Phase overview
| # | Internal constant | Name | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PHASE_LOADING | Loading | The server waits for all players to connect and finish loading. Setup timers are suspended and auto-launch is disabled until this phase completes. |
| 2 | PHASE_OPTION_VOTING | Option voting | Players vote on high-level game settings — map variant, gamemode (All Pick, Single Draft, etc.), banning rules, and fast-start options. Votes are counted by percentage threshold. |
| 3 | PHASE_OPTION_SELECTION | Option selection | Remaining options that were not resolved by vote are configured. The host or server defaults finalise the option set that will govern the rest of the match. |
| 4 | PHASE_BANNING | Banning | Abilities (and optionally heroes) are banned from the pool. Each player receives a limited number of bans. Invisibility abilities can also be banned globally if that option was voted in. |
| 5 | PHASE_SELECTION | Hero & ability selection | Players choose their hero and pick abilities from the filtered pool. This is the primary pick phase for standard All Pick and similar modes. |
| 6 | PHASE_DRAFTING | Drafting | Placeholder phase reserved for draft-style modes (e.g. mirror draft). Players alternate picks from a shared pool of heroes and abilities. |
| 7 | PHASE_RANDOM_SELECTION | Random selection | Used in All Random mode. The server automatically assigns a hero and a randomised ability build to each player. Players can still review their assigned build before the game starts. |
| 8 | PHASE_REVIEW | Review | All players can inspect their finalised build and those of their teammates before heroes are spawned. No further changes can be made at this point. |
| 9 | PHASE_SPAWN_HEROES | Spawn heroes | Heroes are created on the map. The item-picking panel becomes available simultaneously. Internally this phase transitions immediately into item picking. |
| 10 | PHASE_ITEM_PICKING | Item picking | Players spend their starting gold on starting items from the shop before the game clock begins. |
| 11 | PHASE_INGAME | In-game | The game clock starts, creeps spawn, and normal Dota 2 rules apply. Chat commands and in-game votes become available. |
Phase transitions
Phase advancement is managed by the pregame controller (pregame.lua). Each phase has a configurable timer; when the timer expires the server calls setPhase with the next phase constant. Some transitions are gated — for example, the server will not leave PHASE_LOADING until all connected players have loaded.
The
PHASE_DRAFTING constant exists in the code as a placeholder. Draft mode behaviour is partially implemented but may not be fully available in all map variants.