Dota 2 has released a huge New Frontiers update, bringing an expanded map and some major gameplay changes, and we’ve got a look at all the new features.
While the lane locations and sizes remain the same, the terrain on the map has been expanded, resulting in a 40% increase in the size of the new top and bottom jungle areas.
In this area, there are 12 new creep camps and two new outposts. Neutral creeps now scale over time, but drop tokens that provide five neutral item options and can be distributed throughout the raid.
Additionally, Roshan has moved, occupying one of the two pits in the northwest and southeast corners of the map at a time. Roshan’s drops and buffs have been changed to increase her tanking abilities. There are also new Watchers around the map that can be activated for better visual control. If a team kills Roseanne, all Watchers are under their control.
Additionally, new powerful neutral minions known as Tormentors will spawn after 20 minutes and drop Aghanim’s Shards on death – though they will also grow stronger with each respawn.
Many new structures have also been added. There are two gates connecting the corners of the map and allowing players to teleport, and near the Lotus Pools where the creep waves initially clash. Fruit can be collected from these pools, which grant mana and HP when eaten. It can be stored and combined into larger fruit for greater recovery later in the game.
The new Defender’s Gates allow teams to sneak out the base’s back door when the front line is under siege. There are also new Shield Runes in the river, which provide a 50% maximum HP shield, and Wisdom Runes at the edges of the map, which provide experience boosts.
Introduced a new Glicko system for ranked matchmaking, which brings variable MMR buffs, and a redesign of Immortal ranked matchmaking. The kill formula has been reworked to make early kills more rewarding and impactful, and lane minions have less gold scaling.
Additionally, a new main stat group has been added to the game called Universal Heroes. Heroes Muerta, Clinkz, Arc Warden, Ogre Magi, Medusa, and Alchemist have all received substantial rework.
Finally, the Black King Bar item has been redesigned and many new items have been added. There have been numerous UI updates, notably the health visualization, shortened durations for nearly every form of banning in the game, and many other small adjustments to heroes, items, and minions.
For a more detailed overview of each new and added feature, find the announcement post here.