Dota 2 has seen months without an update, and players are beginning to become restless waiting for the next gameplay patch.
Although Dota 2 is in a decent spot, the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) genre can quickly become stale. Updates to gameplay, maps, items, and heroes are a requirement for the games in this genre to remain balanced and avoid becoming boring. Crownfall and Frostivus events in Dota 2 have been a welcome addition, but players are now clambering for an update.
“It has been 84 years”: The Dota 2 balance patch drought enters its third month
It may not be an exact number, but this is exactly how it feels for players within Dota 2 currently. In actuality, it has only been around two months since 7.37e was released, while the original 7.37 patch came all the way back on July 31, 2024. With a new year of tournaments now underway, it seems as though players are beginning to get restless with the current state of the game.
Appreciation all round for Crownfall and Frostivus, but this game really needs a 7.38 gameplay patch. Even a lettered patch was over two months ago. 7.37e may have shifted things slightly, but meta feels really stale.
Many other players have echoed this sentiment, which begs the question of when will Valve answer.
Previously we have had some rather lengthy periods without a patch. But with Crownfall still running until early February, players are estimating that we will only see a new patch in March or April.
If that is true, we would be waiting a massive nine months for a new 'number' patch or four months after the latest 'letter patch'. It is reasonable for players to be getting a bit annoyed at the wait, especially with this being one of the absolute longest periods without a major patch.
Players are tired of Lina and Shadowfiend dominating, while also patiently awaiting the facets for Ringmaster and Kez, which still have not arrived.
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Tinkering with Tinker
According to theories on the Dota 2 sub-Reddit, Tinker may also have a new facet arriving with patch 7.38 – with his Heat Seeking Rockets returning. When facets and innate abilities came to the game back in May 2024, the world of Dota 2 changed. Patch 7.36 saw Tinker losing his Heat Seeking Rockets and gaining back his old March of the Machines ability. Since then, Tinker has been through the wringer with nerfs and changes constantly aimed at stopping it from being an absolute powerhouse.
Tinker is getting Heat-Seeking Missiles reintroduced as Facet next patch.
However, this theory should be taken with a grain of salt, as we are unsure if it is true or not just yet. But, should it be true, that would mean that a massive patch is in the works for the future of the game.
With Valve generally not giving much information about their patch dates ahead of time, fans can only speculate about the dates. All we can hope for is that we get some kind of letter patch to tide us over soon, or that 7.38 gets announced in the coming weeks with a date behind it.
Right now, even though players are voicing their concerns Dota 2 continues to do well by the numbers, peaking at nearly 720,000 players at one point over the past month.
As FISSURE PLAYGROUND is currently ongoing and further Dota 2 tournaments coming throughout the next few months, a patch would be fantastic for changing up the meta.
For all the latest Dota 2 news and information, stay tuned to esports.gg.
