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Valve are trying to make Dota 2 better for new players

Dota 2 pacifism

Valve are stepping in to try to make new players’ journeys into Dota 2 as painless as possible. In a blog post, Valve acknowledge that “there have also been some issues that caused unnecessary challenges for new players in the past,” and are taking two major steps to combat these issues.

Don’t trust Valve? Here’s our list of the best Dota 2 heroes for beginners.

Getting into a new MOBA is a daunting prospect, and Dota 2 is no exception. Dota currently boasts a roster of more than 110 heroes, all with set roles and unique abilities. If that wasn’t enough to get to grips with, new players also need a working knowledge of the best builds and strategies, meaning a whole lot of knowledge is required to understand the game on even a basic level. Valve’s changes are intended to reduce the amount a new player will have to learn, as well as making sure to show off the best of its community.

The first of these will involve whittling down the available number of heroes from 113 to a group of 20 pre-determined “introductory” characters that Valve have “learned are very successful in helping new players learn and enjoy the game.” Despite its small size, the list is pretty comprehensive, covering most of the important roles in any given game. Carries are covered by heroes like Juggernaut and Sniper, Mages by Zeus, and Supports by Witch Doctor. You can check out the entire list here.

The second step aims to challenge the game’s somewhat infamous community. In order to make sure a new player can have the best experience possible while learning the game, Valve is making sure they’ll be matched against players with consistently high behavior scores.

With The International on the horizon, Valve is clearly hoping that the influx of new players brought in by one of the biggest esports tournaments in the world will be encouraged to stick around with the changes they’re making here.