Installation

Set up a local development environment for Legends of Dota Redux — clone the repository, link it to your Dota 2 installation, and launch the game in tools mode.

This guide is for contributors who want to modify the game’s source code — adding abilities, fixing bugs, or working on the Panorama UI. If you only want to play, see the quickstart instead.

Prerequisites

• Dota 2 installed via Steam
• Node.js v14 or higher
• Git
• A Windows machine (the launch script targets dota2.exe in the win64 directory)

1. Clone the repository

   Clone the Legends of Dota Redux source from GitHub:

   git clone https://github.com/DarkoniusXNG/Legends-of-Dota-Redux.git
   cd Legends-of-Dota-Redux
   

   The repository contains both the game source (src/) and the build tooling (scripts/) needed to link your working directory into Dota 2.

2. Install dependencies and link the addon

   Run npm install from the repository root:

   npm install
   

   This installs the project’s dev dependencies and automatically runs scripts/install.js via the postinstall hook. The install script:

   1. Locates your Dota 2 installation using Steam’s app registry
   2. Moves the src/game and src/content directories into Dota’s dota_addons folder
   3. Creates symbolic links (junctions on Windows) back to those locations so edits in your working directory are immediately reflected in Dota

   You will see output similar to:

   Linked /path/to/repo/src/game <==> /path/to/Steam/dota 2 beta/game/dota_addons/legends_of_dota_redux
   Linked /path/to/repo/src/content <==> /path/to/Steam/dota 2 beta/content/dota_addons/legends_of_dota_redux
   

   If the script prints No Dota 2 installation found. Addon linking is skipped., it could not locate Dota via Steam. Make sure Dota 2 is installed and Steam is present on your system before running npm install.

   If scripts/install.js finds a dota_addons/legends_of_dota_redux directory that is already linked to a different path, it will throw an error rather than overwrite it. Remove or unlink the existing directory before re-running.

3. Launch Dota 2 in tools mode

   Once the addon is linked, start Dota 2 with the custom game loaded in tools (development) mode:

   npm run launch
   

   This runs scripts/launch.js, which:

   1. Resolves your Dota 2 installation path via Steam
   2. Starts dota2.exe with the -tools and -addon legends_of_dota_redux flags

   Dota 2 opens in tools mode with the Redux addon active. From here you can use the Dota Workshop Tools to test map changes, run the game locally, and iterate on scripts without publishing to the Workshop.

   Tools mode enables the in-game Lua console, hot-reloading for Panorama files, and access to the asset editor. Use dota_launch_custom_game legends_of_dota_redux dota in the console to start a local lobby.

Project structure

Familiarise yourself with the key directories before making changes:

Path	Contents
src/game/scripts/vscripts/	Server-side Lua scripts (game logic, pregame, ingame)
src/game/scripts/npc/	KV data files for abilities, items, and units
src/content/	Panorama UI files (TypeScript/CSS/XML)
scripts/	Node.js build and setup scripts

Key scripts

Script	Purpose
scripts/install.js	Links src/game and src/content into the Dota addon directory
scripts/launch.js	Starts Dota 2 with -tools -addon legends_of_dota_redux
scripts/utils.js	Shared helpers — resolves the addon name from package.json and finds the Steam Dota path

Code quality

The project uses Prettier to enforce consistent formatting. A pre-commit hook runs Prettier automatically on staged files via Husky.

To check formatting across the entire codebase without committing:

npm run check

To format files manually:

npx prettier --write .

Next steps

Adding abilities

Learn how to write a new custom ability and register it with the Redux ability system.

VScripts overview

Understand the Lua scripting layer — which files do what and how they interact.

Contributing guidelines

Read the contribution workflow before opening a pull request.

Credits

Meet the developers and contributors behind Redux.