Ahead of the Dota 2 anime’s release on Netflix, Valve unveiled a ‘New Player Experience’ and guide for players in Update 7.29. Expecting an influx of new players the latest update aims to smooth the entry for everyone.
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New Dota 2 Player Experience Guide
“Overall, different players have different needs, and we’ve found that linear tutorials alone aren’t effective at helping people learn the game,” Valve stated. “Instead, we think a mixture of diverse tools and resources have the greatest potential at helping new players learn based on their specific needs.”
Dota 2 is a complex game with rewarding highs but is also extremely difficult to pick up as a new player. Valve tried to create a new player experience previously but was not successful due to its simplicity. The latest release includes a mixture of diverse tools and resources that have the greatest potential at helping new players learn based on their specific needs.
Update 7.29
Valve hopes the new player experience update in 7.29 and guides will provide gradual learning opportunities instead of dumping all the information on new Dota 2 players.
Streamlined Side Shop
New players get a simplified shop browsing experience that helps avoid information overload. Image Credit: Valve.
The shop now displays a guided experience on exactly what to build. And once a player builds each item shown, it unveils new choices, guiding them step-by-step along the way. With a curated shop telling players exactly what to buy, they can focus on the game with their hero instead of shopping.
This Dota 2 update also adds new default guides for all heroes. Valve collaborated with community members such as “ImmortalFaith” to build a robust new experience.
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The new side shop provides detailed information on what items to build. But players can always switch to the regular item shop when they feel confident in their gameplay. Currently, the sideshop is one of the most complex features in Dota 2. Simplifying the browsing experience is a massive step forward to welcoming new players to the game.
New Player Objectives
A new quest-like system of objectives lets players explore different aspects of the game one at a time in a controlled environment. Players can master specific skills in Dota 2 with these objectives. Some objectives and skills include warding, teleporting, courier control, teamfights, lockdown, or initiation.
It contains a mixture of tutorial scenarios and guides for specific elements of the game, how-tos on features of the client, and different tasks to help everyone learn the ins-and-outs of Dota 2. Valve even gave a special shoutout and integrated the community tutorial from “SirActionSlacks” into the new player experience.
Glossary and New Player Mode
The Dota 2 client will now include a glossary and a New Player Mode in Update 7.29.
“The Glossary breaks down different aspects of Dota into digestible chunks,” Valve said. “You can learn about the basics of heroes and items or towers and creeps, or dig into mechanics ranging from leveling and experience to abilities and status effects.”
This glossary helps new players break down the learning experience into smaller sections. Because of how vast and complex Dota 2 is, it can often be extremely difficult to understand and master in one go. The glossary helps players move at their own pace and find their sweet spot in learning the game.
The new player mode in Dota 2. Image Credit: Valve.
New solo queue players always play against new other solo queue players. They can also quit a game without any penalty and a bot will immediately take their place. This mode features a smaller hero pool and lets players learn the basics of the game.
There are many other features in the latest update, including coaching, a new dashboard, Hero Briefs and in-game wizard tips. Interestingly, smurfing is now a bannable offense in Dota 2 too. Valve will focus on new accounts created after today but manually ban obvious smurf accounts. People who advertise smurfing and boosting services may even face stricter action from the game developer.
Valve’s New Player Experience and guide update released just hours before Netflix’s Dota 2 anime launch. DOTA: Dragon’s Blood is expected to bring in an influx of new players and the latest release is a step in the right direction.
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The next Dota 2 update will feature a new hero along with a plethora of balance updates. Dota 2 7.29 Update releases on April 9.
Written by Rohan Samal
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