Valve has officially unveiled their Three Spirits update, showing off Storm, Earth and Ember spirits. However, I found the new features to be the most interesting, particularly the coaching option.
According to the announcement, you can teach a friend to play Dota or invite your more experienced buddy to coach you. You can give training in everything from matchmaking and using the lobby, to finer details of the game. There are all sorts of cool tools:
Jump into the eyes of your students to see what they’re seeing, draw on the ground & mini-map to help guide them, and ping elements on their HUD to explain them.
Craft and Socketing have also received major changes, particularly now that each item can hold up to five gems. Please also be advised that this update will change current item prices. As such:
In order to prevent items being purchased at pre-update prices for arbitrage, we are removing all item listings and returning them to their owners. While this removal process is taking place, new items will not be able to be listed on the Steam Community Market.
This update seems focused on UI, community and coaching. What changes are you most excited or perturbed by?
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Last Updated: November 14, 2013
UltimateNinjaPandaDudeGuy
November 14, 2013 at 15:17
SUPER excited for this! Can’t wait to play the new spirits and DireTibe! THX VOLVO FO GIF DIRETIDE!
ToshZA
November 14, 2013 at 15:24
That ember spirit. I gots to try me some of that. The other updates seem quite cool as well, more quality of life updates.
Johan du Preez
November 14, 2013 at 15:54
Sorry for being lazy what does the ember spirits do ?
ToshZA
November 14, 2013 at 15:58
See attached image. (Refresh if needed)
Jean Jordaan
November 15, 2013 at 09:47
That that Ember Spirit is a little OP (IMO). I had a game with him last night, his spells seem a little like its borrowed from other hero’s (Slight of fists is Jugger Ulti) and he has an activate-able “radiance”/magic absorb. That Ulti of his also makes it possible to always have an amazing escape. Place one at fountain and when shit hits the fan teleport to that one, there is also no delay at all, it is an instant thing.
Earth spirit seems a bit lame though.
SargonTheGreatPandaOfAkkad
November 14, 2013 at 16:02
Diretide, yo. Can’t wait.
It’s the Ember Spirit from DotA 1 if I’m not mistaken?
UltimateNinjaPandaDudeGuy
November 14, 2013 at 16:04
I never actually played him in DOTA1. I had my HON phase then 🙁
Can’t wait to try him out!
SargonTheGreatPandaOfAkkad
November 14, 2013 at 16:07
I shall collect candy for Roshan all weekend. All weekend. Someone tell the wife we’ve got a business conference in a country with no cellphone signal or internet! I’ve got it! We’re going to Australia!
UltimateNinjaPandaDudeGuy
November 14, 2013 at 16:16
lol! I am going to park out and get all the items in the WORLD! YES! o/
Matthew Holliday
November 14, 2013 at 16:32
Theyr all from dota 1, the rock one being the most recent.
the majority of players stopped playing around the time ember spirit was introduced though.
SargonTheGreatPandaOfAkkad
November 14, 2013 at 16:34
Thought as much!
Admiral Chief Duke
November 14, 2013 at 15:18
HotS, that’s what is exciting me
Unavengedavo(aka. IceCreamMan)
November 14, 2013 at 15:20
Is it getting you all HoT(S)…
CodeName Tailgunner
November 14, 2013 at 15:25
You cannot simply teach a dota player anything
On a more serious note, brand new heroes sometimes have balance issues and you tend to see these heroes alot, until the next update.
SargonTheGreatPandaOfAkkad
November 14, 2013 at 16:12
All DotA players were born l33t. None were ever noob. Except for noobs. But they’re not really DotA players. They’re all from LoL. Psssht.
Lol.
ToshZA
November 14, 2013 at 16:14
BOOM!
Matthew Holliday
November 14, 2013 at 16:35
the balance updates generally come quite quickly with dota 2 though, the larger imbalances are generally fixed within the same night. with smaller balances coming over the next day or two.
Also, the teaching thing will be totally optional, if someone doesnt wanna be taught, they wont be. its not like we’ll have random people drawing on your screen.
ToshZA
November 14, 2013 at 15:30
Also, where’s Sargon? He needs to coach my nablet behind into pwnage mode. Or get Prozac to do so. 😉 MUAHAHAHA
CodeName Tailgunner
November 14, 2013 at 15:45
Time to become a professional DOTA coach.
