How the Dota 2 Patch Has Changed the Video Game Forever

How the Dota 2 Patch Has Changed the Video Game Forever

Dota 2 – The long-awaited 7.23 patch is finally here and it’s changed everything about the game, including the addition of two new heroes.

Maybe now we can settle the debate of whether Dota 2‘s heroes can compete with Marvel’s and become as popular. But we digress, the Dota 2 update is chock full of major changes which completely change the way heroes play, to more general mechanical changes. To say the least, the ‘Outlander’ update has caused some havoc with players and we’re here to give you the latest on the biggest changes that have made a significant impact.

New Characters

The first new core hero is Void Spirit, who joins his three other spirit brethren and is equipped with powerful offensive abilities. Like the other spirits, he can create remnants of himself and move around speedily dealing damage with his abilities. Meanwhile, Beatrix Snapfire is a more comical, ranged support hero which IGN notes has a cool ability that lets her pet Mortimer or enable an ally to hop a short distance. Her attacks aren’t as deadly but instead focus on stunning foes in creative ways.

 

Couriers

Expect to see lots of changes to couriers, most notably in the fact that each player now has their very own that levels up with them. Couriers also get upgrades with each level, even being able to use items at higher levels, and place wards once they reach level 15 to reveal parts of the map shrouded by fog of war. Couriers will also scale throughout the game, gaining increases to movement, speed, health and gold each minute they contribute to their hero.

 

Map Changes

Once again, the map has been changed, and the Radiant ancient camp moved to the other side of the map. The secret shops have been completely removed and replaced with Outpost buildings that teams can capture to gain vision, a TP location and XP. Additionally, Neutrals now randomly drop one of 62 items, including the new Phoenix Ash, which affords players an extra 5 seconds of life after death.

 

New Strategies

Valve’s hugely successful game was launched in 2013 and since has received dozens of updates that have forced players to adapt to new strategies and tactics. Ranked among the top 4 esports games globally, Dota 2  has over 2 million viewers for its ‘International’ tournament and the biggest prize purse standing at $44.1 million. It also has some of the most well paid players in esports, with annual salaries ranging from $50k to $200k. As such, Ladbrokes’ extensive guide to esports  notes how ‘Dota 2 esports players make up the top 52 competitors in the world in terms of highest overall earnings,’ with 65 of them having already earned over $1 million. With the new update, these very same players will have to adapt to new tactics and strategies to remain competitive.

Here’s why.

Since Dota 2 is based around managing economies and controlling the map. It requires getting as much gold and XP to the right players at the right moment, and this entails knowing where the other team is on the map. Essentially, the new update turns the original concept of the game on its head by making some items drop from monsters and making it easier to negotiate the map while revealing parts of it. Only time will tell how these changes will affect the gameplay loop of Dota 2, but with traditional mechanics replaced or gone, players are calling this an entirely new game.

 

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