The Earth

The Earth-like planet of Dota 2 is a major location.

Description
The planet of Dota 2 is a huge rock with life on it.

The Earth
Tectonic plates that continue to shift make the earth's surface and subterranean realms ever changing. Elder Titan credits Earthshaker as the “shaper” of Earth's continents.

The Waters
Meanwhile, in the earth's larger bodies of water like oceans and seas, the sheer weight of the massive amounts of water gives the depths its crushing weight against anyone under it in the deep. The planet's surface is not the only place where water is, as ancient reservoirs of water lie deep in the center of the world, ready to well up as unnatural called upon by a certain Admiral. A bit less deeper in the earth are aquifers, which were drawn upon by Verodicia to nourish her saplings. The Moon is responsible for the ebb and flow of the tides as it pulls the world's waters with its orbit, influencing the sea levels.

Atmosphere
Regarding the air of this Earth, it's pretty much the same in real-life. The wind brushes upon the surface of the water and, if they are strong enough, causes water waves. There are updrafts, rising air currents, that can lift any lighter objects caught in it to great heights. Having a similar atmosphere to real-life Earth, this planet's atmosphere subjects objects entering it to atmospheric friction, heating them up to temperatures hot enough to disintegrate weaker objects. The creation of some storms also involves the mingling of warm fronts and cold fronts, like in real-life. This makes air and wind an essential ingredient in the birth of a storm in this planet's atmosphere.

Gravity
The Earth has its very own gravity which it uses to pull objects to itself, such as the many things bound to its mass and nearby extraterrestrial objects like the occasional meteors or comets passing by it. This gravity is also responsible for capturing satellites like the Mad Moon as well as the orbital stress and tidal forces that it exerts on its satellites.

Magnetism
It's possibly implied that this planet also has a geomagnetic field, since its Earth Spirit, an elemental force at one with the planet itself, makes use of electromagnetism as shown in his and one of his lines towards Io, the Fundamental of electromagnetism. If Earth Spirit is one with this planet, then surely whatever powers he has is a reflection of what the Earth itself possesses, just like every other elemental at one with nature. So his magnetic power is borrowed from the Earth he's one with, implying its magnetic properties and thus the existence of a geomagnetic field.

Genesis
When the planet was still being formed, it used to be a hot blob of matter before it cooled into what it is now. It was during this time its gravity tethered the Mad Moon to it.

The Omniscience's revelation to Purist says that it was the former who made this world by forming a vast mineral shell around itself to defend against extraterrestrial hostiles.

Day and Night
The planet is orbited by more than one satellite. One of them is the Mad Moon, a luminous crystal sphere that was once the prison of the Radiant and Dire Ancients. The Earth's other satellite is its rocky kin, the moon. Unlike the Mad Moon, this moon sheds no light of its own and is characterized by the phases of its surface's shadow. Earth orbits the sun like in real-life. Together with the moon, they complete the world's day and night cycle. But there are rare instances of moonless nights of intense darkness. Solstices exist in the lore of Dota 2. One example is the Wraith-Night, a winter solstice that occurs only once in a millenium. The barrier between the planes thins to make way for eerie auroral powers to infuse the soil and sky with a green glow as creatures are imbued with sparks of Wraith Essence. The undead rise from this thin barrier as well, accumulating hordes of unliving beings with souls brimming with wraith essence. In Weeping Rose, there is no day and night cycle and only perpetual night reigns alone, allowing the Quorum to harness the power of the night sky's stars as much as they want.

The Four Seasons
There are four seasons on some parts of the Earth that come in this order in a cycle: spring, summer, autumn (or fall), and winter. Spring is a chaotic season when all the plants begin to bloom as winter's chill ebbs, bathing the earth in new color and life. Summer is when the sun shines very brightly as it heats everything beneath it. As its name suggests, fall or autumn is the time when summer's heat begins to fade as the leaves turn brown and fall away shriveled, signifying the arrival of winter. Lastly, winter is the coldest season as the snow falls and ice forms until renewing spring comes round to dispel it once again. All four seasons last for uncounted months and occur once in a year. First and only mentioned in Nature's Prophet's biography, the vernal equinox marks the very first morning or the beginning of the spring season.

