Mind the gap!
Be careful what you wish for. After clamoring for a new patch to change things up in Dota 2, fans got what they asked for, and more.
The long-awaited Patch 7.33 is anything but a patch. With the massive amount of changes, it almost feels like Dota 3 came early.
The ‘New Frontiers’ had everything: a new enlarged map, dozens of item changes, gigantic change to neutral creeps and even a new matchmaking experience. Pro teams and players have been going nuts and so we have.
The patch log is so long that it will take you 30 minutes to get through it and another 100 games to fully learn the new version. But for now, here are five key things that you need to know before downloading the new version of Dota 2.
1.Map revamp
One of big changes in Dota 2 that most likely will notice is how huge the map is compared to the old version. Valve’s official website wrote that they have made this map 40% wider and added several new objectives that will drastically change the meta compared to previous seasons.
The Twin Gates are now placed near the safelane position which can be used to teleport to the other side more quickly. In addition, there will be Lotus Pools placed near the Twin Gates area, which will make it easier for players to fill up their HP and mana.
But the greatest part of this change is probably The Roshan pits, which are now put in two different places. Depending on the time of day, it will be in either the northwest or southeast part of the map. During the day, it will be on the Radiant side, and at night, it will be on the Dire side. The loot you get from killing Roshan will also depend on where he spawns.
2.New gameplay
There have been a lot of changes and improvements that have made a big difference in how the game is played now. Most items have been nerfed, and some heroes have been moved to the Universal category, where they don’t have a Primary Attribute.
Two popular items in Dota 2, Blink Dagger and Black King Bar, are highlighted in this new patch. For Blink Dagger, damage received from heroes or Roshan, mutes the item for three seconds. Bye bye Tinker.
As for the Black King Bar, which has been a must-have for cores, activation no longer makes you immune to spells. Instead, the Avatar skill now gives a Debuff Immunity effect which gives immunity to pure and reflected damage. BKB also gets an additional 50% Magic Resistance. The changes make the wearer less invincible but still well protected.
Thirty heroes are now in the Universal group. They no longer have the Primary Attribute but each attribute they have gives them 0.6 damage per point. This also changes how the draft works. In Single Draft, you can now choose one hero from each attribute, giving you a total of 4 choices. In Captain’s Draft, the game will pick 7 random heroes from each attribute.
3.Heroes rework
Apart from the new categories and providing adjustments to heroes as usual, Valve has reworked several heroes, including popular picks from the past few months. Heroes like Arc Warden, Clinkz, Alchemist and Ogre Magi now get new ability effects and significant stats adjustments.
4.New items
Seven new items come with the new 7.33 patch. These are Blood Grenade, Diadem, Cornucopia, Pavise, Phlactery, Harpoon and Disperser. Items such as Blood Grenade and Cornucopia have the potential to affect the early game, while the two newest big additions, Harpoon and Disperser, will likely become new favorites, especially in competitive scene.
5.Matchmaking
Aside from heroes and item adjustment, the game’s matchmaking system is something that players are definitely looking forward to. It has finally gotten some attention following complaints from the playerbase.
Valve is now implementing a new algorithm called ‘Glicko’, which is supposed to provide faster and more accurate matches according to the player’s skill level. To make sure the new system is working, players will be placed into a sort of calibration mode based on their previous rank. Calibration will now be based on the Rank Confidence level above a certain threshold.
In addition, matches no longer have a fixed MMR gain or loss. The final result will be determined by several things, including the Ranks and Rank Confidence of the players, to ensure a fair result. However, Valve promises that there will be a cap in each match so that players won’t end up with negative outcomes.
For the Immortal tier, matches will now be chosen by two captains who can pick eight other players to join their teams. This gives players more confidence going into matches, considering the teams are not decided solely based on MMR.
Go here to learn more about Dota 2 patch 7.33.