R30 per hour anyone?
ToshZA
November 14, 2013 at 15:51
Pfff, as if I’d pay for that. I’d be better than the coach in 5 days anyways. 😉
Ps, yes, I am kidding wrt the 5 days, but not the paying bit.
CodeName Tailgunner
November 14, 2013 at 15:56
Lol, you are probably better as it is.
If I was any good it would be more than R30
But hey if tennis players and golf pros can be professional coaches, why not e-sports?
ToshZA
November 14, 2013 at 16:01
Lol, I’m still a nab, as stated above. I don’t totally suck, but i’m not that good either. 😛
Matthew Holliday
November 14, 2013 at 16:39
Actually, most teams do have coaches, well, to a certain extent, teams have people they talk to about strategy and performance and stuff.
SargonTheGreatPandaOfAkkad
November 14, 2013 at 16:02
You’ll be fine once you get some experience. 🙂
ToshZA
November 14, 2013 at 16:06
You’re gonna send me into the big bad world of solo matchmaking again aren’t you? You big meanie! T_T
SargonTheGreatPandaOfAkkad
November 14, 2013 at 16:10
Nope. You must still play with us. 🙂 But we need to get you some basics for item builds etc. And in the low pubs you’ll get to explore more. The games we make you play are often really brutal. 😛 I kinda feel bad for you learning under that sort of environment. Hahaha.
Edit And, obviously, practice practice practice.
ToshZA
November 14, 2013 at 16:12
No, I prefer the deep end, teaches you more than the casual easy-bot mode of low level pubs. Seriously, easy bots are harder.
SargonTheGreatPandaOfAkkad
November 14, 2013 at 16:13
Ah well. Brutal it is. 😀
CodeName Tailgunner
November 14, 2013 at 16:10
Pro tip –
at start spend all money on suggested crap
Wait and don’t die
Buy boots when able
Proceed to point finger at everyone else when the shit hits the fan. (If at this stage you don’t have boots then you will get flamed and told to delete DOTA)
See Im coaching already
SargonTheGreatPandaOfAkkad
November 14, 2013 at 16:10
LOL!
ToshZA
November 14, 2013 at 16:12
LOL, I think I’m well past that bit. Right @disqus_YCIicGKzx5:disqus ?
SargonTheGreatPandaOfAkkad
November 14, 2013 at 16:15
The wait and don’t die part needs some work.. :: runs ::
😉
ToshZA
November 14, 2013 at 16:17
Yeah but that’s for pussies and LoL players. 😛
CodeName Tailgunner
November 14, 2013 at 16:23
Pro Tip 2
Memorize words like Rambo, and Crazy and phrases like “tower dive” and “gung ho”
Choose randomly from this list every time the finger gets pointed at you when one of your teamies die. Add any number of insulting cuss words as appropriate
When you die the list starts with “lagg” and further includes “deselect” “noob team” and “call mia” In this case there is no limit to the number of cuss words added
And of course the all important “no mana” which somehow works in every situation
ToshZA
November 14, 2013 at 16:28
LOL!
Matthew Holliday
November 14, 2013 at 16:37
shoot me an invite on steam, if im around and not playing, il come annoy you for a bit with the teachers thing.
crit_deviance
ToshZA
November 14, 2013 at 16:39
LOL, won’t be an annoyance. I’ll invite when I get home, thanks. 🙂
thinguy / -Pariah-
SargonTheGreatPandaOfAkkad
November 14, 2013 at 16:05
Zoe. I know you cover a ton of the eSports and what not. But I have a serious gaming question. You may have already stated this elsewhere. But do you play DotA? And what do YOU think of the changes? 😛
Her Highness the Hipster
November 15, 2013 at 11:57
I split my Steam account off of my husband’s a few months back – I’m still over 7k in the queue to get Dota 2 🙁 I think Valve hates me because I’m a Mac user. Don’t want to play on his account, so I’ve been Dota-less, except as a voyeur
Matthew Holliday
November 14, 2013 at 16:31
? ? ?_? ?? GIEF DIRETIDE
hairyknees
November 14, 2013 at 18:49
? ? ?_? ?? GIEF DIRETIDE
DIRETIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 15, 2013 at 11:43
For those who are clueless about diretide.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=194820442#175931