On the fateful day of Aug. 24, 2022, Valve released Dota 2 patch 7.32. It was the last major patch players have had and, among other things, the update changed how Centaur Warrunner’s Aghanim’s Upgrade works.
Rather than beefing up his ultimate Stampede like it used to, it now granted a new ability, Hitch a Ride, which allowed him to toss any Dota 2 ally into a cart hitched behind him and shuttle them around as they cast and attack.
But while it sounded good in theory, it was a bit of a meme—even after being tweaked in the latest minor patch, which decreased the cooldown and made it grant the Stampede buff. The reason is that, often when used, Centaur Warrunner and the innocent ally he carts are closely grouped together, making them the perfect target for teamfight abilities and ultimates.
Beloved caster Tsunami perfectly captured its meme nature by using a popular TikTok meme with Nicholas Cage and Pedro Pascal in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent which shows the former looking unhappy and the latter smiling idiotically.
Drow Ranger, who is the perfect Hitch a Ride candidate, looks angry and confused while being carted around by Centaur Warrunner as he smiles like an oaf with two brain cells. Then, they both get caught in a Black Hole, followed by a flurry of Invoker spells, Macropyre, and Chronosphere.
The creative Dota 2 meme drew a lot of laughs from players in the March 26 thread. It even caused some players to have traumatic flashbacks of similar experiences they’ve had while being carted around by Centaur Warrunner.
It did, however, cause some to come forward and defend the ability, saying it’s not always a meme when used correctly, and can actually come in clutch to save allies.
