Free-to-Play Dungeon Defenders 2 Announced, Equipped With New MOBA Mode

Michael Dunaway
By Michael Dunaway, News Editor Posted:
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The original Dungeon Defenders was a co-op focused action tower defense game that was incredibly successful for its small team of developers, selling over a million copies since its December 20, 2011 release. Now Trendy Entertainment is back with a sequel and while it will include an updated cooperative defense mode like the original, the big news is that it's going to be Free-to-Play with plans to include a whole new MOBA mode. What's more the MOBA mode is in closed beta right now and will be playable at PAX East this week in Boston. Oh and did I mention it's being released on PC, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android? Because it will be.

Dungeon Defenders 2 seems to be taking a League of Legends route with the MOBA portion of the game (which is completely separate from the tower defense), offering purchasable heroes and a weekly rotation of free ones to choose from. The devs plan on having a total of 24 playable heroes at launch with more added shortly after. Like most MOBAS, Dungeon Defenders 2 will offer the standard tri-lane map with towers and a base to be destroyed.

On the game's FAQ, the devs explain their reasons for adding a MOBA mode:

During the development of Dungeon Defenders we constantly tried different multiplayer modes. Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, you name it. None of them really fit. When planning the sequel, we couldn’t drop the idea that a MOBA in the Dungeon Defenders universe would rock. Maybe it was all the after hour games of League we played in the office. We don’t know. But it fit well into the storyline and achieved a core goal of helping Dungeon Defenders players meet new players, so we went all in.

In regards to what makes DDII's MOBA mode different from games like League and Dota 2, Trendy went on to explain:

Our take on the MOBA genre is more rpg-esque, with more hero customization, persistent hero leveling, loot and a town square where players can socialize, manage their heroes, shop, trade, and queue for matches. We’ve drastically simplified the item system, to reduce the learning curve for new players and are aiming for shorter total match times. We’re also experimenting with some other unique twists that you might find out about later (if they work!).

So it looks like DDII's MOBA will be taking the focus away from buying items and instead opting to focus more on -what I will assume to be- the ability to customize a hero's abilities or individual stats.

Now the question that must be raised when dealing with any sort of F2P game with a competitive aspect to it is, "Will it be Pay-to-Win?" Yet again, Trendy was quick on their feet and already had a response:

Of course not! As of this moment in development, everything sold in the game is obtainable through play. Furthermore, all stat giving items are awarded only through play, not pay. Like many other games in the genre though, you will be able to purchase boosts that will let you level faster or find better cosmetics.

As always developer hype is one thing and if recent games have taught us anything (I am looking at you SimCity), no matter how awesome a dev says something will be we should always reserve judgement until its release. I mean what developer would come out and say "yeah we are P2W"? At least we wont have to wait long for our first glimpse at gameplay. Trendy plans on showcasing some early footage of the new mode this Friday.

You can sign up for a chance at beta access by visiting the official site here.

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In this article: Dungeon Defenders.

About the Author

Michael Dunaway
Michael Dunaway, News Editor

Michael Dunaway has been part of the MMOBomb team for years and has covered practically every major Free-to-Play MMO title since 2009.

More Stories by Michael Dunaway

Discussion (21)

anip 11 years ago
even tho I know it will end up like this (since they're small company that's following certain other larger companies footsteps)

I am still disappointed...

In the "Pay to play Heros unlock" section.
One of the reason why I did not decide to play certain games.

I speculate we will only get 4 free characters to choose from while the other 20 and any other future heroes will require payment to play. (this is if they're following the steps of what I think they're following when they said "the same as other free to play (models)"

auan 11 years ago
Why we all believe online games should be like this type? No! I believe Age of Wushu is not limited by tasks in game, which is more diverse.

GAZ 11 years ago
Tell you guys a good news: Age of Wushu is going to launch in April. So excited!

guab 11 years ago
Yup I think it' not game publishers but the games themselves that disappoint me! Awkward! Thank to Age of Wushu, we have a chance to touch its brand-new game design and mysterious oriental elements.

playeir 11 years ago
.....OK

showtime 11 years ago
lol

plywrx 11 years ago
is it on pc or ipad

Ferd 11 years ago
Well the only problem in MOBA games is the lag issues, especially for us playing at SEA region. Unless they make SEA servers that would be really great.

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poopmouth 11 years ago
ooooo cant wait for dis gaem! so gewd =3

dagudman 11 years ago
I like that they are trying something new while not giving up on the old school stuff. If anyone knows if there are forums yet please tell me because I have an idea for a gamemode they could try.

johanxshinigami 11 years ago
Will check the game out but, honestly there MOBA concept just sounds...terrible. Terrible and gutted, if not mutilated. Other than, seems like it could be fun.

Densle 11 years ago
Will it be released on Steam again? I hate having games installed everywhere on my computer.

Gamer X 11 years ago
looks promosing :)

Adolv schmidtletr 11 years ago
DD1 whas amazing in ipad, but i tried moba's on samsung tablet and ipad, i didnt work out too well, i hope they make smooth controlls on the android and ios devices. And for pc i dont really think anyone would play it, there are better moba's out there (DOTA 2 ) , but im pretty sure evrybody will download it on ios/android . There are not alot of good games for phones, ipad,tablet etc.

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Mike 11 years ago
I love dungeon defenders <3

Shouya 11 years ago
me~ i want cookie~ im hungry :3

FrosTanK 11 years ago
MOUNTED!!

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