was refreshing to see such friendly team mates.

@billyok: Honestly the GB community can be pretty immature at times.

I have really enjoyed this, as someone who only watches Dota during the International (similar to fighting games and Evo). I do not plan to put any of this in to practise but seeing someone learning and being successful is fun :)

IMO This is much better than watching someone just play or talk about their own game

I really liked that. Brad and Ben clearly love Dota so it's cool seeing them get into it.

Plus, while I theoretically love Mobas, the pro stuff is inpenetrable and, apparently excluding this team(?!), all Moba players are vile hate spewing garbage people (in my experience) so its fun seeing a Moba played by chill dudes. Despite the snark I really do like the core game design in these things. Literally the first time I've set eyes on Dota btw. I'm more of an any Moba that doesn't look like a Warcraft 3 mod kind of guy :P

I'll be watching this if they keep doing it.

@benpack I don't care what people say. This is an awesome idea for a series. I've never seen Brad play dota but I thought by the way he talked about it that he would know some of the advanced mechanics or even where good support wards are placed, but you seem like you have a handle on your shit and are a competent coach. Good luck with the rest of the series!

Great show, I love dota, and want more dota content if possible.

This was my first time watching anything DOTA related and that was pretty damn fun. I now get why so many people watch this, there are some legitimately exciting moments. It probably helped that the people they were playing with seemed like good dudes. There's a whoooole lot that went over my head but having Ben explain the abilities and roles was awesome. I'm looking forward to the next video.

Same. I find this fascinating.

I hope Ben teaches Brad how to stack and pull. At this level mmr as a support no one does it, but you can dominate if you effectively deny your creeps to neutral camps.

Edit: I hope they find someone to man chat for these features. I'd prioritize watching Brad do stuff over taking chat questions.

always a fan of dota content. I am 4.5k and ben totally sounds like he knows what hes doing, anyone know his mmr?

Never comment on any videos but thought I should for this one. I wasn't into Dota 2 when Brad was doing those videos way back then so I'm really excited to see this. This wont be for everyone but just wanted to let Brad and Ben know that this video is greatly appreciated. Also one of my Dota highlights was getting to meet Brad before the finals of The International and getting a picture with him. : )

Luckily I'm one of the few who likes Dota.

This is very welcome, I hope you don't drop it after a few episodes.

I've had to wait literally years for this.

That was fun. I for some reason kinda like watching DOTA, though playing it is a whole different matter entirely - I guess it can simply boil down to extreme information overload.

I'm not a DOTA fan, but I'm glad to see West putting out a new series nonetheless. Maybe this'll convert me. That being said, when does the Professor Pack teaches Jeff hot DOTA strats series kick off?

@bladededge: I don't play or pay attention to DOTA either & I know you mean well. But your comment kinda of comes across like your looking down on the people that would like it and kinda dismissive of any DOTA2 content in general.

In cases like this it's best to just not comment at all if it's not going to be positive. I mean I don't like PUBG & get bummed that it's a recurring segment on the site & topic on the podcasts. That content just isn't for me & posting those thoughts on the videos wouldn't help anything & only ruin someone else's good time.

It's the curse of having to type out our opinions instead of talking face to face about them. It always comes out sounding bad no matter how you read it.

i just started playing league so now I can kinda understand this stuff. Can't wait for more duders!

Not for me, but hopefully the DotA fans on the site do enjoy these!

The alt tab to show hours was fucking amazing.

I'm so glad about this feature, for a number of reasons:

• It's more regular Dota 2 content on GB, which I thought we'd never see again.
• Having Ben spectate frees Brad from his Dota curse of feeling like he has to show interesting stuff all the time. Brad can relax and play his game, and Ben can put the camera on the most interesting stuff.
• Likewise, Ben being able to spectate and commentate without the pressure of playing (combined with his solid Dota chops) should make for a more entertaining stream - and a more approachable one for interested viewers who aren't deep in the Dota Hole.
• A more experienced & knowledgeable player coaching Brad directly will help him learn and improve far more than random chat noise. Brad is a great listener; he will pick a lot up from having Ben guide him.
• Brad will finally branch out of his comfort zone Hero-wise and learn what he's been missing by not trying everyone out (as evidenced in today's episode).

So thank you for making this happen, Ben! And thank you for agreeing to take on the challenge, Brad - I wish you the best of luck! If all Dota players always behaved like your team did in this match, it'd be a more fun game all-around. Here's to the Big Plays!

Needed Jeff for this but, awesome stuff guys.. Finally playing stuff I can relate :)

This was fun! Keep doing DOTA stuff when you feel like it! :D

@invasion19: @passingthrough: Opinion is Opinion. I wore my personal view of this stuff right their on my sleeve when giving mine, I super meant it when I said I hope the people who want this kinda content enjoy it. I'm super not cool with "You shouldn't have commented".

I think I am allowed to go "Man I am glad I am not paying for this" and also "Man I hope people who would be super cool paying for this have fun with it".

Concessions though, the "I wonder what the numbers on this will be" does read-back as condescending, given the content I wrote afterwards. But nah, I just am super curious. Am I part of the minority of "I don't get Dota at all" or am I part of the majority and the other sides the minority? Impossible to tell but something the numbers of video-views might bare out. Nothing insidious or "I bet it prove me right!"

Mmm, is this not just a repackaging of Brad's old Daily Dota series, but including Ben? Like last month's Midweek Multiplayer Madness was TNT. I have nothing against Dota, I'd just prefer to see them try a new idea if they are going to do a new series.

Great to have some Dota content back on the site. Can't wait for Bane.

@passivespiral: Well, yeah. I guess I just want to see more Brad outside the podcast and Quick Looks. I guess I'd prefer more Breaking Brad than Daily DOTA, but I'll take what I get, I guess.

I quite enjoyed watching this stream and it has me intrigued to try DotA2 - however I find myself confronted with no idea how to get started.

I was triggered once when Ben said that he has never eaten a Big Mac, but the last 10 seconds where Brad and Ben were talking about when and whether Burger King is open and that they should get Big Macs for the next episode triggered me beyond belief.

@bladededge: Typically DOTA bores me to tears, but this content is along the same lines as "Breaking Brad" and has an "educational" slant so it's interesting somehow.

Brad played with randoms and everything went smoothly. I'm shocked! Well, its all downhill from here in the next 1xxx episodes.

Yeah I'm with you, @brad needs to have more content. I'm not big into Dota but I'm not against it either and have watched internationals in the past thanks in part to Brad's enthusiasm. I also agree with @y2ken's post above on how this improves upon the original daily dota format and the fact that it's now weekly makes it much more digestible.

I found the live chat component to detract from watching this as a VOD because it would just be Ben looking at the ground away from the action and answering completely unrelated questions which made he himself lose focus and distracted from questions that Brad was asking.