Dota 2 getting two new playable heroes and coaching system

Valve has announced a new major update to its multiplayer game Dota 2. Named the Three Spirits Update, it's quite a large one, and adds a bunch of new things into the game, including two new playable characters—the Earth Spirit and the Ember Spirit. The third titular spirit—the Storm Spirit—has been in the game for some time now.

Other than the new characters, Valve is hoping that the update will make the game more accessible thanks to the inclusion of a new Coaching System. The coaching system will allow players to offer their knowledge and expertise of the game to new players to teach them the game. New players can use the system to ask an experienced player for help. The coaching system can be used in matchmaking, private lobbies or even bot matches.

Ember Spirit is one of the new playable heroes in the update

Coaches have a lot of tools, such as being able to jump into the perspective of a student to see what they're seeing. They can also draw on the ground and mini-map to guide them, as well as ping on the HUD to explain the game's mechanics. Coaches can take on three students at the same time. Multiple coaches can also coordinate on teaching a single student.

Other additions in the update are relatively minor ones, such as the ability to socket your cosmetic items with gems for some added personalisation. Inserting a Kinetic Gem into a sword, for example, adds unique animations to it. Adding a Prismatic or Ethereal Gem to a courier makes it glow in new colours and particle effects. Professional tournament players can also sign a tournament item with their Autograph Rune. Each item can hold up to five gems, and players can pick which ones should be active at the time.

Along with the update, Valve has also finally added Diretide into the game. Despite being a bit late, since it is essentially a special Halloween event, the addition of Diretide is a welcome addition to the game since it drastically changes how the core gameplay works, introducing Halloween-centric mechanics.

The update will go live tomorrow, and will automatically make its way to your game when you start up Steam. Dota 2 is a free-to-play game and is currently available on Windows, Linux and Mac. Check out our review.