Heroes of Newerth Beta invites up for grabs…

We have eight (8) invites for the Heroes of Newerth Beta to give away.  They’re supposed to be for “Friends” but we’ve either gotten them into the beta already or they got in on their own.   To have a chance at getting one of these keys all you need to do is visit our forums and make a post in this thread.  I’ll close the thread within the next 6 hours and give them away randomly (I’ll use a number generator to generate a number and the corresponding post #’s get the keys).  Be sure to sign up for a forum account with a proper email (or check the one you have listed already) because that is where I’ll send the key if you win.

What is Heroes of Newerth?

It is exactly like DOTA in almost every way.  When I say exactly, I’m not using that word loosely or exaggerating.  This isn’t one of those cases where people say “It’s a WoW clone!” when a game is just similar.  This is DOTA.  S2 games, creators of great games like Savage and Savage 2 have, for some reason, decided to remake and improve upon DOTA.

It’s one of those games where you play a hero (isometric view) and level him up by killing enemy heroes and creeps, get him items, kill the enemy base, and win.  It’s a tug-of-war type system where each side has a base and creeps travel down lanes trying to push into the enemy base.

Give it a try.  For the most part, the game is a quick way to get some fun action.  The games are relatively quick (average 25 min) and you’ll find it has a shocking level of depth for such a simple game.  The community can suck – big time – and it can cause even the most relaxed people to rage, but that’s because it really sparks a competitive edge in most people.

The NDA is still up for media (screenshots/videos) but you can talk about the game.  I’ll answer any questions you have here.

Update:  All keys have been given out.  Check those emails and get playing!

  • This game is great, S2 has really captured what made DOTA so great, and added some desperately needed community features and stat tracking.

    Highly recommended!

  • Defense of the Ancients. I first learned of it as a Warcraft 3 custom map. It has since sparked several offshoots and a spiritual successor. Quite a popular game.

  • Why would we play this game instead of DOTA? And how does it compare to the other DOTA clone, Demigod?

  • This is more polished than DOTA. It’s newer. DOTA is old and suffers from the restrictions of the WC3 engine. This has more heroes, another map, great graphics, and things like that.

    HoN has great community tools, stat tracking, clan system, and all kinds of things which take this far beyond what DOTA could.

  • Judging by looking at a HON YouTube video, I think I will like the game control features at the bottom of the screen a lot better than some games. The graphics are certainly beautiful, aren’t they?

  • Yea I just watched a couple vids also. Good to know the “Unreal Tournament Voice Guy” got a new job. Always liked that guy.

  • I’m a fun of Dota, this game rulez! HoNn graphics rulz!
    Waiting for test this amazing game!

  • What has surprised me is the lack of games similar to Dota. I mean we’ve only JUST got 2 games coming onto (or rather one already on) the market and Dota has been growing in popularity day by day since it’s been up. The fact there are tournaments with money involved should of shouted alarm bells for a company to make a game based on, BUT with all these features Dota simply can’t bring into the game due to the Wc3 Engine.

    Interestingly though Icefrog (Dota’s current developer chap) has done more to Dota than any other custom map going. You won’t find a smoother, better run and developed custom map going on the map circuit. And every update seems to take the game further and further along the path of brilliance.

    But then it just highlights how good Blizzard’s creation of Wc3 was to be fair.

  • Noooo.

    Came up short on the lucky rolls, but still really appreciate you doing that.

    Looking forward to hearing more about this.

  • “This is more polished than DOTA. It’s newer. DOTA is old and suffers from the restrictions of the WC3 engine. This has more heroes, another map, great graphics, and things like that.

    HoN has great community tools, stat tracking, clan system, and all kinds of things which take this far beyond what DOTA could.”

    More heroes? DotA has 95 heroes while HoN has around 40 right now. There will be more than 40 before launch but I doubt it’ll reach / surpass 95 for a while.

    It’s pretty slick though, with lots of features that DotA just cannot create such as stat tracking, reconnect after disconnecting, enhanced game lobby, picking heroes before the game begins, etc. It’s a great game for sure.

  • Still have 3 I’ll pass out to those that would like to give it a try. Just need your email.

  • Hey thanks to all of those passing out extra keys.

    Been a while since I re-formated my computer so this is a good time for some blue screen lock ups, ahahahah.

