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Earlier this year, the Dota lore found scope for further exploration thanks to “Dota 2: Dragon’s Blood,” the Netflix anime.
One of the main characters, and arguably the protagonist, is Davion the Dragon Knight. A pre-existing option in the Dota 2 hero pool, the in-game version is quite different from how the anime portrays him.
Therefore, it perhaps pleased some fans when the Nemestice Battle Pass teased the Netflix version as an equippable persona. Dubbed “Davion of the Dragon Hold,” it unlocks at level 195 in the battle pass.
How the new Dota 2 model in Davion’s persona changes “Breathe Fire”
The unique selling point of persona cosmetics in Dota 2 is that they change the base model of the hero altogether. Outside of Arcana, most cosmetics only modify the hero with extra add-ons on top of the model.
It should be noted that Dota 2 embraces an entirely free-to-play model. As a competitive game, it should be imperative to even out the battlefield. For this purpose of fairness, all Dota 2 heroes are unlocked for every player from the get-go. Cosmetics, by extension, are never supposed to change the actual game outside of a purely visual aspect.
Dragon Knight’s first spell (Q), Breathe Fire, is a nuke that stretches 750 units from him as a tongue of flame. However, the animation of the Davion persona is such that he extends his head outwards to breathe fire.
As the initial point starts outside the “hero ring” or the hero’s hitbox, the spell’s range gets a minor increment.
Davion of the Dragon Hold is not the first “persona” cosmetic in Dota 2. Previously, Pudge and Invoker have also had different personae. However, the Nemestice Battle Pass is the first event to introduce persona-exclusive individual slot items to Dota 2, i.e., helmets, armaments, and such.
Other than alternate equipment for the Davion persona at different Battle Pass levels, the “Young Invoker” persona has also received a custom-fit rendition of the popular “Dark Artistry” set. Fortunately, no other persona has such oversights.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Dota 2 cosmetics have caused changes in actual gameplay.
Mirana’s immortal cosmetic for her mount, “Axia of Metria,” changes the model and animation substantially enough to trigger collision for “Sacred Arrow” earlier than intended.
