Update: The Dota 2 blog has been updated with news on exactly what this mode entails. In short, you and your friends will enter in battle against the Year Beast using a selection of new weapons and items. Each Ingot you’ve amassed through play since the New Bloom Festival started equates to 40 Gold in the mode itself. Once you’ve got your items you can take on the Year Beast and deal as much damage as you can. More damage equates to more Jade Tokens to be spent on cosmetic goodies, and those groups that do the best will get further rewards. Those who do within the top 10% of damage will get the Redhoof Courier, and those within the top 1% will get the Jadehoof courier.
Probably for the best, then, that you can also practice fighting the Year Beast so that you can work out how best to take him on…
Original story: A 250MB patch has just hit Dota 2, seemingly adding in the YEAR BEAST and the ability to battle him. For, ooh, the next 24 hours.
As was sort-of implied, this is a timed event. As far as I can gather this will be the first opportunity you’ll have to fight him, but there will presumably be at least one more before the New Bloom Festival ends. I may write up another newspost later tonight when I have a better idea of what fighting him actually entails.
However! This patch contains more than that. Barring a few fixes for cosmetic issues, some inaccurate information in tooltips, and some issues making Phoenix and Terrorblade more rubbish than they should be (Sun Ray healing for less than it should, and Terrorblade’s illusions taking more damage than they should) there are some handy-dandy new Alt-click features. Alt+Ctrl clicking an enemy hero in the top bar informs your team that they have returned, and Alt-clicking an item in the shop tells your team that you’re going to buy it. Should make it easier to decide who’s buying Mek, if nothing else.
