New Dota 2 hero Bird Samurai Kez: Release date, abilities, leaks, and lore
Valve introduced new Dota 2 hero named Kez, aka Bird Samurai at The International 2024. The character was introduced by the developers in the Crownfall story while dataminers also found multiple clues about the hero. Here's what we know about Kez so far.
Who is Kez Bird Samurai?
The teaser shows Kez as a revolution hero. Crownfall story talks about an order of Kazurai, flightless monk birds, training in secret to oppose Queen Imperia. The order has two leaders, Kraw and Kestrel. In the comics, the latter introduces himself: "I am a flightless, I'm a bird Kazurai." It might be that Kez is short for Kestrel. Before the teaser, he also had no image in the game.
When will Kez Bird Samurai come out in Dota 2? Release date of Kestrel
Update: Datmined files of Crownfall suggest Act IV will release on September 24. The event will reportedly end on November 26.
Original text: Valve didn't specify the date of the hero's addition. The teaser ends with words Crownfall Act 4, which doesn't necessarily mean a proper release, as it could be a proper reveal instead. The description on the official X account says it's the newest playable character.
Crownfall Act IV is coming to a head with a fight to the death with Queen Imperia — and you're going to need all the help you can get. Introducing Kez: head of the Kazurai order, leader of the flightless, and Dota 2's newest playable character.
Assuming that it's indeed a hero release, he will be added in Crownfall Act 4, which launches at some point after TI13. In this case, players can start expecting a new update on the next day or week, starting from September 16.
Kez abilities
Since the hero is not fully revealed yet, it's unclear what his abilities will be able to do. Judging by the fact he is a samurai, most likely it will be a carry, even tho the hero before Ringmaster, Muerta, was a carry as well.
Previous leaks and rumors about Bird Samurai
The character was predicted before the announcement of Ringmaster. There was a list of datamined hero names that had Bird Samurai on it. Multiple characters from that list were later added to the game, such as Muerta, Primal Beast, and Hoodwink. Also, Valve teased the character during the Summer 2023 Client Update. An image with a list of heroes had one line censored.