Next Patch Wishlist

A good balance between cosmetic content and balance update is necessary for the health of the game. While there is very little to complain about balance and meta-wise in the current, relatively fresh patch, we, like many others, are waiting for this year’s Crownfall-style event or, perhaps, even a TI Battle Pass. Here are our thoughts on what it could introduce.

Return of the classics

This is a matter of a lot of debate, but previously exclusive Battle Pass Arcanas and Immortals are slowly making their way back into the game. We fully support this approach, as it allows players to get items that are otherwise unobtainable. Maybe they didn’t play Dota back when it was released, or perhaps they now have more disposable income for their hobbies, but the only people getting potentially hurt by it are Dota traders who hoard various items for profit, rather than for enjoyment.

This behaviour is not necessarily problematic and a healthy trading scene isn’t detrimental to the game, but allowing new players to get cosmetics they like is going to create some extra interest, which is necessary for the longevity of the game.

While we are at it, perhaps the ability to unlock alternative styles on some items that were previously tied to the events and battle passes could also be considered. Personally, I still have a Kunkka Immortal from 2017 that I didn’t have the time to unlock back in the day. And it bothers me a lot more than I am willing to admit, despite not playing Kunkka all that often.

Less crawl, more quests!

Another very important change in Crownfall was the “questing” we got. The mini-games weren’t necessarily ground-breaking and some of them were borderline frustrating, but the questline itself was simply superb.

It is hard to have a “plot” in a Multiplayer, session-based game, but the way it was done in Crownfall was definitely a lot more enjoyable than the previous Cavern Crawls we had in Battle Passes. Between comics and party dialogues, it felt like there was something else to play Dota for, as opposed to simply enjoying the gameplay.

Good writing and great artwork takes time and commitment and last year’s comics were very well done. We hope that this is a new standard of quality we can expect from Dota events, as opposed to a glorious one-of.

Maybe less emphasis on mini-games could also save some time and workload. Sand fishing is still a recurring nightmare.

Aghs Labyrinth?

Labyrinth was by far the best custom event we had in Dota, at least in my opinion. It was fun, fresh and surprisingly deep. The market for co-op rogue-likes is also not particularly saturated, so it might even work as an introduction for new players into Dota.

What surprised me recently is that a lot of younger gamers aren’t familiar with the default Dota control scheme. Between RTS becoming a very niche genre and the rise of mobile gaming, the new generation of gamers are simply not accustomed to free camera control from an isometric perspective. Aghs Lab could be a great introduction to the control scheme, so that the potential transition to actual Dota could be made easier.

For Dota veterans it is simply a great way to unwind after ranked or perhaps reconnect with friends who’ve stopped playing actual Dota. The Dota design space is vast and there are definitely other genres custom games can borrow from, so maybe you have some interesting ideas as to what the next custom game could be?

Closing thoughts

As dedicated Dota players, we often overlook the importance of casual game enjoyment and while we wholeheartedly support the game balancing around higher levels of play and updates that make the game deeper and more complex, there is also nothing wrong with making the game simply more fun.

Wandering Waters update, in our opinion, is still underexplored. There are many hero and item combinations that could pop up and become the “new meta” and we feel like this patch is very far from being stale. So perhaps now is the best time to release an event patch or a Battle Pass one?

What are your thoughts on the matter? Would you prefer the next patch to be a balance and meta update, or an event of some sort? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!