'Dota 2' news: Massive update goes live; new patch introduces major revamp and new character

The much-anticipated "Dota 2" 7.00 patch has been launched, introducing numerous improvements and a new character.

According to reports, the massive update features the Monkey King, a character based on Sun Wukong. He is a melee carry who has a staff that he can slam down to deal damage to enemies in a line. He can also jump from tree to tree, summon a pack of monkeys to attack nearby enemies, and disguise himself from foes. Valve has launched a new comic along with his release which offers new Monkey King-themed items available for purchase.

All characters now have a talent tree that presents players with choices between two rewards upon reaching levels 10, 15, 20, and 25. Everyone receives a backpack they can use to carry three additional items that don't provide any bonuses. Leveling up and gaining gold and experience have been tweaked, and the respawn timer has been decreased.

Additionally, things will be different when getting into a match because the pre-game phase has been altered. The selection screen looks more like the character gallery since it offers a search option as well as filters. Players can expect new information when viewing a character and a team's overall composition. Alt-clicking a character enables a player to recommend it to the rest of the team.

Roshan moved to a new spot, featuring new stats, together with a "Shrine" building type. The said buildings can be activated by their respective team for an aura with 120/40 HP/MP regeneration that spans five seconds. As the game continues, the healing value increases by 2HP/1MP per minute. Aside from the five Shrines in the base, each team also has Shrines placed outside. In terms of the game's heads-up display, the interface has been improved to give players a bigger preview of the map.