The long, long wait for the patch notes of the Dueling Fates update is finally over, and the Dota 2 community will soon be cured of its cabin fever. Valve has posted the patch notes for the update, which is due to arrive on Nov. 1, two months after it was first announced at The International 7.
The two new heroes first teased at TI7 now have names. The first is Pangolier—who is, you guessed it, a cross between a pangolin and the archetypal cavalier of the medieval era. Taking inspiration from fairy tale Puss in Boots, the swashbuckling, cape-wearing pangolin slices and rolls his way through his enemies.
The other is Dark Willow, who is actually a fairy. Wielding dark magic that is supposedly “more ancient” than what Dota 2 players are currently used to seeing in-game, she is designed to play kind of like Puck—but with fear mechanics much like Lone Druid’s Savage Roar. Her ultimate, Terrorize, causes enemy heroes to run straight towards their fountain.
As is tradition with newly-released heroes, both Pangolier and Dark Willow will have Immortal-level cosmetics available for purchase.
The update also brings a whole host of new features and mechanics for both the client and the game itself. Most notably, ranked MMR seasons are finally coming to Dota 2, complete with rating resets and league tiers. Seasons will run for six months each, with the very first season beginning two weeks from patch day.
The in-game hero guide system has also been revamped and upgraded, as revealed a few months ago by Team Secret’s director of operations Matthew “Cyborgmatt” Bailey. Each guide will now clearly indicate the role it is made for, as well as the game version that it applies to.
Of course, a huge set of changes to gameplay is also included with the update. There are simply too many minor adjustments like number tweaks, complete hero reworks, and talent changes to list, but there are some seriously crazy ones out there.
For example, there are now five new items to play with. One of them, called the Nullifier, introduces the Mute mechanic to heroes that don’t have it built into their kits, outside of the Mute included with Scythe of Vyse’s Hex ability. Before the addition of Nullifier, Mute could only be applied to heroes through Hex, or by Doom, Disruptor, and Legion Commander’s ultimates.
There’s plenty more in the patch notes for Dota 2 fans to sift through. In fact, this could very well be the largest update in the game’s six-year history. Either way, there’s now lots to look forward to in the coming months.
