DOTA 2 New Hero Snapfire Teased: Trailer Breakdown

DOTA 2 players just got a sneak peek at the latest hero to join the ranks of the champions. In between game 1 & 2 of Team Secret vs Team Liquid, Valve showed off the trailer of their newest hero, Snapfire, and an inkling of what she is capable of. Let’s break down the launch trailer to find out what spells she might have. Keep in mind that this is not confirmed, as the hero is set to be launched in the fall season.

The first thing we notice in the trailer is that Snapfire is a member of the Keen race. This is seen from her short height and mastery over technology. Many other heroes in the game, including Clockwerk, Tinker, Techies, and Sniper, are also part of this race. They usually use technology to inflict damage on their enemies and support their allies.

In the trailer, Snapfire bakes cookies with faces of other heroes on them. These include Invoker, Axe, Juggernaut, Ogre Magi, Lina, Crystal Maiden and Bristleback. When one of these cookies is fed to Invoker, he seems to enter the battle revitalized. This could point towards her first spell.

Spell 1: These cookies might be ways to restore health to allies and cut down on their cooldowns. This could mean that the cookies are her go-to spell for a support role.

Then, Batrider and Timbersaw invade her camping spot, with Timbersaw even referring to her as ‘auntie’. This is also keeping in mind that Snapfire is a Keen. The two then attempt to steal the basket of cookies that she is carrying, which gives us an opportunity to look into some of her other abilities.

She calls upon a lizard that then proceeds to eat some of Timbersaw’s goons. This could also be a future ability that is implemented in-game. We also get a chance to see what could be her normal right-click attack, as she fires a shotgun to disable Timbersaw.

She then mounts a small lizard, and her camp quickly switches to being a saddle.The saddle then gives her the ability to fire machine-guns while riding the lizard, which she uses to take down Batrider. This seems to be what Mars meant in one of his unused voice lines, where he says “ It’s rare to see one of those beasties tamed!”. 

Spell 2: The ability to mount the lizard could be a toggle that functions for a specific amount of time. This could also be an alternate mode for the hero, increasing her movement speed and providing more attack options. 

Ultimate: Towards the end of the video, we see what could become Snapfire’s ultimate in-game. The lizard spits fire on Timbersaw, melting his armor. This could be a spell that decreases armor, similar to Slardar’s Corrosive Haze and Dazzle’s Bad Juju.

This is also referred to in a voice-line by Mars, who says, “Can he spit a bit of that on my spear here?”. He also has a few other lines that might be in reference to the new hero, including, “You should have offered me a cookie!”, and “The lizard’s death is on you!” under the enemy kill voice lines.

The Invoker persona “Acolyte of the Lost Arts” also includes certain voice lines regarding the new character. He says, “If only you’d indulged my sweet tooth”, and “Interesting… Your knowledge may be of use after your demise.”

The new hero is dropping in Fall of this year. So keep your eyes peeled for any future news on this champion of the ancients.