What changed in Artifact in 2020

Non-English languages will become available over the course of the Beta.

The first round of invites for Artifact Beta 2.0 has been sent out to players.

The first two areas of focus for the Beta are improving usability and fixing bugs.

Some gameplay modes will be locked during the beta, including tournaments and draft modes, with the tutorial disabled.

Announcement of the transition to Beta 2.0 with gradual invites for players of the original game.

Players of the original game will receive an email to sign up for the Beta, starting with those who purchased before March 30, 2020.

In the new version, cards are unlocked through play, and old decks and stats may not be valid due to changes.

Testing will focus on gameplay, balance, hero identity, color identity, social features, card unlocks, ranked play, replays, spectating, and the campaign.

There will be no sales of cards or packs during the Beta phase.

Prellex can convert a Melee Creep to a Mega Creep upon entering the lane, enhancing tactical options.

Axe remains durable with strong deployment options, and his Culling Blade can eliminate multiple heroes.

The new shop allows for an item deck of 10 cards with no tier restrictions, enhancing gameplay variety.

Equipping Nyctasha's Guard makes a hero a target, requiring strategic timing to use effectively.

Ogre's Multicast ability has been modified to be less predictable, affecting strategic play.

The new version of Claszureme Hourglass is designed to counter heavy card draw strategies.

Items in the shop are drawn from a combined item deck, increasing the variety of items available.

Phase Boots now allow swapping with any slot instead of just an ally, providing more strategic options.

Renamed 'Purchase' and 'Invest' to 'Shop' and 'Earn' to reduce confusion.

Players can now re-roll items for 2 gold, skip shopping for extra gold, and upgrade the shop for reduced costs over turns.

A new item that displaces a unit randomly left or right 1 slot, allowing for strategic positioning.

Item costs have been normalized to 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 gold to reflect their utility in the game.

Most consumables, including Town Portal Scrolls, have been removed from the game.

A new item that provides a strong health buff and spawns Demonic Archers to control lane dynamics.

A new item that enhances lane control and provides significant stat boosts.

Players can vote for one of four new heroes to be added to the beta: Huskar, Snapfire, Arc Warden, or Nyx Assassin.

Keefe's health was recently increased, but it may be too high.

J’Muy can refresh creeps and items with Runic Instigation, making him versatile across colors.

Farvhan can create a creep imbalance with Prowler Vanguard, keeping towers safe. He benefits from Pack Leadership.

Prowler Vanguard's mana cost is likely to decrease to 3.

Keefe can absorb damage and redirect it from soft targets using Reckless Charge. His active ability, Stop Hittin’ Yourself, turns attackers' strengths against them.

A single-player campaign is being developed to teach new players and continue the DOTA story.

Mana costs for low-end and mid-tier cards have been reduced, while high-end cards remain expensive.

Feedback from non-English speaking communities will be addressed regarding hero name localization.

Players will be able to track statistics, match histories, and watch replays.

Feeble allows excess damage dealt to a feeble unit to be transferred to the tower.

All players will unlock cards while playing in any mode, promoting a sense of progression.

A single Mana pool starts at 3 and increases by 1 per turn, affecting gameplay dynamics.

The initiative system has been modified to reduce complexity for new players while maintaining strategic importance.

Players can deploy an additional hero in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, with no restrictions on placement for later deployments.

Heroes are deployed in three stages during the first round, allowing strategic placement based on opponent's choices.

A melee creep is now deployed into the leftmost empty space in each lane before each round.

Armor mechanics and tower health are now dependent on the game mode, differing from the base game.

New rules for deploying heroes and creeps, including bouncing old heroes and destroying creeps.

The board now has 3 lanes with exactly 5 fixed slots each, preventing shifts in unit positions.

Mirana has a standard stat line for a Black Hero with mobility and a powerful card.

Wraith King features a death shield and a powerful reincarnation ability.

A cute item that adds a whimsical touch to gameplay.

A blue creep with a big stat line that can bounce units.

A cheap blocker that can disrupt opponent's strategies.

A unit that can copy both Passive and Active abilities.

Players can now zoom out to access all three lanes at once, reducing the likelihood of being shut out.

Access will be granted to individual accounts, starting with players of the original release, transitioning to an open beta.

A new draft mode that allows players to construct decks without the pressure of facing opponents with stacked decks.