Icefrog, Dota 2’s head developer, announced on Twitter that Dota 2 will be seeing frequent patches in 2018 compare to the previous years. This is a part of Valve’s action to take a different approach to how the game is going to be updated. So instead of getting a few dramatic patches peppered throughout the year, the game will soon get smaller updates.
“We want to try taking a different approach to how gameplay patches are released,” IceFrog posted in his Twitter account. “Instead of big patches a couple of times a year, we will be releasing small patches every 2 weeks on Thursdays.”
He also added that the developers will also be releasing a new in-game feature which will help players keep track of any recent changes.
Valve confirmed this, stating that updates will come more gradually and consistently, balancing hero stats, abilities, and item powers. These new patches will bring fewer changes than their predecessors but will allow the developers and Valve to address major issues promptly.
For years, Valve has adhered to two-per-year updates to ensure the players had enough time to adapt to the significant changes. However, with this new schedule, all that can change. But we’ll have to see the first patch to get a better idea of how these new patch update schedule will affect the game.
The last update released by Valve was the Spring Cleaning 2018, designed to sweep in a slew of bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements. One of the most notable features in the update is the new type of ban which brings six-month matchmaking bans for players who exhibit a bad attitude.
As of now, neither IceFrog or Valve has confirmed when the first update of the new two-week patch schedule will go live. But it is clear the this latest update from them was an attempt to set the path for the following patches.
Dota 2 is currently available for Microsoft Windows PCs and gaming laptops, as well as for OS X devices.