'Year of the Horse' Top 8 Workshop Submissions

While we did not see many entries related to horses, most of the entries (apart from a few Korean ones) were appropriately themed for the Chinese Lunar New Year.

The following are GosuGamers' Top 8 Workshop Entries:

8. Stone Fists of the Jade Temple by Thnk



While initially I skipped past this entry as I was skimming through the workshop, I could not help but notice this was one of only two weapon entries for Kaolin, the Earth Spirit. Quite surprising really, I was expecting the workshop to be flooded by tons of weapons for the hero considering his current in-game weapon is, well, a glorified (glowing) stick; adding on to the fact that Kaolin, if namesake is not already obvious enough, is Asian-themed.

According to the Workshop artist, there will be added particle effects (I’m hoping for a new attack animation too) included in the Valve approved model.

7. Kaito by Robo, Crowntail, Automedic and Prophet9
 

 

Admittedly, I have a prejudice against Juggernaut items. That hero practically takes up 99% of the Steam Workshop which gets pretty annoying considering nobody really challenges the boundaries of the hero’s art-style and every set pretty much looks the same in-game. However, after looking through the preview GIFs/Videos provided by the artists, I was won over.

The sword itself looks fantastic, almost like it was imbued with the power of a fire-breathing dragon. Coupled with the trail animation and the new attack animations given to Juggernaut, I was impressed by how sleek the item looked in game. Although the item doesn’t exactly stand out next to other blades like the Odachi and Kantusa, it definitely holds its own with two other styles available with the addition of a Kinectic gem each.

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Let us now take the time to imagine a jade/fire/shadow-themed dragon swirling around the target as Juggernaut slashes his foes with his bloodthirsty blade before politely enquiring, “May I cut in?”

Although it is unknown if the artists would add a custom animation for Juggernaut’s spin and ultimate (as seen in the Kantusa and Odachi), I hope they do something about it as the item has the potential to easily steamroll the other blades that Juggernaut wields.

6. Bound of the East Flame (Spring Ability Pack) by OniLolz, Zaphk and vikk0

  
The Spring Ability Pack brings us some of the coolest variations to the in-game heroes, most notably: their summons. Although Dragon Knight's Dragon Form really isn't a summon, they decided to include a Chinese-style variation of each of his forms, namely: Poison, Fire and Ice.  The dragons look absolutely awesome, each with its unique art style to fit its theme. Also, if you look hard enough, you would realize the dragon's wingspeed and span gets faster and larger, respectively, with each evolution which in my opinion is pretty cool.

Overall the Spring Ability Pack is really well done and the only reason why we only decided to feature the Dragon cosmetic is because to go through all the items, an entire page would have to be dedicated to it. It really is great work.

5. Spirit of Anger by T_Vidotto

 

Don't underestimate this cuddly critter as the Spirit of Anger sure packs a mean bite. Workshop artist T_Vidotto impresses again with this awesome new summon for Sylla the Lone Druid. Although I doubt its relation to the Spring 2014 event (yes, just because it's panda does not mean it has anything to do with the Lunar New Year), the bear looks absolutely fantastic. From the markings on its face to the bamboo instrument tied around its arm, the bear looks detailed and the overall design is very clean. What makes the bear stand out though, is the fact that this four-legged creature is carrying on its back a glowing, burning, golden Radiance. We don't know how this bear's going to wield it but my god, does it look cool.

A few months ago, I remember seeing a picture designed by an artist with the Spirit Bear having an Armlet wrapped around its leg and I thought to myself- "doesn't that look really cool? I wish there was an in-game item like that." With the Armlet patch however, Lone Druid players were forced to return to the classic Radiance build and I'm glad T_Vidotto has added the Radiance to this bear's arsenal. 

Shoutout to Thiago's wife, who helped out on the project. It's great to see artists working together with a different mix of people every time.    

PS. check out the Spirit of Anger's death animation. Perfect. 

 

 

4. Strength of the Demon Stone (The Three Virtues Collection) by Redmoon, Pior and Boonta

 

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Believe me when I say that this has got to be one of the best Workshop entries I've ever seen. Also, I had no idea you could just stick sideburns and a beard on a stone creature and it'll work. This set is stunning, the overall look and feel it gives to the hero just blows my mind. The Strength of the Demon Stone set is part of a collection of 'Spirit' sets containing sets for all 3 spirits: Storm Spirit, Ember Spirit and of course, Earth Spirit. This set makes Earth Spirit look like an experienced badass ready to kick some serious butt with his mad kung fu skills, which surprisingly works really well with his character design.

