Dota 2’s next huge patch will actually be perfectly timed, for once

Valve is not known for putting out Dota 2 updates at the best times for its competitive community, but the developers are working to put the next big patch out just in time for teams to try one last time to qualify for The International 12. 

With TI12 on the horizon, and 12 teams already locked in to compete, only eight spots remain for other rosters still looking to earn their tickets to Seattle this October. 

Those remaining invites will be doled out based on regional performance in six upcoming TI qualifiers, which will pit the remaining teams from every region’s Dota Pro Circuit league against each other. Four regions have one ticket each up for grabs, while Western Europe and China will send two additional representatives to Dota’s biggest stage. 

You can already see the ripples of preparation hitting those teams as some shuffle their rosters ahead of TI qualifiers starting for some regions on Aug. 17, but at least they know that Valve won’t be dropping a brand new patch during the event this time. 

Late yesterday, Valve pushed update 7.33e live to servers, essentially nuking many of the heroes that dominated the Bali Major and pubs over the last few weeks. Along with that, the developers confirmed 7.34 will release within a month so it is out ahead of TI qualifiers. 

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This is a nice surprise from Valve since the company is notorious for dropping patches at random times and, occasionally, during events. Update 7.33 was released during DrealmLeague Season 19, which led to many of the best teams in the world needing to play competitive matches worth hundreds of thousands of dollars on a completely fresh patch and reworked map. 

Players should also be happy to see a full numbered update coming just four months after the last one, since prior to that, Valve went a full 239 days between versions 7.32 and 7.33—the longest patch drought in Dota 2 history. 

No details about what update 7.34 will contain were shared, but Valve has noted that its updates will be more sizable and varied after pivoting away from the battle pass structure. We might even get a glimpse at the 10th Anniversary content the developers have been teasing.