While many fans of Valve's Dota 2 MOBA like to refer to major updates as "Dota 3", this time they aren't too far off - Update 7.0 is a massive overhaul of the entire game.

It should come as no surprise to PC gamers that Dota 2 is considered one of the most important titles on the market today. Valve's esports giant has wowed fans the world over with its deeply nuanced MOBA gameplay, and the staggering prize pools for Dota 2's annual The International tournament have garnered the game global news coverage. To many, Dota 2 is a near-perfect example of the genre, and is the only realistic competitor to League of Legends' prominence in the international esports scene.

Near perfect isn't perfect, however, and Valve has shown a willingness to dramatically shake things up in Dota 2 should the company feel the game needs to be improved. The MOBA genre is still PC gaming's best revenue generator, and staying relevant is crucial in maintaining profit margins and pleasing a constantly burgeoning player base. Even still, however, Valve's history of huge patch changes to Dota 2 couldn't possibly have prepared players for Update 7.0, which represents such a drastic shift in the way the game is played that it could very well be called a sequel to the game it is patching.

There is a lot of ground to cover, and the official Update 7.0 patch notes are required reading for dedicated Dota 2 players, but the most immediate change is the inclusion of talent trees. These talent trees are reminiscent of Blizzard's successful Heroes of the Storm game, which has become popular largely due to its accessibility in regards to newer players. In fact, a lot of Update 7.0 appears to be about making Dota 2 more accessible to players with no experience within the genre while also making it easier to transition to the game for players leaving League of Legends or Heroes of the Storm for Valve's take on the MOBA.

Update 7.0 will also see the highly anticipated debut of the Monkey King, a character who looks like a dynamic and innovative addition to Dota 2's already deep gameplay mechanics. The Monkey King will have the ability to climb trees on a given map and also turn into them, which should make for some entertaining highlight reel additions to a game that is already an exciting enough viewing experience that ESPN features Dota 2 fairly regularly.

It's not an understatement to say that Dota 2's Update 7.0 will change the face of Valve's popular MOBA forever, and it is difficult to encapsulate that change here. Anyone interested in the game should make Update 7.0's patch notes required reading, however, and Valve has made a loud statement ahead of the new year that the company is aggressively targeting the MOBA throne in 2017.

Dota 2's Update 7.0 is live now on PC via Steam.

Source: Dota 2 Official Website