Valve Announces Dota 2 Crossover With Monster Hunter!

After months of (not-so-patient) waiting, Valve has finally blessed us with a new event — a Dota 2 crossover with Monster Hunter! The event starts immediately and runs for three months, giving players a simple goal: fight as much as possible.

After every match, players collect materials to craft rewards using parts gathered from heroes and objectives. All drops from each objective are recorded in The Hero Atlas of the Seven Realms, an artifact created by Goodkind, an elf introduced in the event’s comic.

This isn’t something anyone expected Valve to pull off this holiday season. — Credit: Dota 2

Dota 2 and the Monster Hunter Crossover

The Dota 2 community is famously demanding — and knowing that, Valve created a crossover no one could reasonably complain about (though some still did). In this event, players hunt heroes for materials, just like in Monster Hunter. Okay, but what's the twist? It’s a free-for-all event with an optional paywall.

For the next three months, every match you play contributes to The Hero Atlas of the Seven Realms. Using heroes on either team unlocks parts of their lore, while winning with a hero instantly unlocks its full story in the Atlas.

This will be a long and entertaining journey. I can’t wait to see how far everyone will go. — Credit: Dota 2

At the same time, each hero provides unique ingredients that can be used to craft items from a special list. As soon as you open the event page, you can already craft your first item — a Palico courier. Alongside the courier, the event offers six hero sets and a pet named Poogie (the Piggy).

Every unlocked hero in the Atlas also grants a sticker, similar to those from The International. You can use them creatively to design a fresh, thematic profile for the new season.

The Comic: Axe and Goodkind

After being introduced to The Hero Atlas of the Seven Realms, players can dive into the event’s comic. Axe returns as the unofficial storyteller of Dota 2’s lore, teaming up once again after his Crownfall adventure with Centaur Warrunner last year.

This time, he’s joined by Goodkind, a Wood Elf Quillkin who documents his heroic feats in battle. Unfortunately, Goodkind is despised by his kin but must return home to fulfill a promise he made to a group of fairies — they commissioned him to write ten thousand novels.

These fairies remind me of Nintendo for some reason. Especially the praying mantis. — Credit: Dota 2

In his quest, Goodkind enlists the help of Mssrs. Quibbins, Kerrick, and Mossgrave. Together, they’ll travel across realms, hunting down every Dota 2 hero, legend, and monster to write the novels — and to help players complete the Atlas. The rest of the story unfolds within the Atlas, revealing more as players progress through it.

A Little Extra For Paying Customers

Despite the generous amount of free content, Valve still needs to turn a profit. To that end, they’ve introduced the Expedition Pack, offering premium bonuses for those willing to spend a bit.

The pack includes Poogie the pet, Dragon Knight’s Rathalos Form, and Bullfango as a boar for Beastmaster. Buyers also receive a Monster Hunter-themed music pack, a Spray Pack, and six sets of crafting materials.

There’s a lot of interesting content for both Dota 2 and Monster Hunter fans. — Credit: Dota 2

Additionally, the pack unlocks crafting recipes for set variations, Palico costumes, and Poogie outfits. It’s unclear if these variations can be obtained by playing without the pack, but for now, they appear to be exclusive to Expedition Pack owners.

Closing Thoughts

Even with all the new content, some players complain that this event is just a “reskinned Quartero”. The lack of PvE content, no new hero announcement, and no patch release have also sparked frustration on social media.

While the Dota 2 community’s concerns are valid, history shows that opinions can change. Many players initially criticized Crownfall, but by the end, they loved it and even asked Valve to extend it.

For now, we’ll enjoy what we have and wait for Valve’s next move this holiday season. If you want to stay updated on Dota 2 events, meta changes, patches, and hero guides, visit the news section on the Strafe website!

Featured Image Source: Dota 2