Dota 2 'Balance of Power' update brings new hero, items and more

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Valve has finally detailed update 6.86 for Dota 2, following reported leaks earlier this week. Dubbed 'The Balance of Power' update, it ushers in the Arc Warden, a hero you might remember from the original Dota. He's finally made the jump to Dota 2, and as the image above demonstrates, he wields energy in a variety of ways: he can build energy barriers for defence, and even summon duplicates to help out on the field.

The Arc Warden is only a small part of what's new in the patch, though.There's a new desert skin and map for Custom games, as well as a host of tweaks to the main competitive map. These include new camps and paths which "may determine whether your return to the fountain is by means of teleportation or from beyond the veil of the dead", according to the patch blog.

There's a host of new items, tweaks and graphics options, and there are new stats available in the client as well. Check out the full notes here, and stay tuned for some analysis of the patch in coming days.

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Shaun Prescott

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.