I have been playing Defense of the Ancients or Dota since 2006 – five years. Everyone has a ‘go to’ game that they fondly return to when their heroic exploits in some other fictional universe come to a close. For some, this is Call of Duty, others, World of Warcraft, but no matter how often I tried to encourage myself to move on to a title with more recent detailing, I find myself magnetically drawn back to Warcraft III’s explosively popular and unimaginatively competitive child. Born of a stroke of pure modding genius, Dota is simple in its execution: each of the two teams is home to five players and their selection of a hero categorized by a predominant characteristic of strength, agility, or intelligence. They then occupy one of the map’s three lanes, battling their way to the other team’s starting zone, where their fortress lies in waiting. Destruction of this structure yields victory for the opposing team, and finding victory will require skilled use of your hero’s four spells, upgraded over the course of 25 gained levels, and a bit of luck, all from a birds-eye view. Simple, yes, but the fun doesn’t quite end there. Pitted against these ten players are waves of soldiers that spawn to deter them, towers that deal massive damage when not confronted with care, and opposing players who are of a like-mind. The result is an exciting, unpredictable flow of force back and forth, until one team finds itself at enough of an advantage to press its ground. Work as a team, and be rewarded; work alone, and even a game-winning push can be fatal when handled with callousness.

What’s remarkable about Dota is that there really isn’t any kind of competitive gamer that wouldn’t be drawn to it. Those who seek the opportunity to sit in and wreak some havoc will be well met, but there is a level of perfection to your one lone, little hero that you will only begin to see once you set your eyes on a veteran player. Killing an enemy at precisely the exact moment to land the gold reward, and denying enemy heroes that same delight. Foreseeing a possible group attack, or an enemy hero’s movements, and responding in kind. Beyond the misleading veil of simplicity, and the outdated visuals that the original mod was bound to - visuals that Dota 2 has effortlessly left behind - there is little to distract from how wonderful the game can be.

Fortunately, Valve has stepped up to the challenge of invigorating a fan favourite, ushering a well of life into a dusty title that had been begging for this chance for years. In dousing the game in keen visuals, sparking new life into Dota’s heroes with redesigns and sharp voice acting, and polishing almost all of the game’s core mechanics (without tampering with its proven formula) Dota feels reborn. I can confidently say, even from the beta testing phase, that Valve has secured an amazing treasure of a game into their arsenal. In doing so, they will be rewarded with the loyalty of fans who have been brimming for a chance to see their baby rehashed in a way that does it true justice, and the players will be welcomed back into a familiar world, one that has been revitalized by people who obviously care deeply for the final product. The result, is Dota 2.

What’s truest of Dota 2 is that Valve has begun its efforts by addressing the holes in the original game: finding matches, agonizing visuals, and most importantly, leavers. With Steam at its back, the game now features an enhanced matchmaking system, a slew of sharp, detailed hero designs and voices (and as a nice touch, responses to particular kills, deaths, and situations), and a very forgiving disconnection period that allows players to rejoin a game within a five minute window, less they be branded with an abandonment rather than a win or a loss. This means that when you’re introduced to the four strangers who will be fighting by your side, you can count on them to be there for the duration of the struggle, for better or for worse, even if they should happen to lose their connection for a minute or two.

From there, Valve starts to show off its own additions to the mix. The most notable of these thus far are an achievement system similar to those afforded to other Steam titles, an account progression system based on wins and performance, and a spectator mode that allows players to watch other matches in progress, live. This means study, entertainment, and of course in the foreseeable future, casting. In the meantime, players are sure to enjoy watching matches and experiencing what their favourite heroes are capable of now that they’re back in action, without having to hunt through YouTube to find them.

Take the new shop keeper as an ideal example of how streamlining and improvement have comfortably embraced what already made the game a blast. Gone are the individual shops that were home to the items you once knew. In their place, one shopkeeper occupies all of the shops: the fountain shop, secret shop, and lane shop locations. At the fountain shop, he will sell you any of Dota’s familiar items or recipes, that are now categorized vertically based on their cost, and horizontally based on their effect and long-term value. Not only that, but drag and drop an item that requires multiple ingredients down to your cash corner, and see those items displayed until you’ve purchased them, simply by clicking on them from anywhere on the map - where they will happily greet you when you return home to your stash. Simple, intuitive treats such as this are the pleasantries that will make Dota 2 feel like a whole new ride, and a much smoother one.

Think of Dota 2 not as a sequel, but as a remake. Though Valve has refined the original recipe in a careful and critical way, aside from the remodeling this is definitely the exact same Dota you know and love, or will learn to love. And though the reality is that Valve’s bells and whistles make up the roster of changes you can expect to see, the bells toll loud and the whistles ring true and far. By plugging the holes in frustrating mechanics, and pursuing the long-awaited update to the game’s visuals, Valve has given Dota 2 a unique identity that separates it from its older sibling. It’s travelling down the road to being a perfect refinement of the original, and feels like a game all its own, even if the core objective and the means of getting there are the same.

With a reworked veteran hero being released nearly every Thursday, and Valve mailing out beta invites in generous quantity to those signed up, the only real uncertainty at this point is why you aren’t already signed up to be a part of the beta.