“Even the land itself is not above being modified,” boast Valve of the map changes they’ve made to Dota 2 overnight. “It’s moving day for Roshan.”
Roshan hasn’t moved far – but in a manner befitting the creepiest of the creeps, the land around him has shifted to accommodate his new location. Elsewhere, patch 6.82 brings changes to couriers, the way match stats are displayed, and the abilities of Bloodseeker and Phantom Lancer. The Rekindled Soul in question is Shadow Fiend – returning with a “frightful” new look.
Roshan’s pit now looks out across the river from a new angle, but he’s every bit as defensive as he was. Valve say we can “count on him defending his territory with the same murderous energies”.
Nearby paths have been rerouted around his den, however – and given that Dota 2’s battles are played out across just the one map, that’s likely to have far-reaching consequences.
What else? Valve have been hearing complaints from carries that they never get to see the couriers they’ve shelled out for – and made a change that ensures everybody’s critters will be seen scurrying across the map from time to time. Even if another teammate buys a courier, it’ll automatically morph into yours when delivering items to you.
Shadow Fiend now looks less like a charcoal smudge and more like the flaming stealer of souls described in the lore. His new Arcana item set imbues him with novel animations, soundbites, icons and spell effects – for a price, obvs.
Bloodseeker’s Bloodbath has been swapped out for Blood Rite – an AOE spell that “baptizes an area in the Blood of the Twins”. And Phantom Lancer has grown two new abilities – a bait-and-switch dodge move named Doppelganger, and Phantom Rush – an enemy-swarming illusory assault.
A new Fight Recap feature, meanwhile, allows for in-depth statistical analysis of those “great battles” that ordinarily “leave only their fading images in your mind”.
That’s the best of it – but there’s more to read about on the Rekindling Soul site. Any bits in particular have you rattled like Roshan on moving day?