Dota 2's huge New Frontiers update makes the map 40% bigger
Valve has released a significant update to its MOBA Dota 2, called New Frontiers.
It expands the map and makes meaningful gameplay, matchmaking and user interface changes, among many other things.
While the core objectives of the game are the same, with lanes the same distance from each other and win objectives still in the centre of the map, there's 40 percent more terrain, which means there's loads of room to gather resources.
Digging into the detail, both main jungles have been re-jigged, which means vision placement and farming strategies need a rethink. Roshan, who is even tankier, now has two new pits in the northwest and southeast corners of the map.
Elsewhere, two gates now connect the corners of the map near the safe lane towers, which let players teleport instantly from one edge of the map to the other.
The update adds a fourth hero type called Universal. This is a new main stat group that includes existing heroes who gain 0.6 damage from each stat of any attribute. There are big hero balance changes and new items to fuss over, too.
There's a new matchmaking algorithm called Glicko, which, Valve said, should let you «quickly and accurately» get matched with other players at a similar skill level.
As for the UI, health-related info gets an upgrade with this update, with health bar barriers, health bar pips and health costs added.
The extensive — and I mean extensive — patch notes are on the official Dota 2 website.
Read more on eurogamer.net