Spirit of the Earth
The planet is alive not only because it supports life, but also because it has its own soul. Thus the earth itself may come alive in the form of earth elementals who spring from the soil and the stone with the spirit of the earth within them.

Spontaneous generation
A recurring thing in Dota 2's lore is the earth being the source of all flesh (even plant flesh ), as well as the original state that all flesh returns to once they perish. How this happens or the process behind this is unknown, but, this is all in accordance to the great wheel, since the decay of flesh returns what it took from the earth, such as the elements that compose one's earth-forged body.

In Dota: Dragon's Blood
The Earth-like planet of Dragon's Blood is pretty much like Dota 2's Earth which is, by extension, very much like real-life Earth. According to the Oracle, the entirety of creation was born from the Primordial Mind, including every planet. Perhaps this planet was made by the Primordial Mind too. But the planet's connection with the Mind doesn't end there. The Mad Moon, the prison of the Radiant and the Dire who were fragments of the Mind, is inextricably linked to this planet as both one of its visible satellites and a major influence in the history of this planet. Its partial destruction introduced Radiant Ore and Direstone to this planet in a cataclysm, before these stones became very sought after by those who found them. The planet and its life survived the storm because the second moon took a portion of the damage the earth would've sustained by using its gravity to pull the incoming moonstuff to itself, allowing just enough life to survive and eventually recover. This Earth is special because it seems to be the sole home of the dragons, the Eldwurm souls' vessels. When the planet was destroyed by meteorites from the Mad Moon, it also killed the Eldwurms who were in their vessels. All of their souls (except Slyrak who was already in Davion) converged on Davion as he was the last compatible vessel for their dragon souls. As Filomena put it, he was the “last dragon” because there was nowhere else for the Eldwurms to go and inhabit a body.

Aerial
High above the earth is the Ghastly Eyrie, a realm so lofty it's said to be among the clouds, the starry skies, in heights with no atmosphere, and even near outer space.

Terrestrial
Many are the north's cold climes, akin to the Arctic. There's Icewrack, an icy waste where the Blueheart Glacier is. Azura and Cobalt are just a few of the north's settlements. To the east is an unnamed, sweltering desert where worshippers of the Solar Goddess congregate. There are hot lands to the south of this planet's equator, such as the Desert of Misrule, although it is also implied to be a southeastern location. The west is home to several forests, such as the high woods beyond the Vale of Augury and the woods that house the village of Zaru'Kina. The drylands are western as well.

The southern reaches are akin to Antarctica; complete with bergs, floes, weak summers, and penguins like Whisky. A bit to the north is a waste that's home to a grand dragon.

Underwater
A vast network of sunken cities lies deep in the lightless gulf of the deepest ocean abysses. This web of structures is a treasure trove that is fiercely guarded by vigilant Slithereen.

But further away beneath these sunken cities is the Infernal Hollow, from where the demon Buki'vak the Corrupted forever spreads his corruption throughout the sea.

Subterranean
The underground city of Aziyog lies deep in an endless cavern walled with obsidian, located beneath the magma fields and simmering roots of dormant volcanoes.

Named after the common beryl deposits found in these deep caves, the Emerald Abyss is a vast subterranean cave where many lifeforms dwell in.

The lofty cliffs of Emauracus are riddled with deep caves that lead to the center of the planet itself where the Omniscience dwells.

Far beneath the surface is the Nether Reaches, an abyssal realm sealed off by tectonic slippage, although vents near this place allow energies to seep out of it.

Inhabitants
Most of the beings and entities listed below here are natives of the planet.

