Valve launches massive New Frontiers update Dota 2 Yesterday, which exceeded all expectations for what was going to be a nearly 10-year-old free-to-play MOBA. The most notable change (among many others) is that the map is now 40% larger than before, and Valve re-tooled the layout of the map’s jungles. This will force players to adapt their strategies to break line of sight with opponents, farm for XP and gold, and more. This has huge implications for shaking up competitive play, as the pros know the map inside and out – at least, as it used to be.
patch notes for most Dota 2 Updates are notoriously long, as the game has dozens of heroes and countless things to balance (and sometimes, players to ban). However, there are notes on New Frontiers, important, a new frontier in terms of length and depth. In case you were wondering, yes, people do read what’s in the patch notes. For example, PurgeGamers streamed on Twitch for 14 straight hours to read the patch notes and get first impressions on the sheer volume of changes.
Animation: Valve
Along with the expansion, there are other big changes to the map that returning players will see. Valve claims to have improved their matchmaking, so skilled players can be matched more evenly. There is also an entirely new hero type, called Universal, which has been reassigned to some of the game’s heroes.
What’s changed on the map is Roshan, one of the game’s neutral creeps that either team can take, moving to one of two new pits in the northwest and southeast corners, and he’s more than ever. is strong. And there are two gates: portals that can be used to zip across the map (Roshan can use them too – thanks, PC Gamer). But that barely scratches the surface.
Looking at the patch notes, it’s heartening to see the mocking, self-aware tone that Valve takes in its notes to introduce fan-requested features and quality-of-life improvements that might just be around to put on. Used to be. For example, ability classes in the HUD will now show a health cost if they have one, not just the mana cost. The copy reads: “Not bad, huh? Really kind of mad nobody thought to put it there before. Anyway, it’s there now.”
But Dota 2 subreddit, it’s clear that fans are happy, or at least interested, about what’s in New Frontiers. And last night, the game reached over 1 million players, the highest number of concurrent players since March 2019. as someone who has appreciated Dota 2Develop, yet don’t play the game, I’m always tempted to jump in when a big patch like this comes out. Perhaps, I too am ready for new frontiers.
