Dota 2’s Crownfall is finally here, but it’s not what anyone expected

Just hours after teasing a lore-filled comic, Valve finally unleashed the Crownfall update for Dota 2, though it wasn’t quite the earth-shattering arrival many players anticipated.

While excitement ran high for new hero Ringmaster, major gameplay changes, and an in-game event, the initial rollout of Crownfall—dubbed “The Markets of Midgate”—seems to be more focused on skins and cosmetics. The update delivers on the promised Arcana skins for Skywrath Mage and Vengeful Spirit, alongside a battle pass-like feature and a treasure trove of cosmetics. But, the new hero, an event like Aghanim’s Labyrinth, and significant gameplay adjustments weren’t included in Crownfall.

However, as players scrolled toward the bottom of Dota 2 Crownfall landing page, a glimmer of hope emerged. Valve labeled this release “Act One” of Crownfall, hinting at what could be a multi-part rollout. Act Two, “The Deserts of Druud,” is expected in mid-May, while Acts Three and Four remain “locked” for the foreseeable future.

Unsurprisingly, the Dota 2 community reacted with a mix of emotions. Memes with the phrase “Clownfall” began circulating, reflecting disappointment at the lack of promised content.  Frustration with Valve’s release strategy is also evident, with most comments highlighting the long wait since the last major gameplay patch in December 2023.

Back in 2023, Valve withdrew from making battle passes for The International, deciding against crowdfunding the tournament’s prize pool. The TI12 pass replacement turned out to be disrespectfıl to Dota 2 players, but the developer promised to use its newly-found free time to roll out more meaningful changes and updates.

Since promising to take better care of the game, however, Valve only shipped quality-of-life updates with close to zero content included in the patches. Considering Valve isn’t developing any triple-A games right now, many see this lack of Dota 2 effort as getting out of hand, especially considering the stagnant meta.

Today’s Dota 2 Crownfall update requires a 1.5GB download.