Discover the new features, changes, and additions in Dota 2's New Frontiers update, including a new map, gameplay alterations, and more.
By: Shaun Savage - Last Updated:
Dota 2 players are in for a treat as the New Frontiers update brings a host of changes, including a new map, gameplay updates, and various other enhancements. The update boasts a significantly expanded Dota map, with 40% more terrain and fully reconfigured main jungles. These changes are designed to open up new strategic possibilities and resource-gathering opportunities. We are rounding up a lot of what has been changed, but you should probably head to the full post by Valve for all the details.
Roshan, the formidable neutral monster, has moved into two new pits in the northwest and southeast corners of the map. Players will find him tankier than ever, with altered loot drops depending on the pit he’s in. In addition, two gates now connect the map’s corners, enabling instant teleportation from one edge to the other.
Players can now find Lotus Pools on the map, which spawn fruit granting HP and mana. These fruits can be combined into larger, more valuable versions as the game progresses. New neutral creep camps, Tormentors, spawn near each base after 20 minutes, offering Aghanim’s Shards as a reward for defeating them. Watchers also make their debut, granting vision over specific areas when activated.
Other new features include Defender’s Gates, which function as force-fielded back doors to bases; Wisdom Runes, which grant XP boosts when collected; and Shield Runes, providing a barrier based on a hero’s max HP. The expanded map also includes 12 new creep camps and two new Outposts, providing more strategic options for players.
The update introduces major gameplay changes as well, such as the new Universal hero attribute type, a reworked Black King Bar, and revised neutral item drops. Neutral creeps and their abilities will now scale over time, and the kill formula has been altered to make early game kills more impactful. Additionally, the duration of almost every disable in the game has been reduced, allowing players to spend more time actively playing their heroes.
HERO HIGHLIGHTS
Muerta
- Added to Captains Mode
- Received Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard
- Dead Shot: Ricochet Fear Duration decreased
- The Calling: Silence Duration decreased, and Duration decreased
- Pierce the Veil: Now upgradable by Aghanim’s Shard
- Parting Shot: New ability granted by Aghanim’s Scepter
Clinkz
- Base Damage increased
- Base Strength increased
- Searing Arrows Ability removed
- Strafe: New basic ability
- Tar Bomb: New basic ability
- Death Pact: Now a basic ability, with changes
- Skeleton Walk: Now an ultimate ability, with changes
- Burning Barrage: Now granted by Aghanim’s Shard
Arc Warden
- All Tempest Double’s abilities replaced with ‘Tempest’ versions of Arc Warden’s abilities
- Flux: Tempest version has higher damage but lower movement speed penalty
- Magnetic Field: Tempest version provides additional bonuses
- Spark Wraith: Tempest version has changes to activation delay, Wraith movement speed, slow duration, and damage
Ogre Magi
- Primary Attribute changed to Strength
- Strength gain increased
- Base Intelligence decreased
- Intelligence gain decreased
- Dumb Luck: New innate ability
- Fireblast: Stun Duration decreased
- Unrefined Fireblast: Stun Duration decreased
Medusa
- Base Strength decreased
- Strength gain decreased
- Intelligence gain increased
- Mystic Snake: Mana Cost decreased, Scepter Stone Base Duration decreased
- Mana Shield: Ability reworked
- Stone Gaze: Stone Form duration decreased
Alchemist
- Acid Spray: Cast Point improved, Cooldown decreased, Mana Cost decreased, Duration decreased, Damage per second increased
- Unstable Concoction: Max Stun Duration decreased
- Greevil’s Greed: Now an innate ability
- Corrosive Weaponry: New basic passive ability
- Chemical Rage: Bonus Health Regen increased
NEW ITEMS
- Blood Grenade
- Diadem
- Cornucopia
- Pavise
- Phylactery
- Harpoon
- Disperser
NEW NEUTRAL ITEMS
- Duelist Gloves (Tier 1)
- Spark of Courage (Tier 1)
- Soul Stone (Tier 2)
- Mantle of the Archmage (Tier 2)
- Maelstrom of the Stormcrafter (Tier 3)
- Arcane Vortex (Tier 4)
- The Eldritch Tome (Tier 4)
GENERAL UPDATES
Map Adjustments
Map has been reworked, with expansions on all four sides, new paths, and objectives.
Introducing Twin Gates: two portals placed in the map’s corners that allow players to teleport to the other after a 3-second channel.
Roshan pit removed from the river and replaced with two pits in the map’s corners. Roshan now moves between pits using the Twin Gates as day and night cycles change, staying on the Radiant side during daytime and Dire during nighttime. Roshan gains 200 bonus movement speed, phased movement, and a 200 magic damage knockback while relocating. The current Roshan pit is indicated on the minimap.
Roshan no longer drops Aghanim’s Shard after the second defeat, now dropping Cheese instead. From the third defeat onwards, Roshan drops Aghanim’s Scepter when killed on the Radiant side and Refresher Shard on the Dire side. Roshan’s HP increase per minute raised from 115 to 130, and base armor increased from 20 to 30.
Two Tormentor mini-bosses have been added behind the Offlane areas, spawning at 20:00. Tormentors have 1 Health, 20 Armor, 55% Magic Resistance, and a 2500 Damage Barrier that regenerates at 100 HP/s, with a 250 gold bounty. While Tormentors don’t attack or move, they reflect 70% of received damage as Magical damage, distributed evenly among heroes within a 1200 radius. Illusions take 200% damage. Destroying a Tormentor grants an Aghanim’s Shard buff to the two lowest net worth allied heroes without a Shard. If all heroes possess an Aghanim’s Shard, destroying a Tormentor yields 280 gold and 280 experience for each hero. Tormentors respawn every 10 minutes after defeat, each time increasing their barrier regen by 100 HP/s and damage reflection by 20%.
Two new alternate exit paths have been added near the Offlane Tier 3 towers, connecting to the area where Tormentor spawns. These entrances/exits are exclusive to the base team they’re located in.
Power Runes will not repeat until all different runes have appeared. The first rune of the next cycle is always different from the last rune of the previous cycle. A new Power Rune, Shield Rune, has been introduced, granting a barrier equal to 50% of the user’s max HP for 75 seconds.
A new special Wisdom Rune appears in two new spots at the edges of the map on the Offlane, close to T2 towers. They spawn at 7:00 and every 7 minutes after, granting 280 experience per 7 minutes elapsed to the hero that collects it.
Outposts no longer provide experience. Two additional Outposts have been added near the T1 towers and Twin Gates on the Safe lanes. Outposts no longer offer vision or True Sight.
Eight Watchers have been added to the map. Inactive Watchers can be activated by any hero through a 1.5-second channel, providing 800-radius vision over the area for 7 minutes before deactivating and becoming neutral again. An opposing team’s hero can destroy an active Watcher through a 1.5-second channel. Watchers respawn 2 minutes after destruction. Watchers are placed in the center of each main jungle, next to each Roshan pit, in the center of each triangle near the T2 towers, and near the Twin Gates.
This update aims to bring a fresh experience to Dota 2 players, with new strategies and gameplay dynamics to explore. The full list of changes can be found in the official patch notes.
