14 DAY TRIAL // Valve has just unleashed the special New Bloom Festival 2015 update for Dota 2, which is now available for download via the Steam service, while detailing the new Year Beast Brawl game mode that's going to be unleashed later today in 10-minute batches.
Dota 2 fans have been treated to one of the first big events of the year during the last few days, as Valve has slowly announced many of the different things coming to the popular multiplayer game, from the Winter Wyvern hero to the Crystal Maiden Arcana, the gameplay tweaks, or the New Bloom-themed map.
New Bloom Festival 2015 update for Dota 2 is now live
Now, the actual update that enables all these things is available for download via the Steam service, bringing forth most of the promised enhancements and new additions to the game.
The patch, weighing in at around 287MB, introduces the Winter Wyvern hero, enables the actual Crystal Maiden Arcana item set, and brings forth the themed New Bloom map. Many of the promised new additions to the game, such as the New Bloom soundtrack, not to mention some of the fresh item sets, are also available in the in-game store and can be purchased for use inside the actual experience.
The International 4 Compendium owners will also find in their inventory the reworked voice pack for Spectre at no extra cost.
Year Beast Brawl begins today but there are many catches
After getting some leaked details yesterday, Valve also confirms on its website that Year Beast Brawl is the fresh game mode coming to Dota 2, which sees players work alongside an AI-controlled Year Beast to take down the enemy team.
They can spend ability points that are awarded throughout the game but can also be purchased straight from the in-game store, to upgrade their Year Beasts during a match. At the end of a match, the points are refunded, so don't be afraid to spend them all.
However, the Year Beast Brawl mode will only be available for random 10-minute periods during a day, although Valve promises that it will signal inside the game the start of such a window through a timer that starts one hour before the Brawl begins.
Winning the Year Beast Brawl guarantees players a hero item set that can't be sold but can be gifted to a friend. Losing only nets them 100 Ability Points.
Year Beast Brawl lasts until March 2, so you might want to keep checking Dota 2 in order to snag some of the rewards.