Update 12/12/2016: After a series of micro-patches addressing issues found in the test client, the 6.6GB patch is now live in the main client and available for all to play.
Update 12/11/2016: The full notes for the 7.00 patch, titled "The New Journey" are live now, and there are indeed some massive changes to the game. You can read the full list here, but some of the most important things to make note of are:
- As Valve announced earlier this year at The International, The Monkey King has been added to the game. You can view his abilities and ultimate on their own page. Also included with his arrival are a new terrain skin for the game, an "Arcana" grade item, which can change his look depending on various elements.
- Dota 2's user interface has been reworked, freeing up space onscreen so players can see more of the action. Here's what it looks like.
- The pre-match process has also received an overhaul, with several UI and other changes. You can now choose your starting items before the match begins. You can read more about it here.
- Several big gameplay changes have been made, including reworks of old heroes, a branching talent system (like the one in Heroes of the Storm), and small fountains strewn around the map that allow characters to heal and teleport from their base. The map has also been altered. There are tons of small changes you can read up on here.
- A new backpack system lets players complete multi-part items without having to return to base, but does not act as a way to expand the game's current six-item inventory.
- Three heroes (Slardar, Viper, and Enigma) have received model updates, and the game seems to have gotten an overall visual pass (though nothing too drastic).
- Users can now script computer-controlled characters when creating custom game modes, which should allow for a wider range of new modes to be created.
The page is currently unstable, but should be readable once more people hope into the game's test client, which updated today. The changes will be on live servers tomorrow.
Update: Valve has posted a short blog entry stating that the patch will indeed be hitting live servers this Monday. They have also added the trailer to their Youtube channel, which you can find below.
Original Story: At the end of an intense week of Dota 2 matches at The Boston Major, we got to see something we haven't gotten from Valve in a while: a teaser.
After the closing ceremonies, the event rolled a trailer cataloging many of Dota 2's patch numbers. The game is currently on version 6.88f, and many were expecting the reveal of the patch notes for 6.89, which would be the first major patch for the game in several months. The counter eventually rolled right past 6.88, then 6.89, then ended at 7.00, with a countdown timer that expires at 11am CST tomorrow.
IceFrog, Dota 2's mysterious caretaker, used his second-ever Tweet (the first congratulated the winner of the Boston Major on their victory) to reveal that the countdown timer is for when the patch will hit the game's test server for some initial tire-kicking before hitting the main server.
When the patch will go live on the main client remains to be seen: It can be a day or a week, depending on how stable the patch is.
When the official notes do hit, we'll update this post highlighting some of the major changes.
[Source: Dota 2]
Our Take
This is going to sound like the silliest thing, but the leap from 6.88 to 7.00 suggests major changes unlike those of even previous patches, which do tend to make substantial alterations to the game's map, heroes, and structure. Who knows if titling the counter to "7.00" is just a way to hype up this current patch, or if it will indeed make changes that will redefine the game for years to come. We'll find out tomorrow!