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Dota 2 update adds solo matchmaking and all the custom UI’s

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Another week, another patch. Valve are starting to make preparations for the biggest Dota 2 tournament ever, with The International prize purse getting even fatter. A new Interactive Compendium has already added another $200,000 to the 1.6 million dollar prize pool. In this week’s update, Valve have added a new solo matchmaking option. The new queue will only be populated by solo players; cutting out the chance of going head to head against pre made teams. Also in the update: a huge amount of unreleased custom UI’s that have been unearthed in the files.

It’s something that I only experienced the other day. I queue for a match and I’m dismayed to find that our five foes all have the share the same tag. My team on the other hand is a rabble of different skill levels that don’t all share the same native language. Communication is paramount in a game like Dota 2, and the odds were heavily stacked against me.

I lost the game. Hard.

The new solo matchmaking queue should resolve this. You can only queue alone, so pre-made parties are all but exiled. Playing Dota 2 will always be a better experience with friends, but now at least everyone in this matchmaking mode is on equal footing.

Our Cyborgmatt has found some interesting unreleased goodies that should grace us in the near future.

Custom UI’s based on popular heroes such as Axe, Magnus, Anti-Mage, Alchemist, Ancient Apparition, Beastmaster and Natures Prophet are waiting to be added. You will most likely find them in future new chests.

Assets for The International have been discovered too. All the western and eastern qualifier teams and their logos have been implemented into the game. Matt also found a test pennant, which could suggest that they are making a comeback in this years International.

Finally on unreleased hero watch it’s been rather quiet. Legion Commander (who is now a woman) has had some minor tweaks. It’s unclear if Valve will hold off on releasing new heroes until after The International is over, like they did last year.