Heroes
The, an elemental force one with this planet, found form in the sacred jade statue of the great general Kaolin which was buried along with a stone funerary of his army. Now this incarnated Celestial, the very Spirit of the Earth itself, strides upon the same aspect that imbues his spirit. Born from the Nishian earth of the planet,  rises from the soil to answer the call to protect the earth with the life and strength it has given him. lives in the obsidian city of Aziyog, located far beneath the magma fields and the roots of dormant volcanoes.
 * The Earth gives him power, so he repays it by using it to protect the Earth. Here are his abilities that rely upon the Earth to work their power.
 * Kaolin calls upon his connection to the land to draw loose stone to him, forming a protective ball that turns him into a that can roll short distances.
 * The of his army are still buried in the earth, but he can draw them out of there and position them according to whatever strategy he has in mind.
 * If his remnants aren't available, he can make do with by temporarily petrifying living beings with elemental power to turn them into remnants.
 * Because of his oneness with the Earth and his past life as a general, Kaolin knows the Earth's long history, including the battles that were fought in it and how probable victory was in these long past conflicts.
 * He's not alone in guarding and claiming the earth. He rallies others like, the  of the , , and  to share his burden and bounty of protecting and owning the Earth.
 * His oneness with the earth also means that he speaks for the earth, declaring an enemy and a blight to what he represents.
 * At one with the earth, it's a source of healing that he can fall back on through . The earth is also his power source, a source of energy that speeds his ascent, and the sole element that he has great control over,  thanks to his magical totem imbued with the power of the earth.
 * Raigor creates by slamming his Nishian totem down with tectonic force to split open the world to its core.
 * reverberates far and deep through the earth to flatten foes, fold mountains, and crack even the tectonic plates.
 * Elder Titan remembers Raigor was the “shaper of continents” which seems to be the latter's true nature that he has forgotten.
 * In accordance to the wheel of life, those who are killed by Raigor will return to the earth that made them.   He shares the same fate with them as well, but his loosened spirit will be greeted as a prodigal son by the earth as his form returns to the dust of the earth whence it was molded from.
 * As an extension of the Earth's being, Raigor often speaks for the earth, whom he sometimes addresses as a “her” due to her being a mother being.
 * When the Earthshaker gives thanks, it is from the earth that his thanks come from. So the earth is the one doing the thanking.
 * As the earth's ambassador, Raigor may announce or relay to others the earth giving and rescinding its help, blessings, or gifts.
 * Earth's ambassador also steals away any resources that the earth may need, saying that the earth must have them first.
 * He's inimical to because he knows how he exploits the earth by using metals to make his suit,  which he uses to further blight the earth by logging.
 * Same goes for, whose mines are rejected from being buried in the earth by Raigor who finds these weapons repulsive.
 * He finds the ' frivolous prancing annoying and can hardly tolerate it, having felt too much of it on the surface of the earth.
 * As the earth itself, he is kin with the many things that come from it, such as metals like gold, those who were formed from the earth, and  whom he deems his brother and–by extension–a brother to the earth.
 * His arcana's unused voicelines reveal that the earth is not only alive because it has a spirit, but also because it has a heartbeat that he feels closely. He beats whatever drum he has (like his totem or the ) to the rhythm of the earth, perhaps the rhythm of its heartbeat.
 * Raigor has knowledge of the Earth's knowledge. He knows the many first bloods it has seen, its enduring wisdom and memory, and its ability to abandon and forget others, as if it has a mind of its own.
 * Any item he buys is a legacy from the earth, probably because most of these items are products of it, like the gems, metals, and minerals used to forge them.

the Netherdrake hails from the subterranean Nether Realm, which is implied to be located near the planet's tectonic plates.

Races
The earth is the abode of the dead because it's where the living return to once they've had their time, making it vital in necromancy that involves controlling corpses.

Gods
Aktok is an ancient serpent god destined to swallow the entire world once he awakens from his dormant state.

The Omniscience dwells deep within a space in the center of the world, where it can be accessed through the deep caves of Emauracus.

Maelrawn is said to be the one who “cracked the shell of the world” by the Naga Siren. Perhaps his tentacles bore through the earth itself, but who knows? As the goddess of the woods, Verodicia is the mother of everything that lives and grows on this massive fertile rock by feasting on the Sun's warm light.
 * This might explain why his follower can summon his tentacles on dry land that's leagues away from the seas via.

The ancestral spirit of nature lies dormant within all plant life. Conduits of its power, such as Rooftrellen, can call upon it to animate his kin and cause an.

Aliens and visitors
These entities are alien to earth. They don't live here and they come from some other celestial body or another plane of existence before arriving on this planet.

