On december 12 2016, Valve launched the latest update for its trademark game, Dota 2, and with it came a complete overhaul of the game UI, as well as new mechanics and features, which include the following:
New HUD
Redesigned interface thought on helping players get a better understanding of hero attributes, skills and talents, as well improving the view of the game world.
New Hero
New feature - prematch
Talent tree
Status upgrade has been replaced with a new feature called Talent tree. Heroes will be able to get a new talent at levels 10, 15, 20 and 25. These talents upgrade the hero on specific ways, such as ability improvement, status improvement, health or mana increase, among others.
New hero models
Thoughts on new update
7.00 update brings a long awaited renewal for Dota 2, and brings a completely new hero since it's launch on 2013. Despite this, many players (including myself!) can't help but feel that Valve is trying to reach out newer players or convince players from other MOBA'S to join Dota 2 using a more generic MOBA approach. This would be a wise move, considering Dota 2 current standing on the MOBA marketshare.
Some new features feel similar or maybe even ripped off from its competitors. One such feature is the pre-match screen, showing each team heroes and players, a feature that has been present in League of Legends since its launching.
Dota 2 new pre-match screen
League of Legends pre-match screen
On the other hand, the new Talent tree system also feels similar to League of Legends' summoner spells. Dota 2 game map has also been changed; a notorious change is Roshan's pit new location, which is also on a similar spot as LOL's Roshan counterpart, Baron Nashor.
Conclussion
Personally, I think Valve has made a smart move with this new update. Clearly, a lot of the changes made serve the purpose of make Dota 2 more appealing to newer players or players from the most played MOBA and DOTA 2 direct competitor, League of Legends, while at the same time making Dota 2 feel fresh and new. Let's hope more players join this amazing MOBA, and of course all Steemers are invited to join and have fun.
