Dota 2 players have been waiting for a new major patch for months since version 7.35 was released in December and Crownfall was supposed to come. However, Valve has other plans and now we don't know when the next major balancing update will come.

With Crownfall Act One: The Markets of Midgate launching on April 18, Dota 2 has gone over 126 days without a main client patch. Many players are fed up with version 7.35 and are ready for the game’s next numbered update, though it’s still a long way from Dota 2’s record-breaking content drought of early 2023. With Crownfall set to make up the bulk of Dota 2 content for the coming months, many players are wondering if a balance update will be included alongside one of its features.

With the Crownfall update, Valve is focusing on the gameplay element of Dota 2 and offering players new experiences. This means that the next major gameplay update will likely not be associated with the Crownfall name, although it should be released soon anyway.

Crownfall is different from the New Horizons update, which launched alongside version 7.33 in April 2023. New Horizons marked the beginning of Valve’s new approach to Dota 2 content development, focused on expanding the game with major map changes, items, and other gameplay tweaks. In Valve’s own words, Crownfall is “a new way to tell stories, deliver rewards, and make it more fun to win every game of Dota.” There are still new gameplay additions in Crownfall, but they mostly revolve around lore and the interactive, board game-style map.