Dota 2’s huge new patch came at the worst time possible

Dota 2 Patch 7.33 is finally upon us. The New Frontiers update, which released on April 20, can be summed up as one of the biggest updates in Dota 2 history, and while that may sound exciting, the timing of the patch release could not have been worse. DreamLeague season 19’s group stages have finished and the pro teams who qualified are getting ready for the playoffs on April 22. The release of the new patch at this moment throws a wrench into the teams’ established drafts and playstyles.

The timing of this new patch will force teams to adapt rapidly if they want to take that coveted first-place spot in the DreamLeague tournament. These teams are also on the road to the Berlin Major. This includes the teams who aren’t playing in the DreamLeague tournament and are now preparing for the Major, so we expect to see changes in playstyle from them as well.

Professional players and popular Dota 2 streamers have been playing games on the new patch already, learning its mechanics and trying out new builds. Features such as the Lotus Pools and Roshan’s traversal across the map via the new portals have caught players off guard.

There have been major hero changes as well that were quickly noticed by players. Apart from the Universal hero type, these changes might propel the heroes back into the meta again and we will probably see them pop up in the DreamLeague playoffs. On the flip side, other changes might knock current heroes out of the meta and we might see less of them, affecting the overall state of the game.

While there have been additions made to the game, some features have been removed, also affecting the meta. One major noticeable change was done to Wraith Pact, an item that was integral to the TI11 meta, completely removed from the game. Most players have been unanimously happy about this change since nobody liked making or playing into Wraith Pact.

Not all item removals were appreciated, however. A support-favored item, the Tome of Knowledge, was also removed from the game and that will cause changes to the overall XP gains. Although, with more neutral camps and the addition of the Wisdom rune, this change seems to be warranted and could be considered a balance change.

As mind-boggling as these changes are, they don’t even account for the major map changes in this patch. Dota 2 mainstay Wykrhm Reddy posted an image of the current map for reference today.

The current state of the game is chaotic right now, and even though teams will struggle to adapt, viewers will have a blast watching some fresh and exciting Dota 2 games. Where the game goes from here will be seen in the weeks to come.