Thoughts on the new update

[1776]

I honestly don't even know where to start with this update. Normally I am excited for the big annual updates. Changes the game up a bit in terms of strategy, new eccentric quirks (which is part of the charm for Dota), and the entire meta. But this update... it's going to take months of analysis from all the pros and then for that information to trickle down to the non-pro players such as myself.

I'm reserving judgement for now to see how this plays out. I did notice after my initial read-through of the patch notes, it does seems closer to LoL than the original Dota. The blanket reduction in disable lengths is pretty big. Who knows how this will change the meta over the next few months. I'm tempted to say this will appeal to the League crowd much more. Frenetic action that caters to the TikTok generation of short attention spans but again, I'll wait and see if this pans out to be the case. For all I know, it could be a shot in the arm for Dota that brings new levels of excitement and strategy.

The neutral item changes are interesting. I can see this change cutting down on the selfish play-style of most players. In a perfect world, the previous system would be excellent. The right items would go to the right people without regard for your own personal ambitions but rather the teams. Maybe this token style is necessary to promote a more even balance in solo play where you rely less and less on your teammates. My fear is that this promotes more "alone but together" mentality which used to be antithetical to what Dota was/is.

40% larger map with a lot more camps, xp runes, side fountains, portals to either end, and an additional Roshan. As the months go by, I wonder how many of these additions will become superfluous to the game. They exist but are they necessary? Will the new meta to be only to hit certain camps at certain times and some camps may never be worth it? Only time will tell. The addition of another Roshan is pretty interesting. It reminds me of double boss maps in Heroes of the Storm. I can see it cutting down Roshan advantage being so large and it having an exponential effect on snowballing teams while giving the underdog a better chance to turn things around. Portals to other sides of the map can be a great boon and a great danger. Now both Radiant and Dire safelanes can be ganked by each other. I can see this as a go big or go home strategy for shutting down the opposing carry. Constant vigilance will be a requirement going forward once these options are understood and exploited.

As with hero changes, I suspect balance patches will come fast and hard for the foreseeable future. It's interesting that they included not only game mechanic updates but also hero changes in the same patch. I can't imagine how that adds to the work of balancing gameplay.

For better or for worse, it's an interesting time in Dota history for sure. What are your thoughts on the update or points/counter-points to what I have said in this post?