Dota 2’s immense New Frontiers update changes mechanics, items, matchmaking, and the map itself
This past weekend saw one of the largest updates for Riot’s MOBA Dota 2 go live, and that’s not just marketing hype; it’s an absolutely immense content patch that changes a broad number of things in the game, from its map to its mechanics.
The name of this update is New Frontiers, which references a map that has grown by 40%, with new locations, reworked jungle lanes, and a number of new points of interest and structures. Another major part of the patch is the introduction of a hero attribute type known as Universal, a new main stat group for existing heroes that grants 0.6 damage from each stat in any attribute, along with new neutral items and some returning neutral items.
New Frontiers has also applied a large rework to matchmaking, with new algorithms to improve clumping for general matchmaking and targeted adjustments to immortal matchmaking, all in an effort to ensure players are fighting on an even keel. Unless they’re not.
The update further adds new HP bar UI elements, adjusts the way neutral item drops work, revamps the Black King Bar, and applies a titanic list of balance changes to items, heroes, and more. The update’s landing page features all of the details, but be ready for an intensive, granular, and very long read.
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