Somnus reportedly takes another break from professional Dota 2

Somnus returned to professional Dota 2 in May 2023 after a five-month break. Prior to that, he had played for Royal Never Give Up, Elephant, and of course, PSG.LGD.

When he returned, nobody expected anything from Azure Ray because they had missed most of the season and did not look capable of winning the regional qualifier for The International 12.

In the end, they proved everyone wrong and finished 4^th at TI. This was a spectacular performance given the circumstances. No doubt, Somnus could still continue to play at the highest level for at least four more years. But it seems that he’s no longer interested in doing that.

In a recent statement, he said that both he and Chalice will likely leave Azure Ray to pursue other interests. This isn’t about changing the team. After all, after such a good result at The International, it’s obvious that no big changes are needed to the roster. Rather, it’s about wanting to spend time in different ways.

Why being a pro is difficult

Being a professional Dota 2 player is really challenging. If you want to be one of the best, you basically need to dedicate around 60 hours per week to training and playing pubs. And even when you don’t do that, your mind constantly thinks about the game, which becomes your life.

Ceb spoke about this back when he first announced his intention to retire. And he’s not the only one. We can see lots of players who reached the top and then could no longer find the drive to train as hard as before. N0tail retired a few years ago and he’s not even 30. Ana retired several years ago, when he was not even 25.

Longevity in esports is itself an accomplishment, and not that many players regard their career as something to hold on to no matter what. There are, of course, exceptions, such as Puppey, KuroKy, and Solo. But for most players, the act of training and competing becomes exhausting after a while.

Just recently, zai announced that he is taking a break from the game. He’s 26 and has won $4.2 million just from tournaments alone. Most would agree that he should play for at least five more years. But no longer seems interested in doing that. Being a professional gamer doesn’t mix very well with having a personal life, and everyone gives up sooner or later.

Header: Valve