    My email is [email protected] if anyone has an extra. Again thanks for you all doing that.

    @Keen – much appreciated.

  • Hey guys ,

    nice to see that there is finally a new and improved DOTA coming 😀

    emailed you Rumble hope for the best , Have fun everyone!!

  • ok guys, i sent out 3 email beta invites…

    dotafreaks, howdydoody and troelsfoss

    enjoy.. ill see you online!

  • Boo Ya! Just got it thanks Romble.

    How do you get more invites? Currently is says I have 0.

    I’d like to invite my brother, will I gain invites by time played? Or is it just something S2 does periodically?

    Thanks again everyone and see ya in there.

  • S2 occasionally credits accounts with invites. I know they’re wanting to stress test the servers, so you might get some soon.

  • I played 2 games and didnt quit any games and my account and got 3 beta invites within 24hours..

    they track if you quit games which is a nice feature so you can not allow flagged quitters to join your games.

  • If someone comes across a spare invite toss one my way please? [email protected] also where can i possibly get one from if theres a way? Is there a beta sign-up available somewhere?

  • Greetings everyone :).
    I play dota for almost 3 years and i am a big fan of it and support it as much as i can, attending to every possible contest in Romania where players play it. I saw this game at a friend of mine a couple of days ago, and it’s simply amazing. Unfortunately I need a beta key to play, if any of you can give me one, an invite that is, I would apreciate it alot. Best of luck and have fun playing both DotA and HoN :).

  • Hey all of you! great site this is, i have been beta testing dota maps for a time but i would love to beta test the Heroes Of Newerth, if any of you has a Spare Key i would surely appreciate it please, [email protected], All keys accepted Please

  • Hi, may I please get a beta key for Heroes of Newerth.

    I love DoTA and I have played it ever since it was released on Bnet. I started way back when ohhh a hero named, Gambler was my favorite!

    Thank you and GOD bless you, my email is [email protected]

  • Hey,
    I cant wait to test out HoN.I´ve been playing DotA with some friends some years ago and it was really fun.I couldn´t play enough.So now some of my friends are playing HoN they already got their key´s but i havent got one yet.I would be really happy if you would send me one to my email adress.
    Regards

    Rody

    [email protected]

  • I have a ton of friends RAVING about this game. They are always bragging about it, and after I took a quick browse, I have to say that it looks AMAZING.

    I wouldn’t mind a beta key if possible! =D

    -Scurvy

  • u have about 1 hour max so pls hurry post on comments so i can see. pls make it valid so i dont send it 2 person who doesn’t exist.

  • Id love to try this game, DOTA was badass years ago, I didnt know it was still going, this stand alone game could be great. Please gimme a key if anyone has it.

    [email protected]

  • I have been playing dota for the last year. I’ve developed my skills more and more and recently have been competing in local competitions and would absolutely love to have a beta to try out HoN.

  • I’m in the LoL beta, but to be honest, HoN seems to be the superior game. I guess there’s no way to be certain until I’ve played both. I had my opportunity to get a key via facebook, but I missed the chance during a family vacation. Seriously, six days from their post, they’ve hit their invite limit. I’ve been a fan since before they even reached 10k fans, but I have STILL not been able to get in.

    If it’s at all possible, please send a beta key to:
    Ah… very unfortunate. I left on the first of August on a short family vacation. We were gone a week, that is, until today. As you can guess, it’s disappointing to see that I managed to miss the beta invitations in that small amount of space.

    Any other chance to get a beta key? My email is:
    [email protected]

  • I’m a passionate Dota player for 4 years by now. I woul realy like to get one of those keys. plllllz!

  • I need beta key or inv…wanna try this game it looks like it gots some better things than dota…i hope balance is ok…

    [email protected] ……………….plz send me the key or inv.

  • Im a huge dota fan…but after seeing the gameplay on youtube…I definitely will be playing this!!! Looks awesome… Please hook me up with key.

  • hi, i hope someone could send me a beta key for HoN. I really want to play this game. Hope you could lend me one just to experience this game.

    thank you so much for reading.

  • Hey!
    Those of you who want a heroes of newerth beta key or what its called. Just go to the website to fileplay and make an account then search for heroes of newerth, pick the first post, then all you need is to choose the get beta-key button =P