Skvaira: Screenshots of an Unannounced Dota 2 Hero Leak Online
Overnight, a loadout screen and battle art of a hero that doesn't exist in the game surfaced in a private Discord server. Universal attribute, melee, puppet strings and an Arcana already attached. Valve hasn't said anything, so we took a close look at the images.
- Source
- Private Discord server, post deleted
- First seen
- Oct 24, 23:15 UTC
- Valve response
- No comment
- Game files
- No references found yet
Overnight on October 25, a screenshot of a hero loadout screen for a hero that doesn't exist in the game appeared in a private Discord server frequented by Dota 2 datamining circles. The caption was short: “soon.” Sixteen minutes later the message vanished along with its author's account, but the image had already been saved.
The screenshot shows Skvaira, a porcelain combat marionette in a burgundy dress, with brass joints and ten blade claws. By morning a second file followed: art of the heroine in a battle stance in the middle of a puppet workshop, with her “sisters” hanging from the ceiling.
Valve has not commented on the leak. Below we've put together a timeline, gone through the screenshot detail by detail, and tried to work out who this hero is and whether to expect her.
How it unfolded
The whole story fit into a single night. All times are UTC.
- A loadout screen screenshot appears in a private Discord server with the caption “soon.”
- The author deletes the message and the account. At least several server members had already saved the screenshot.
- The image spreads across Dota 2 Telegram channels and X.
- A second image surfaces: art of the heroine in a battle stance. We couldn't establish who posted it first.
- Discussion threads on English-language forums pass 6,000 comments.
- This article is published.
- Update: still no response from Valve.
Sources
We could not trace the leak to a single verified origin. Here is what we know about each link in the chain.
- Original Discord postMediumAnonymous, account deleted within 16 minutes. Poster had no prior leak history we could find.
- Reposts on X and TelegramLowSecondhand copies. Several accounts added their own “details” that don't appear in either image.
- Second image (battle art)LowUnknown origin, appeared after the original post was deleted. No independent corroboration.
- Datamine checkPendingNo strings, models or particles for “Skvaira” in the current public build. Not conclusive: unreleased heroes are often kept out of client files.
Breaking down the screenshot
The screenshot was taken from the loadout screen that opens when you select a hero. We compared it against the current client and marked everything that matches, and everything that raises questions. The numbers on the image correspond to the notes below it.
Scroll the screenshot sideways
- Hero nameThe title's font, size and shadow match the current client. If this is a fake, it's a very careful one.
- Attribute and attack typeUniversal attribute, complexity two out of three, and a melee attack. Universal heroes arrived in patch 7.33, so this checks out.
- Innate abilityA round icon with no hotkey. That means the hero was designed for the system from patch 7.36, not pulled from old archives.
- Threads tooltipThe only ability we know everything about: type, targets, duration and cost. Covered in detail below.
- Weaver and Winter WyvernThe most suspicious detail. Alphabetically, Windranger sits between them, and here he's missing.
- 0 of 100 XPNo matches played on this hero. Looks like an internal build or a test account.
- Porcelain Marionette ArcanaTwo styles and five set items. For a hero that isn't in the game yet, that's very generous.
- Turquoise butterflyPossibly a ward preview from the set, or an Arcana effect. We found no exact match in the client.
Abilities
Only Threads has a revealed tooltip. We reconstructed the rest from the icons, so the names for those abilities are working titles.
-
Control Bar
innate, working titleOur guessThe icon with branching lines resembles the control bar a puppeteer uses to work a marionette. Most likely a passive bonus tied to the strings, such as extra damage against targets Skvaira has already latched onto.
-
QThreads
from the tooltipLeaked tooltipSkvaira attaches thin puppet strings to an enemy unit or a tree, pulls it in and controls it from a distance. If there is no unit or tree nearby, the ability fails to cast.
- Ability
- Unit Target
- Affects
- Enemies
- Pierces Debuff Immunity
- No
- Dispellable
- Strong Dispels only
- Duration
- 1.6/2.1/2.6/3.1
- Cooldown
- 16/14/12/10
- Mana Cost
- 70/80/90/100
Control lasting up to 3.1 seconds that only a Strong Dispel can remove is the mark of a very annoying initiator. And the tree attachment hints at mobility: perhaps Skvaira pulls herself toward it, the way Clockwerk does with Hookshot.
-
WPirouette
working titleOur guessThe red whirl around the silhouette looks like a spinning claw strike. We're betting on area damage around the hero, possibly with a slow.
-
EMasquerade
working titleOur guessA porcelain mask with red eyes. Two options: temporary invulnerability while the doll “freezes,” or a fear effect on nearby enemies.
-
RFinal Act
ultimate, working titleOur guessA silhouette suspended on strings is the most direct hint. Most likely the ultimate hands Skvaira control of an enemy hero for a few seconds.
The interface is flawless, but there isn't a single string with the name Skvaira in the game files. Either this is a very fresh branch that hasn't been pushed to the client yet, or it's a very good fake.
nullwarden, datamining Dota 2 updates since 2016
Real or fake?
There are arguments on both sides. We weighed each one, which is how we arrived at our score — 61 out of 100.
Points to real
- The interface matches the current client down to the tabs, the shard counter and the party chat.
- The Threads tooltip follows Valve's conventions: target type, dispel info, per-level values.
- The innate ability and universal attribute fit how Valve is designing heroes now.
- The art and the loadout portrait agree down to the details: cracks in the porcelain, brass joints, the torn hem.
Points to fake
- Windranger is missing between Weaver and Winter Wyvern, and an internal hero name can't explain that.
- An Arcana with two styles for a hero who isn't in the game yet. Heroes usually wait years for one.
- In the art, the strings end in mid-air and the claws on the right hand blend into each other. That's a common look for AI-generated images.
- The author deleted their account, and there is no second independent source.
Who is Skvaira?
White porcelain webbed with cracks, brass joints, a velvet dress torn to ribbons, and a smile that never changes. The design nods to clockwork automatons and 19th-century porcelain dolls, and overall reads like a villain Dota has been missing for a long time.
The only lore we have is what's visible in the art: a workshop, candles, a skull on the floor, and dozens of dolls in identical burgundy dresses hanging from the ceiling. The most popular theory in the comments: Skvaira escaped Ringmaster's troupe, cut her own strings, and now pulls everyone else's.
The name itself is unclear. People argue over whether it's real, a codename, or just a typo by whoever made the fake.
When to expect her
If the leak is real, Skvaira is unlikely to arrive tomorrow. Valve usually reveals new heroes in a teaser first, and they reach the game with a major update. The nearest window is the winter patch.
If it's a fake, the author should send their résumé to Valve: the loadout screen is built so well that at first glance it's indistinguishable from the real thing. We're watching client updates and will extend this article as soon as anything turns up.
Windranger is missing because they finally removed him from the game. I won't accept any other explanation.
Threads doesn't pierce debuff immunity. BKB is already in my cart, thanks for the leak.
Count the claws on the right hand in the art. Five or seven, can't tell. It's AI, nothing to see here.
Even if it's fake, Valve should just buy the idea from the author. I'd play her from day one.
An Arcana at launch is actually an argument for it being real. Valve knows we'll buy anything.