Dota 2: The Beta is Over!

Gather, ye masochistic ragefiends, and rejoice! Initially limiting the number of players who can rush through the free-to-play gates, Valve has finally and officially released DoTA 2 for the masses. Not that anyone who wanted to couldn’t get a beta key easily enough, but all the major elements for the full experience are now in place. It’s here, and it’s done. And although, like any other game of its class, it will never be done, the game has at last reached full maturity and is ready for the big, bad world.

According to the Dota 2 Release FAQ, new players will only be given access to the game “in batches”. No word on the exact frequency, but it should be a steady process. It’s sounding more like Valve wants to gauge the influx as it comes, as to efficiently allocate servers. Currently, they’re expecting to host 450,000 new players. But otherwise not much has really changed. No patch or content accompanies the release, but it’s still a momentous development in the history of one of eSports’ biggest and brightest.

In order to accommodate these newcomers, Valve has made certain that their new tutorial (soon-to-be tutorials, hopefully) are up and running. Bot games are a great place to practice and find a hero that’s right for you. There’s still no word on the much needed “Play With a Mentor” feature, but for the time being it’s about as easy as it’s going to get for a game with such a high learning curve.

So, for those already in battle, nothing to worry about save for a surge of newer players. For those seeking to join DoTA 2, however, there may be a bit of a delay. This will almost certainly depend on how many new players will appear in the coming week, but only time will tell.