Dota 2 has come a long way since its release in 2013. Initially featuring only hero abilities and their respective stats, the game’s formula has evolved to include Talent trees and other features, along with the recently added Innates and Facets. Now, players are wondering what’s coming next.
“What’s next in Dota‘s evolution?” asked a player in a July 14 Reddit thread, highlighting how far the game has come from its original design. Aghanim’s Scepter now works on nearly every hero. Neutral items can give heroes game-changing abilities, and the Innate abilities and Facets introduced in Update 7.36 have completely reshaped the Dota experience. Dota 2 is no stranger to drastic changes, and its chief designer, IceFrog is known for being more daring than developers at Riot Games, leading players in the thread to theorize what wild updates might come next.
“Lane creep upgrades,” one player suggested, will be the next big thing in Dota 2. Come to think of it, that would make some split-pushing heroes like Nature’s Prophet a true nightmare. Imagine them teleporting around the map to spawn Treants while simultaneously commanding a legion of upgraded lane creeps. “That would be pretty cool,” one player thought, suggesting these upgrades could be purchased for lots of gold, so players in the late game would have something to spend their money on.
Another player speculated that “a new hero” might come along. Others quickly pointed out they were “asking too much” since Dota 2 rarely receives new additions to its roster. Valve did tease a new hero, Ringmaster, several months ago, though when it will be released is anyone’s guess. The company is quite secretive about their projects (except for Deadlock; they let that into the wild without much fanfare), and Ringmaster is no exception.
Whatever IceFrog and the developers at Valve decide, it’s bound to be a chaotic, dramatic, and controversial addition or update that will reshape the face of Dota 2. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time.