Dota 2 introduces ranked team matchmaking, adds Compendium rewards, and interface improvements

Valve has given us improvements to the Dota 2 interface, ranked team matchmaking, and several Compendium rewards following a week of no updates.

Dota 2 user interface update

The Dota 2 interface for the loadout screen has received a really sexy revamp. It still retains much of the previous layout, but with better visuals and improved animations. Check out this video to see what it looks like:

[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEpNgP7idB0[/fve]

We also have a screenshot gallery of the new interface:

Ranked team matchmaking

It’s exactly how it sounds like. You can now enter ranked matchmaking as a team. Note that this is different from queueing as a regular party of five. You actually have to create a team before you get the option to play using the team’s identity, which will prompt the matchmaking system to use the existing matchmaking rank (MMR) of the team instead of individual MMR.

In order to have more flexibility, teams can now have up to seven members, but any roster change will recalculate the team’s MMR based on the MMR of its current members.

Players with accounts below level 13 will not be able to create a team, though they will be able to join one. They also won’t be allowed to participate in ranked team matchmaking. A team queueing for ranked matchmaking will be prioritized to be matched against another team queueing for ranked, but it is still possible to be matched with a full non-team party of five.

Compendium rewards

The International 2014 (TI4) Compendium stretch goal rewards also get an update. Compendium owners will be able to try the Favorite Hero Challenge, which allows them to select a favorite hero from the Compendium and check out the in-game performance analysis tool. There’s also the 1v1 Practice Mode perfect for solo mid players or 1v1 challenge enthusiasts.

If you don’t have TI4 Compendium yet, you can buy one for yourself (or for a friend) for $9.99 here. For Compendium owners looking to level up, you can buy Compendium points here. A percentage of the sales will be added to The International 2014’s prize pool, which is currently $340,000 short of hitting the 22nd and final stretch worth $10 million.

The full list of this week’s update can be found here.