When Valve first released the Compendium patch without any events or skins in September, fans were upset. The developer promised a bigger update would come after TI 2023 ended, though, but the most recent patch announcement suggested otherwise.
In an in-game notification, Valve announced the release date of the patch “7.34e,” the next update on the Dota 2 calendar which will release on Nov. 20. Upon seeing the patch’s name, the Dota 2 community expressed mixed feelings since a letter patch indicates minor balance changes.
Letter patches tend to be follow-ups to major releases in which Valve tries to fine-tune the meta with numeric changes. While these updates can be impactful when it comes to changing the meta, most were anticipating an event, cosmetics, and everything that was missing from the TI 2023 update.
It looks like the highly anticipated cosmetics-focused update might arrive in December since Dota 2’s Workshop Call to Arms initiative ends on Nov. 26. With the help of community votes, it shouldn’t take long for Valve to decide which skins would make it into the game, increasing the odds for a December release.
Valve’s TI12 battle pass replacement was disrespectful to Dota 2 players, and as a result of that, TI 2023’s prize pool flatlined after the disappointing Compendium 2023 update. Following these two developments, Dota 2 players curbed their enthusiasm accordingly, and the community just wants a patch that can spice up the stale meta.
The Dota 2 Patch 7.34 was released at the beginning of August, and both professionals and casual players cracked down on the meta, with some heroes even remaining uncontested at TI 2023. When there are clear favorites in a patch, most matches end up being played with the same pool of heroes, causing fans to get bored eventually.
