[bliblah]

To be fair, Dota hasn't changed that much since W3 Mod days in terms of overall gameplay, yes there are talents and the map has changed but it's still 5 v 5 , 3 lanes, and you need to destroy the ancient. The only thing that has radically changed since Icefrog joined Valve is how it was monetized by using the Marketplace and cosmetics to rake in huge profits.

I would argue that the "gameplay" part is due largely to Icefrog's influence and philosophy regarding hero designs and reccurring patches.

IMO the game has never been more enjoyable and while I haven't gotten a battle pass since 2016 due to the fact that they have gotten too expensive with little value, this year's is actually really tempting with the new map skin, arcanas, persona, and announcer pack.