Dota 2 New Hero Largo: Abilities, Role, And First Impressions
While it’s a bit overdue, the new Dota 2 hero, Largo, is now available after being introduced with Gameplay Update 7.40. He’s a strength-based melee disabler that brings a prehensile tongue, team buffs, and an ultimate that shifts his playstyle toward a more supportive role.
This guide will break down everything you need to know about Largo’s abilities and upgrades. You’ll also get a clear overview of his role, along with a simple “how to play Largo” game plan for the lane and teamfights, and how the new hero fits into Dota’s lore.
Who Is Largo In Dota 2?
Before Largo’s official release on December 16, 2025, rumors about the next Dota 2 hero were already circulating through the community, with datamines and leaked file names pointing toward a mysterious amphibious character commonly referred to as the “Bard Frog.”
The new hero, Largo, is framed as the “bard” archetype that Dota’s hero roster was missing, and Valve calls him the shamanic head of the bardmonk order—a frog who tailors songs to the moment to boost allies or help them retreat.
From a gameplay standpoint, Largo has been classified as Melee, Disabler, Durable, and Support, which mostly align with his abilities. That includes abilities that offer short-range repositioning, AoE control, a targeted ally buff, and a high-utility ultimate built for teamfights.
Dota 2 Largo’s Abilities Explained
Here is a quick overview of Largo’s abilities in Dota 2:
| Slot | Ability | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Innate | Encore | Extends the duration of the buffs Largo applies to himself and his teammates. |
| Q | Catchy Lick | Pulls a target toward him, applies a basic dispel, deals damage to enemies, and grants HP regeneration. |
| W | Frogstomp | Froglings stomp a small area every second, dealing damage, ministun, and movement slow. |
| E | Croak of Genius | Buffs an ally by reducing the mana cost of their items and abilities, and applying reverberating damage over time. |
| R | Amphibian Rhapsody | Largo enters song mode, changing his abilities to a more supportive style. |
Encore (Innate)
Encore is a simple Innate ability that extends the duration of Largo’s buffs, regardless of whether he applies them to himself or his teammates. It encourages a supportive rhythm in which Largo repeatedly enables teammates rather than dumping all his spells at once.
Catchy Lick (Q)
Catchy Lick targets a unit, pulling it back a short distance, applying a basic dispel, and dealing magical damage if the target is an enemy. The dispel component isn’t just a utility, but it also grants Largo temporary health regeneration.
Frogstomp (W)
Frogstomp is a point-targeted AoE control that allows Largo to toss froglings into an area where they stomp every second, dealing magical damage, applying ministuns, and slowing enemies inside the zone.
Croak of Genius (E)
Croak of Genius is a unit-target buff for allied heroes. The target’s items and abilities get reduced mana cost, and a percentage of their damage reverberates over the following 5 seconds. Each time the affected hero spends mana, the remaining buff duration is reduced.
Amphibian Rhapsody (R)
Amphibian Rhapsody works similarly to Kez’s ult. It allows you to toggle into a mode where Largo is disarmed, his ability bar swaps to three songs, and the songs only work if you strum on the beat. Every successful strum gives a stack of Groovin’, which grants bonus armor and reduces song mana costs.
Items can still be used while Largo is in this state, so you don’t get locked out of utility. In song mode, Largo gains three separate casts with distinct teamfight jobs:
- Bullbelly Blitz: Grants nearby allies spell amplification and adds additional magic damage to attacks.
- Hotfeet Hustle: Boosts nearby allies’ movement speed and gives brief slow resistances.
- Island Elixir: Heals nearby friendly heroes per use.
Aghanim’s Upgrades For Largo In Dota 2
Aghanim’s Scepter (Amphibian Rhapsody upgrade): Largo can play two songs per beat by strumming both at the same time. On beats where he plays two songs, he can also deal magic damage to nearby enemies that scales with Groovin’ stacks.
Aghanim’s Shard (Encore upgrade): When Largo applies a unit-target buff to an ally, he also gets that buff. If he targets himself, the buff is also used on the nearest allied hero within the cast range of the ability.
What Is Largo’s Role In Dota 2?
Given how Largo is designed to operate in Dota 2, he seems to fit most naturally as a soft support (position 4). His abilities allow him to consistently enable a core, control early skirmishes, and scale into midgame fights as a utility-focused teamfight hero rather than a primary damage dealer.
That said, Largo is still quite new to Dota 2, which leaves a ton of room for experimentation with unorthodox builds, including building him as an initiating offlaner and tank. We’ve provided the most sensible Largo support build below.
How To Play Largo In Dota 2
In Dota 2, Largo plays best as a utility-focused hero who stays close enough to influence fights without overcommitting.
In lane, his main focus will involve applying steady pressure and trading while keeping his core comfortable, then rotating to other lanes to set up ganks or secure early objectives. His Q does a ton of damage and has a relatively low cooldown, allowing you to spam nukes on enemy supports.
In midgame fights, positioning will be key to your success. You’ll get the most value out of Largo when he’s in range to support multiple allies at once and can stay active throughout engagements. He plays very similarly to Ringmaster, disrupting enemies and buffing allies during fights.
Consistent timing and discipline matter more than flashy moments since his impact compounds the longer a fight lasts.
How Largo Fits In Dota Lore
Valve’s intro positions Largo as a “bardmonk” leader who adjusts songs to circumstances, raising his allies’ spirits. His abilities highlight his frog anatomy as a practical “toolkit” thanks to a prehensile tongue.
The bardmonk tradition is also linked to the Murkroot exiles and a legendary song that summoned a living island, and it references Velu’Mar in his story text. That’s the lore Largo is placed in right out of the game.
FAQs
When did Largo release in Dota 2?
Largo launched with the Dota 2 Patch 7.40 update on December 16, 2025.
What does Largo’s ultimate do?
Largo’s ultimate, Amphibian Rhapsody, toggles a rhythm mode. Largo becomes disarmed, swaps to song abilities, and builds Groovin’ stacks by strumming on beat.
Do Largo’s songs always work when pressed?
Largo’s songs are only effective if they’re strummed on the beat, so keeping rhythm is part of his skill ceiling.
What is Largo’s role in Dota 2?
Largo is designed as a utility-focused support or disabler who enables teammates and adds teamfight value through buffs and sustained impact in fights.
Does Largo have a dispel?
Yes. Largo’s tongue skill Catchy Lick includes a basic dispel on the target. This makes it useful both for saving teammates and for interrupting key enemy effects.
