Dota Plus Spring 2024, Dota Labs and Better Connectivity

Dota 2

6 Mar

Ryan Antony Bernard

Valve has introduced a new Spring 2024 update for the Dota 2 community. The update brings us new treasures to unlock while giving all Dota 2 players access to new experimental features to help the developers with their trial-and-error process.

And finally, they have also figured out how to help players get lower pings and better connectivity. So, without further delay, let's see what the Dota Plus Spring 2024 has in store for us.

Dota Plus Spring 2024 update

Source: Valve
Sir Molestach Irondrill - A Rare Mythical Courier

The update brings a new set of Dota Plus quests to earn up to 115,200 shards during the season, which you can use to purchase new relics and Seasonal Treasure.

Shard Shop

The Spring Treasure 2024 features all new sets for Disruptor, Dark Willow, Spectre, Chaos Knight, Doom, Earth Spirit, Underlord, Nyx Assassin, and also a very rare mythical courier - Sir Molestach Irondrill.

Sets from the Summer Treasure 2022 are available for direct purchase for 15,000 shards each as part of the collection of legacy sets in the Shard Shop.

Guild Rewards

The update has also introduced new guild rewards, making new emoticons, sprays, and chat wheels available to high-scoring guilds.

Silver Tier: Emoticon

Lion_bounce

Rainbow_phoenix

Riki_peaceout

Gold Tier: Spray

Aghanim - Push

Bounty Hunter - Riches

Hoodwink - Acorn

Platinum Tier:

Chat Wheel - "Что это?! Какая жесть!" - This?! What a mess
Chat Wheel - "Ooooh, por dios!" - Oh! My god!
Chat Wheel - "你行你行，你上你上" - You can go, you can go, you go up, you go up

Dota Labs

Dota Labs: Provides experimental features for us to test.

This option is now part of our Settings Menu (Gear Icon on the top left). The developers at Valve have given Dota 2 players access to test experimental features. Depending on our usage and the potential these features provide, they will be added or removed in the future.

Currently, the features include:

Overlay Map

Dota 2 Map Overlay - Experimental feature

Minimap Overlay. Would it help your overall gameplay?

It is a large, transparent version of the minimap, which appears in the center of the screen when a set hotkey is being held down and disappears on hotkey release. Is it helpful for your playstyle? How do you interact with it? What do you wish it did?

Modifier Key Filter Bindings

This new feature allows you to bind modifier keys that, when held, will force your target selection to enemy units, allied units, heroes, or non-heroes. Which targeting methods are the most and least used in practice? What are we missing?

High-Visibility Local Hero Healthbar

High-Visibility Local Hero Healthbar to identify your hero during teamfights.

You may lose sight of your hero in the middle of a chaotic team fight. This option significantly changes the styling and readability of only your hero's nameplate. Does this help, or does it introduce even more visual chaos?

Between the Lanes: Denying Denial of Service

Source: Valve
Between the Lanes: A developer's perspective.

Between the Lanes is a blog feature where the development team talks about the technical side of Dota 2 and the unique encounters they face. This time, the topic is about the Internet, you know, the one we blame when we "accidentally" make a mistake during the game.

Anyway, over the years, Valve has faced many cyber attacks in an attempt to compromise their servers or disrupt gameplay during tournaments. One such incident happened during The International 2015 when DDoS attacks stopped broadcasters from accessing the matches for more than 2 hrs to give live commentary. Though the matches themselves carried on uninterrupted, with millions watching and millions of dollars on the line, Valve couldn't ignore this.

The Solution

Valve tried several methods to deal with DDoS attacks before arriving at one that worked. The solution was to control all the entrances to their network and secure them. They created proxies for traffic and routed every single packet of data transmitted across the network through relays, which authenticated and proxied clients before entering the game server. With the IP address of the servers hidden, hackers won't know where to attack.

Increased Security and Lower Ping

Source: Valve
Steam Datagram Relay: show your ping time and what route is used.

With a virtual private network containing hundreds of global relays and data centers, Valve could choose a shorter route from the client to the game server. This provides every Steam user (not just Dota 2) with lower ping while keeping us safe from DDoS attacks. If you’re using Steam Datagram Relay (SDR), the Steam overlay will show your ping time and what route we’re giving you so you can see how it gets optimized. For a more detailed explanation on how Valve worked to resolve this network issue, click here!

With this Dota Plus Spring 2024, we can enjoy our games with a smoother connection, test new features, and gain new cosmetics for our favorite Dota 2 heroes. Happy Gaming!

Featured Image: Valve