Frostivus Returns!? Arcanas next year, but Dota’s winter event could release soon

Michael Hassall

Michael Hassall

Frostivus, Dota 2’s winter and Christmas-themed event, will return soon according to a new blog post by Valve.

While the 7.34e post-TI patch Dota 2 is perhaps criminally small, Valve did throw Dota fans a crumb of hope with a blog post detailing what’s next - and apparently it’s Frostivus. Details about the winter-themed event, and the delay of new Arcanas until next year, was released in a blog post on Nov. 20, just after the release of the 7.34e patch.

In the post, Valve teased the return of Frostivus “It's the magical year-end event we call Frostivus — looming large on the December calendar, and arriving with a sack stuffed to bursting with new features, new cosmetics, and some surprises.”

Frostivus, a winter and Christmas-themed event, has been missing from Dota 2 since 2019, when it featured the highly-popular Flockheart’s Gamble theme. There have only been five previous Frostivuses. Frostivusi? Frostivi?

Flockheart's Gamble from 2019 was the last Frostivus event (Image via Valve)
Flockheart's Gamble from 2019 was the last Frostivus event (Image via Valve)

Valve also outlined the reasoning behind the delay of their new content: “‘...and the Arcanas?’ little Timmy asks hopefully, holding up his tiny Dickensian gruel bowl. Phew, this is awkward. No, Timmy, not yet. All cards on the table, the event surrounding the Arcanas this year has gained a few more moving parts than we initially planned. Enough that we haven't finished everything yet, and won't this year, but we're looking forward to releasing it in the next few months.”

So yeah, no Arcanas until 2024. Well, I suppose that means Valve didn’t technically lie. 2024 is still after TI.

Even still, it’s exciting to know that a new event is on the horizon. In-game events are some of the best content Dota 2 ever puts out, from the immensely popular Aghanim’s Labyrinth, to Diretide, Siltbreaker, and more, these in-game events are the things that make the game vibrant and exciting. And while the post-TI patch is frankly disappointing, it’s exciting to know that Frostivus is returning to Dota 2 soon.

No release date for Frostivus was provided at the time of writing, although it was implied it would arrive in December, and that it's arrival was "imminent."


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