Release date for the new Dota 2 hero and update 7.29 revealed

In its blog post about the game's updated new player experience, Valve delivered massive spoilers for the next big Dota 2 update. 

The developer announced that the next big update is coming on the Friday after the ONE Esports Singapore Major. This will include both Dota 2 update 7.29 as well as the previously teased new Dota 2 hero. 

“After that, we’re aiming for the Friday following the Singapore Major as the day the next update ships. The 7.29 update will include the next hero as well as a balance-focused gameplay update,” Valve said.

This means that the new Dota 2 hero is set to arrive on April 9.

It’s unclear who the new Dota 2 hero might be, but there is a strong likelihood it will be one of the characters featured in the DOTA: Dragon’s Blood animated series. There are also a number of other possible additions to the game that might be coming in the next Dota 2 update as well.

Who is the next Dota 2 hero?

The most likely candidates to be the new Dota 2 hero are Kaden, Marcie, and Selemene. Each of the three characters are prominently featured in promotional materials for DOTA: Dragon’s Blood and look like they could be interesting additions to the cast.

Kaden is a fellow Dragon Knight alongside established character Davion. He looks to be an older and more jaded foil to the young and cocky Davion in the animated series, and is alluded to in Dota Underlords as being a figure admired by Davion.

Selemene is a familiar name to any longtime Dota 2 player and she’s set to play a major role in DOTA Dragon’s Blood. The Goddess of the Moon is central to the lore of both Mirana and Luna, and could slide into Dota 2.

Marcie is a new character that was created for DOTA: Dragon’s Blood. The silent sidekick of Mirana is shown to be a hard-hitting hero in her own right and it would be interesting to see a character built solely around hand-to-hand combat.

When is Spectre’s arcana coming? 

A major update like this one will likely have a number of other bells and whistles. The most likely addition is the arcana skin for Spectre. 

Spectre won The International 10 Battle Pass Arcana Vote, beating out Faceless Void in the final round. It’s been nearly six months since then and fans are starting to lose patience for its arrival.

Another strong addition to the game would be a new model for Mirana. Alongside Queen of Pain, Mirana has one of the oldest and, arguably, ugliest models in the game. The likes of Shadow Fiend, Drow Ranger, and Slarder have received updates, but the Princess of the Moon has been left looking like an asset pulled from a much older game. Given how Mirana stars in DOTA: Dragon’s Blood, it’s an ideal time to bring Mirana’s model into 2021.

Another possibility is an arcana for Dragon Knight. Davion from DOTA: Dragon’s Blood looks radically different from Dragon Knight from Dota 2 and changing his look based on that could be a good idea to help new fans hop into the game. Dragon Knight’s model could also use an overhaul, and building it around the hero’s DOTA: Dragon’s Blood look would be nice.

Look forward to this patch on April 9.