Image: Valve Software
A ban wave targeting smurfs and win trades was also unleashed, improving matchmaking quality just in time for the holidays.
The holiday season has officially arrived in Dota 2! Developer Valve Software has released this year's Frostivus update on Thursday (December 19), bringing plenty of exciting new content to explore, including an all-new treasure and a special event. Additionally, Valve has another wave of bans that punishes smurfs and win traders, who have long polluted the game.
Read all about the Frostivus update below!
New treasure: Winter 2024 Heroes’ Hoard
A chilling new treasure, the Winter 2024 Heroes' Hoard, has arrived in Dota 2! This treasure features a collection of exciting items, including new hero sets, Immortal items, taunts, a new pet, and more! Available in the Crownfall store, you can use Crownfall Store Coins to purchase the treasure and enjoy valuable discounts.
The Winter 2024 Heroes' Hoard includes 17 hero sets for a variety of heroes, including Oracle, Faceless Void, Bounty Hunter, Muerta, and more. Additionally, it offers rare sets, listed as follows:
- Rare – Shadow Demon
- Rare – Dark Willow
- Very Rare – Venomancer
- Ultra Rare – Windranger + Free Arcana!
New Frostivus Forge event and the Maiden's Fable comic
Frostivus Forge offers tiered rewards that you can unlock by collecting Festive Infusions. These Infusions are four unique items you can earn by completing everyday Dota 2 activities, such as collecting a bounty rune or getting a kill in-game! All tiers, except for the Premium Tier, are free and can be easily unlocked simply by playing Dota 2.
All players in-game now start with a stylish Frostivus hat atop their heroes. You can steal hats from the enemy using the new "Spirit of Frostivus" ability, which has a channeling time of about 3 seconds. Alternatively, you can steal hats by killing your enemies.
Once you steal a hat, it stacks on top of your own. The more hats you steal, the higher your stack grows! You can also share your hat stacks with an ally.
During the MVP showcase, you’ll be able to see your hat tally and the growing pile of hats atop your hero — a perfect bragging right for the frosty season.
For lore enthusiasts, a new comic is now available in the Dota 2 client for your enjoyment! The Maiden’s Fables is a ten-page comic that reveals the backstory of how the Frostivus Hats came to life. Flip through the pages and immerse yourself in the Frostivus story!
End-of-year bonuses
As we approach the end of the year, Valve has also introduced exciting sales to celebrate the season. The Crownfall store is now filled with a wide range of discounts. You can unlock side quests, purchase the Vengeful Spirit and Skywrath Arcanas, along with many other items, all at a bargain.
Last but certainly not least, Valve has taken action against the growing issue of smurfing, boosting, win trading, and other forms of MMR manipulation. This has been a major concern not only for regular players but also within the high-ranked community. In response, Valve has banned 65,594 accounts involved in such activities.
What a great way to celebrate the holidays and wrap up the year. Now, let’s go steal some hats!
