Rumors about a new Dota 2 patch

Dota 2 patches are rather infrequent. IceFrog likes to majorly update the game around three times per year. In between, we also get around a dozen smaller patches that are designed to balance the game a little bit.

When a big Dota 2 patch is released, everyone gets excited about the new possibilities. A new journey begins to find what works best in the emerging meta. Such moments are rare, but they temporarily bring people back to playing the game. However, rarely do we see a major patch being released right before a Dota Pro Circuit Major.

The rumors

Over the last 10 days, a number of prominent teams and Dota 2 personalities have been posting alleged leaks about the next big Dota 2 match, which according to them is supposed to be released on April 20. Unlikely as it may seem, the rumors might prove to be true. Unless, of course, everyone is trolling.

Some say that the new patch will be 7.33, while others claim that it will be called 8.00. Everyone remembers Dota 2 patch 7.00, which changed the game forever. This patch introduced a lot of new concepts and items. For someone who missed that patch, which came in December 2016, the new Dota 2 would feel like a completely new game.

We’re effectively playing Dota 3 right now. We just don’t know it. Dota 2 patch 8.00 could bring about Dota 4. But it’s not likely to happen. Epic patches require a very long time to implement and test before they can be released.

What a new Dota 2 patch would mean

Dota 2 is not a simple game. When you change something, lots of other things must change as well. The number of interactions is enormous and there are plenty of spells that can be combined to reveal existing bugs.

Unless IceFrog and his team test everything thoroughly before launching a new patch, the game risks being unstable. In pubs, that’s not a complete disaster. But in professional tournaments it definitely is. Because it makes the game look unpolished.

A new Dota 2 patch would imply a completely new meta. Given that the second Dota 2 Major of the season is just several weeks away, this could easily mean that some of the world’s best teams will no longer be as strong as they are now.

The teams who happen to find the best strategies will dominate the professional scene, at least for the first few months.

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