The Crownfall update brings in nearly 300,000 players to Dota 2

It's been a week since the Crownfall update came to our screens. Valve hinted at the Crownfall update years ago. Since then, the update has garnered much attention from the Dota 2 community. When the update finally came, the community was disappointed because it did not feature the much-anticipated new hero.

Well-said Sky.
Credits: Valve

Time heals all broken wounds, and the statement stays true. After days had passed, the initial disappointment for the update got washed away. Moreover, the players expressed joy with the return of the Cavern-Crawl event, allowing players to win many skins and items without costing a single dime from their pocket. However, there is an option which will cost them too, which features bonus additional rewards.

Why Players Were Disappointed

Hello Valve, when will Ringmaster come? We are not clowns.
Credits: Valve

When Valve released the update on April 19th, players just looked at the cover of the update without giving much thought to its included components. By looking at the cover, the update was lacking the new hero, Ringmaster, which was one of the major reasons why the Dota 2 community was excited about the update.

The Crownfall Update is a well-thought-out one.
Credits: Valve

Upon seeing the cover of the update, players assumed that Valve had made yet another mistake, similar to what they had done with Battlepass in recent years. Moreover, the Crownfall update was lacking a gameplay update. Certain heroes started running rampant in this meta. As a result, the Dota 2 community got tired of facing the same hero nearly every time in their pubs. However, players were pleasantly surprised after exploring the contents of the Crownfall update, which turned out to be more impressive than expected.

The Impressive Contents Of The Update

This single comic page will tell you all you need to know about the Crownfall update. 
Credits: Valve

The Crownfall update is centred on the lore of two heroes, Vengeful Spirit and Skywraith Mage. It came with the Arcana for each of the two heroes. Additionally, it features a ton of skins and cosmetics, which Valve does not put behind a paywall ( not that Dota 2 players mind paying Valve what's in their wallet). Players will just have to play the Cavern to get them. Moreover, Turbo matches are counted as full matches as well.

Skywrath Mage may have abs and all but he will still get 1-shotted by PA.
Credits: Valve

The Arcanas featured in the update are well-thought-out, with minute details perfectly put in them. Recently, players took to Twitter to point out a cute interaction put in by Valve's development team. When a team wins a match with VS and Sky Arcanas, the heroes will fly off to the corner of the screen. It gives much like Romeo and Juliet vibes. Even Team Liquid's Valorant content creator and streamer, Jonas "AverageJonas" Navarsete, is impressed with the interaction. He stated it was "so cool".

The Acts

The four Acts of the recent Crownfall update.
Image Source: Screen capture from Dota 2 in-game client

The recent update is one of the four acts of the Crownfall updates. Each act could bring new quests for players to embark on to earn new rewards. The Deserts of Druid, The Frosts of Icewrack and The Spires of Skywrath are the acts that are yet to come in future updates. According to some leaks, the next update for the new act could come around mid-May. If these leaks were correct, each act could last for a month.

The Cavern-Crawl-like adventure map of Crownfall.
Image Source: Screen capture of Dota 2 in-game client.

The adventures in the Crownfall update are like a Cavern-crawl, which could hit some veteran players with nostalgia. Valve has also structured it so players can move through the adventures at their own pace to complete each map's challenges and main quests. Additionally, whenever a new act starts, it seems the old act will remain for players to enjoy with the newest additions.

The Return of Players

This image out of context will make some players think twice!
Credits: Valve

The Crownfall update is one of the most anticipated Dota 2 updates in recent years, and numbers do tell. Before the update, there were 625,447 concurrent players. When the update dropped, many long-time players of the MOBA returned to the game. As a result, the numbers spiked to 817,412 players. At its peak, there were 928,198 concurrent players.

Some players state the Crownfall update was an attempted wallet-money grab by Valve. However, Dota 2 players have no issue whatsoever in giving Gaben their money as long as they find the content amusing.

Skywrath Mage in Crownfall before receiving his Arcana.
Credits: Valve

After nearly three years of trial and error, Valve has found something that players are content with. The end of the Crownfall update also aligns perfectly with the start of TI. Hopefully, Valve will learn valuable lessons from the update and implement them in future ones ahead of TI.

Featured Image Source: Valve

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