Is Overplus pay to win in Dota 2?

Overplus is not to be mistaken for Valve’s official DotaPlus subscription or the third-party app, Overwolf’s DotaPlus.

This application has been a topic of controversial debate in the Dota 2 community due to its ability to provide real-time statistics about other player profiles, disregarding the profiles’ disabled public visibility, leading to discussions about it violating Dota 2’s terms of service and player privacy.

What is Overplus Dota 2?

Overplus has emerged as a controversial third-party tool in Dota 2. It revives the functionality of similar applications previously banned by Valve. The core feature of Overplus is its capability to analyze the strongest signature Dota 2 heroes of opponents, before the drafting phase.

This enables players who subscribed to Overplus, to strategically ban or counter-pick these heroes, potentially shifting the balance of the game in their favor. In a game like Dota 2, where specific counter-picks are effectively against certain heroes, this information can provide an unfair advantage, especially against players who specialize in a limited pool of heroes.

While it’s not always apparent if an opponent is using Overplus, frequent bans of one’s most successful heroes clearly indicate its usage.

How does it work?

Overplus operates by identifying a player’s Steam account as they enter a match and then retrieves data from the Dota API about their most-played heroes. This raises concerns about data privacy and the ethical use of publicly available gaming data.

While players have the option to restrict third-party access to their data, this could also hinder the functionality of legitimate services like Dotabuff. Reports are suggesting that Overplus can still access data even when players already enabled their privacy settings.

The app, being relatively affordable at approximately $2.26 per month, is easily accessible. Its growing popularity in the Western Dota 2 community is evident from discussions on the Dota 2 Reddit, and even adoption by several pro players.

Public outcry for Valve’s Action against Overplus Dota 2

The rise of Overplus has sparked a call to action within the Dota 2 community, citing concerns over its violation of Dota 2’s terms of service and the privacy of players. Many players are advocating for Valve to impose restrictions or bans on the use of Overplus, akin to VAC (Valve Anti-Cheat) bans issued for other violations, such as smurfing or account-sharing.

The discontent is not limited to casual players, but pro players like Jonathan “Loda” Berg, Aliwi “w33” Omar, and Janne “Gorgc” Stefanovski have also expressed their concerns.

As Overplus gains more popularity by the day, the situation presents a tough challenge for Valve to implement a resolution. Overplus, even after previous bans on similar apps, suggests that it’s technically difficult to identify potential Overplus subscribers.

Perhaps Valve might have to rate-limit their Dota API or disable its use altogether, in the meantime. Since this issue may require Valve to develop more robust solutions to prevent the unauthorized use of player data and ensure a fair competitive environment in Dota 2.