Heroes
As the recovered from the reverberations of the Mad Moon's destruction, Zet made his way to our planet to catch up with his fugitives and their war.

Not only is the lost from his home reality after traversing and locking the maze between the universal walls, but he is also trapped on this planet. After the was rendered inert by her masters' spark being snuffed, her body floated through space until she fell to Earth. She speculates that a force pulled her to the Earth or its gravity was just in the way of her aimless course, but given the stakes of the Ancients' battle, she believes it could be the former. After reawakening on Earth thanks to a young star reigniting a solar forge that gave her life with his familiar spark, she spent her first centuries on Earth in slumber as she dreamt, contemplated, and lamented. Until a strong reminder of her purpose to stand in the light and not dwell in darkness motivated her to rise up like the sun. The comet of the orbited this planet's sun due to the star's gravitational pull, until at last it fell to earth melted. Now, this alien is at one with this planet's oceans. 's hasty banishment on a dimensional barque took him to this Earth, of all the places in our reality. He can mix his astral power with the Earth's rainy atmosphere to cast a powerful, bending a single reality into paradoxical alignment where allies are healed under the astral rain while simultaneously harming enemies. With bad news comes, drawn to this planet―the Ancients' battlefield―by a threat that he senses will stir from within reality just as it lurks from without. concluded that he must travel to here and participate in the Ancients' war after a long investigation on many planes from which he learned of said battle. Though he is accustomed to flying in outer space, the experience of soaring through Earth's atmosphere offers pleasures unique to him. The was banished to our universe by would-be masters who failed to control him. Of all the places in creation, he was first sent to this planet in the Tomo'kan.

Characters
One of the cosmic travelers responsible for the death of Earthshaker's sister earth arrived on this earth to finish the job by killing the sister earth's power reincarnating in him. The Eight Shades of Fortune stir only in spring as winter ebbs. These mystical shades are fickle, impulsive, and thus gather and disperse on their own whim, compounding the shades' elusiveness to those unlucky people who wish to give them sufficient offerings made of their ill-fated prizes in hopes of the shades rewarding them with something better, which is the only thing about them that isn't so mercurial and capricious. Another being attuned to the season of spring is the, which appears during every year's New Bloom Festival in the spring. In the months before the spring, wild energies lay dormant until spring season comes. Then these eldritch energies twist and pool before giving form and power to the savage and hungry Year Beast whose waking roar blows at the young greenery recovering from the long and oppressing chill of winter.

Events
The War of the Ancients is fought here on Earth and here alone because it is where the Nemesis Stones crashed to.

Resources
Direstone and Radiant Ore are common across the planet. They're meteorites from the Mad Moon's destruction as the planet caught most of its fragments. Made from the Mad Moon's crystal compositions, these stones contain the Radiant and Dire Ancients who were imprisoned in them to cease their wars. Although these stones trapped the Ancients in their crystal form, they could still influence the environment around them. The Ore twisted the lands around it into one fitting of spring with bright colored greenery, while the Stone decayed and poisoned the surrounding soil, greatly influencing Earth's landscape. A third stone, Nemestice, corresponds to the third Ancient Zet. Free from either Ancients' control thanks to them being infused with the same power that Zet sacrificed to imprison its siblings, the Nemestice stones were left drifting with the remnants of the broken moon. Like when Zet arrived on Earth to reunite with its sibs, these Nemestice stones first fell to earth in a prophesied meteor storm headed towards the Tomo'kan to join the Nemesis Stones and finish what they started, regardless of what force finds them first...

Behind the scenes
According to former Valve writer Marc Laidlaw in an interview when he was asked about the world of Dota 2, he had hopes for Valve making something more novel than a “generic fantasy world with a traditional planetary sphere” for Dota 2's world. A scroll-shaped map and a Möbius strip map was considered, which the viewer could rotate and zoom in on to find out the names of different places related to each other in unexpected ways. He added that these maps can be rotated and stretched, causing the topography to change.

But this idea was dropped in favor of the 2D map found in Source 1 because there were no people or time to work on such a complex idea. An additional problem was figuring out the coordinates where these regions would be placed in these complex maps. Although Laidlaw found the final one disappointing, he did find it easier to understand.