abilities.kv. Each bracket controls which abilities appear together in the pick screen, what rules apply to them, and whether they require special game options to unlock.
The top-level structure looks like this:
Brackets at a glance
main — Standard ability pool
main — Standard ability pool
The largest bracket. Contains essentially every standard Dota 2 hero ability that works correctly in a custom game context. Abilities in this bracket are always visible in the picker under normal settings.Includes both original (
axe_culling_blade) and custom Redux overrides (bloodseeker_thirst_lod, ursa_fury_swipes_lod, ogre_magi_multicast_lod). Abilities that crash the server or have no effect when used off-hero are commented out.neutral — Creep and neutral unit abilities
neutral — Creep and neutral unit abilities
Neutral abilities are subdivided into curated pick groups so players cannot stack multiple copies of the same type. Groups include:
| Group | Description |
|---|---|
alpha_wolf_group | Non-ancient attack modifier passives |
big_thunder_lizard_group | Non-ancient aura passives |
black_dragon_group | Ancient-tier aura passives |
blue_dragonspawn_group | Offensive single-target actives |
centaur_khan_group | No-target / self-cast actives |
dark_troll_warlord_group | Point/ground-targeted actives |
enraged_wildkin_group | Allied single-target actives |
lone_druid_spirit_bear_group | Spirit bear abilities |
satyr_group | Non-aura passives |
necronomicon_group | On-death passives |
roshan_group | Roshan abilities |
prowler_group | Ancient attack modifiers |
warlock_group | Warlock golem and imp abilities |
custom — Redux-exclusive abilities
custom — Redux-exclusive abilities
Original abilities added by the Redux team that do not exist in standard Dota 2 or any imported pack. Sub-groups include:
flesh_heap— Pudge-themed stat-on-kill stacking abilities (Agility, Strength, Armor, Move Speed, Attack Speed, Evasion, and many more).survivor— Abilities that grant scaling bonuses that partially persist through death.spell_lab_souls— Soul-stacking abilities from Spell Lab.brawler— Brawler pack abilities.spell_lab— The Spell Lab custom ability set.oneshotonekill— The OneShot OneKill pack (includesjingtong,jingtong_op,zhanhun, etc.).overflow— Overflow pack abilities (Chi Strike, Dark Blade, Metamorphosis, Spectral Form, etc.).angel_arena_blackstar— Blackstar custom abilities.resurgence— Resurgence pack.radiant_jungle— Neutral camp spawning abilities.life_in_arena— Life in Arena pack (Ancient Priestess, Berserker, Frost Lord, Lord of Lightning, etc.).retro_dota— Classic Dota-era abilities (Invoker Retro Portal, Scout, Confuse, etc.).angel_arena_reborn— Angel Arena Reborn ability set.memes_reborn/patron_abilities— Novelty and patron-exclusive abilities.dusk,ebf,oaa,aba,holdout,mercy— Various imported packs.basic_abilities— Flat stat bonus abilities (mana, health, move speed, spell amp, tenacity, stat gain, etc.).item_abilities— Item-derived abilities (Mjolnir, Wards, Bash Reflect).
imba — Dota Imba enhanced abilities
imba — Dota Imba enhanced abilities
Enhanced versions of every Dota 2 hero’s abilities from the Dota Imba mod, organised per hero (
hero_abaddon, hero_axe, etc.). These are stronger than their standard counterparts and may be restricted depending on server settings.superop — OP and single-player abilities
superop — OP and single-player abilities
Abilities that are too powerful for normal games. They are split further into sub-groups:
These abilities only appear when the OP abilities option is enabled in the game lobby.
| Sub-group | Description |
|---|---|
singlePlayer_actives | OP active abilities (e.g., Berserker’s Call OP, Rupture OP) |
singlePlayer_actives_2/3/4 | Additional OP active tiers |
singlePlayer_passive | OP passive abilities (Dragon Blood OP, Essence Aura OP, etc.) |
singlePlayer_passive_2/3/4 | Additional OP passive tiers |
memes_reborn_op | OP fruit abilities |
survivor_op | OP survivor stack abilities |
spell_lab_souls_op | OP soul abilities |
basic_abilities (OP) | Stronger stat bonus abilities |
mega_ultimates | Mega-tier ultimates (Mega Black Hole, Mega Chronosphere, Floor is Lava, etc.) |
heroToSkillMap — Hero-specific bonus abilities
heroToSkillMap — Hero-specific bonus abilities
A mapping of hero-to-abilities that unlocks additional skills for certain heroes automatically. For example, Abaddon gets
abaddon_the_quickening, Alchemist gets alchemist_transmuted_scepter and alchemist_aghnaim_magic_redux, and so on. These show up alongside the hero’s kit if they are playing that hero.