The Dota 2 community was expecting Ring Master and Dota 2 patch 7.36. But instead, they will have to be content with a story event and two new arcanas.
Life often throws surprises at you; and gives you things that you may not be expecting. If you are a regular Dota 2 player, a good chunk of your annual quota of surprises probably comes through the game.
When the Dota 2 community learned that the Crownfall update was coming in mid April, the expectation was this would be the release of the new hero Ring Master, along with Dota 2 patch 7.36. Instead, it is a comic book featuring the story of Vengeful Spirit and Skywrath Mage and an ongoing story based event mode.
To complement the story, the two protagonists have their own new arcana, with each one costing $34.99.
Crownfall Story Event
The story will be comprised of four acts. Currently, only Act I has been released. The remaining acts will be released in the months to come, with earlier acts remaining intact.
Ascension Day
If you are a fan of the lore, this update is bound to get you excited. The 118 page comic termed ‘Ascension Day’ has some amazing artwork. This will definitely motivate SirActionSlacks to make some new Dota 2 LoreGasm videos.
The story event, it isn’t a standalone event or something you can play with friends. Progression depends on you playing regular Dota 2 games.
Overall, it is an underwhelming update with barely anything the average Dota 2 player wants. There is no new gameplay update, no new hero or a PvE mode like Aghanim’s Labyrinth which a lot of players love.
However, there is a slight clue on the last page of the comic that there is more to come soon. The dialogue reads
“We head to Midgate in the morning. I know someone who might help us”.
Is that someone Ring Master?! Or is that too much copium?
Dota 2 player and analyst Dominik “Black^” Reitmeier has a theory that Ring Master is the child of Vengeful Spirit and Skywrath Mage.
ESL One Birmingham is set to begin on April 22nd. If there is any chance that Dota 2 patch 7.36 is to be released before the tournament, it has to be on April 19th to give the professional teams some time to get used to it. But Ring Master may also be released on Saturday, April 20th, as that is when World Circus Day is. At this point though, everything is pure speculation. It won’t be a surprise if the new gameplay patch and Ring Master don’t arrive till after ESL One Birmingham.