The set itself looks very clean and offers a more 'rugged' look to the hero, like as if we took Earth Spirit's dad and popped him into the battle (that's a good thing). What I'm most happy about, however, is the new stone remnants added to the set. The current remnants in the Dota 2 game are pretty much glorified rocks. The remnants in this set however, are stone replicas of himself (which ties in really well with Storm Spirit and Ember Spirit's remnants I must add). 

Overall, this set for Earth Spirit looks really fantastic and you should really check it out. 

 

3. A Little Green Jade Dragon by HyrX, K-Pax and D.N.M

 

 

It’s hard to ignore courier entries when looking through the Steam Workshop as couriers are one of the most
vital aspects of the game and with it entails a heap ton of animation, rigging and hard work. So when I saw that there was a dragon courier submitted to the Workshop, I could not resist checking it out.

The Little Green Jade Dragon is easily one of the most lovable couriers ever to be submitted to the Workshop. With a bright red sack (presumably holding items) tied around its slender frame, the dragon rides the sky atop a floating cloud in very sleek fashion. The dragon is coloured turquoise-jade and has a huge patterned head, reminiscent of the stone dragons you see in Chinese temples.

Although the design of the dragon is a little too cluttered to my liking (especially its huge head with a little too many carvings), the courier animation is absolutely amazing which really bought me over (shoutout to D.N.M). At times, the dragon swirls elegantly around its cloud while at times it slithers like a snake. The death animation is especially cool as it flies head first into the ground before curling up. Oh, did I mention that the cloud has its own animations too?
 

2. Lucentyr, Qilin of Old (Blessings of Lucentyr set) by Yi

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The Qilin is a creature in various East Asian cultures that is said to appear with the imminent arrival of a sage. These creatures although a symbol of luck and prosperity, strike a fearsome, majestic look which is definitely not absent in Yi’s incarnation; it looks absolutely terrifying and we love it.

This mount for Luna Moonfang was initially created on its own before the addition of items for Luna herself to make it part of the whole set, however, we felt the need to put the mount on its own pedestal because it looks already awesome on its own.  With the growing popularity of custom mounts created for heroes such as Mirana, Disruptor, Chen and even Luna herself, it’s easy for one to skip past a Workshop creation that offers a new mount. However, Yi has taken a huge step forward in pushing the boundaries by scrapping the well-loved black panther for an incredibly badass Qilin.

This creature looks so good, I’d reckon it should have its own 3-part story arc. Hell, it could even be a new hero. Its antlers are long with tattoo-like lucent markings and its eyes stare into your soul with the glowing ethereal illuminance of the Moon. All in all, Lucentyr is an incredibly strong and bold example of how far Workshop artists can go to push the boundaries of each character’s concept; I mean, you wouldn’t expect an Asian-themed mount to go well with Luna’s hero concept.

1. Guardian of the Eternal Seasons Set by Kunkka, CLeGFX and :3
 

For the number one spot, you probably already guessed that we were going to feature this set, simply because it is absolutely phenomenal. The entire seasonal

 

 theme fits so well with Prophet’s concept combined with the brilliant custom animations, adding on to the fact that there is not just one but four seasonal styles available for this set, makes it perfect.

As a Nature’s Prophet buff myself, I confess that I cringe every time I see a new set for the hero due to the massive influx of sets going into the game- most of them just looking slightly different from the one before. However, I was absolutely blown away by this set after watching the previews and I must say,

 the amount of work put into this is just mind-blowing.

Not only does this set include wearable items for the hero himself but it also includes:
 

• Custom Bonsai-themed Treants whose appearance change with the season and has several custom animations of its own.
• A custom HUD courtesy of the loading-screen-legend himself Kunkka.
• Spring Collection (mainly featured)
• Summer Collection
• Autumn Collection
• Winter Collection

As you can see from above, the set contains more than what the usual workshop collections tend to offer, all in a bundle. The amount of styles you can choose from to suit each season is awesome and makes it almost akin to the real-life fashion world.

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