Valve Temporarily Removes Warlock from Dota 2 Due to Critical Level-Up Bug

Valve has pulled Warlock from Dota 2's hero pool after players discovered a major exploit that allowed the hero to reach level 30 in just 10 minutes.

The issue quickly gained attention across the community, with players reporting that Warlock could abuse the Black Grimoire item to gain levels at an unnaturally fast pace, giving him a severe competitive advantage. In response, Valve acted swiftly, disabling Warlock from matchmaking until the exploit is resolved.

🔍 How the Warlock Bug Works

The exploit involves the following steps:

1. Select the Black Grimoire aspect at the start of the match.
2. Upon leaving the fountain, move the Black Grimoire to your backpack and put it up for sale.
3. Buy any item and send a courier to your location.
4. Once the courier picks up the Black Grimoire, cancel the sale and send the courier back to the fountain.
5. When the book becomes available again, transfer it from the courier to your stash and activate “use”.
6. Repeat this loop to rapidly gain levels.

Players using this exploit were able to push Warlock to level 28–30 within minutes, making matches unfair and effectively unplayable.

🔧 What’s Next?

Valve has not announced an exact timeline for Warlock’s return to the hero pool, but it is expected that a patch or hotfix will be released soon to address the issue. Until then, Warlock will remain disabled in matchmaking to maintain competitive integrity.