The International 2025 wrapped up without the highly anticipated new hero reveal that fans have come to expect every year, leaving the Dota 2 community puzzled.
Popular tournament host and content creator SirActionSlacks stepped in to share his take on what might have happened, suggesting that Valve’s long-standing pattern of development delays could once again be the reason behind the silence.
In a 26-minute video, SirActionSlacks broke down the elaborate community effort that went into deciphering the mysterious runic symbols scattered throughout The International venue and its promotional materials. These symbols formed a complete alphabet that appeared on official merchandise, player jerseys, and stage props.
Fans quickly realized they were part of a larger puzzle, and two dedicated Discord groups, the Terrene Plane lore enthusiasts and the Crimson Witnesses, began a full-scale decoding race. Working together, they uncovered that the runes referenced familiar elements from Dota’s lore, particularly the demon smith Abzidian and the legendary weapon Demon’s Edge.
According to SirActionSlacks, the amount of detail behind the runes clearly indicated intent. “Valve had enough care to make a language, both uppercase and lowercase, leave clues and messages and Easter eggs around the arena and for the advertisement leading up to The International,” he explained. With so many hints pointing toward a major announcement, fans naturally assumed a new hero reveal was imminent. However, when the closing ceremony ended, there was nothing.
Addressing the situation, SirActionSlacks suggested that the absence of a reveal might simply reflect what is classic Valve behavior. He remarked, “What’s more Valve than setting up this giant stage and ARG, all ready to make sense with the big reveal, and then they actually didn’t finish the hero trailer?”
His comments referenced the idea of “Valve Time,” a phrase long used by the gaming community to describe how the company often misses planned deadlines. As he put it, “It’s not within the realm of insanity to think that they didn’t make the trailer in time.”
He compared the current situation to the reveal of Ringmaster, a hero teased with a cinematic trailer months before the character appeared in the game. When Ringmaster finally launched nine months later, the hero looked and played differently than what had been teased.
This, according to SirActionSlacks, might explain why Valve chose to hold off on showing a new hero until the concept and abilities are finalized. “Maybe they just thought to themselves, why don’t we release the hero trailer when we actually know what the hero does?” he said, implying that Valve could be rethinking its marketing strategy.
While fans were understandably disappointed, SirActionSlacks acknowledged that Dota 2 is in a healthy state. He noted that the player count is currently the highest it’s been in nearly a decade and praised The International 2025 for its strong production and community atmosphere.
He also highlighted how the rune investigation became a testament to the passion and creativity of the Dota 2 fanbase, with players spending hours cataloging symbols, sharing theories, and piecing together the mystery across Discord servers and Reddit threads.
As of October 2025, Valve has yet to comment on the missing reveal or confirm when the next Dota 2 hero will make their debut. Interestingly, the runic alphabet from The International remains visible in the game’s teleport effects, hinting that the elaborate ARG may still have an unfinished purpose.
Fans continue to speculate about what it all means, connecting the clues to a rumored “Bard Frog” hero and the demonic lore uncovered through the ARG. Whether intentional or accidental, Valve has once again managed to keep the Dota 2 community buzzing long after the tournament’s final match.
