Diretide returns with new Halloween skins and game mode

Dota 2 snuck its Halloween event in just before time ran out.

Diretide, one of the original Dota 2 limited-time events, has returned for the first time since 2013. The Halloween game mode has arrived just two days before the holiday, but is robust enough to make up for it. The reveal was made with a trailer that features a good bit of tongue-in-cheek comedy about the history of the event:

Diretide returns in 2020 with new game mode

Diretide 2020 combines the classic event with some of the more modern trimmings that have popped up in Dota 2 in the time since. As one would expect, the centerpiece of Diretide 2020 is the Diretide game mode. This game mode is reminiscent of the one from the original Diretide, but features a few notable changes.

As is tradition, creeps have a chance of dropping candy upon their death, which players collect and store in a bucket. Teams need to both protect their own candy stashes and satiate a roaming Roshan’s sweet tooth in order to win. Instead of winning by blowing up the opponent’s base, teams need to collect the most candy within a round and to win three out of five potential rounds. Diretide also takes place on a new two-lane map that features a distinct look and adds a number of new objectives.

Alongside the Diretide game mode is a collection of The International Battle Pass-style features. Players can collect Diretide points by winning both regular and Diretide games, which rewards players with everything from skins to chat wheel sounds.

There are a number of interesting features pulled from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Keys return to Dota 2 for the first time since 2015, and are used to open up the new Hallowed Chest of the Diretide loot box. Another feature pulled out of CSGO is the Trade Up feature, where players can sacrifice ten items to gain a random item of the next-highest rarity.

Diretide 2020 is set to end on December 22.

This means that players have plenty of opportunity to earn some of the best rewards, which include some of the runners-up from the TI10 Collector’s Cache Call to Arms and new monster-themed skins.