DOTA 2 Out of Beta as Valve Begins Slow Rollout

Though Valve's DOTA 2 has been in beta for a while now, the developer gave no hint about when the multiplayer online battle arena game would be available to the public. Late Tuesday, the beta concluded, and Valve quietly began releasing the free-to-play game to everyone.

While DOTA 2 is now technically available, Valve is taking its time with the release to ensure as smooth a launch as possible. According to the game's official site, DOTA 2 has the largest user-base of any Valve game ever. As a result, the company has been fine-tuning the back-end infrastructure and new user experience to make the transition of all the additional new players easy on both the servers and the existing players.

For now, unless you've already been participating in the beta, the only way to get into the game is by signing up and waiting in the launch queue for your chance to join in on the fun. Valve has set up a tutorial for new players, which will be followed by matches against AI opponents. Once you've mastered all the basics of DOTA 2, you'll be allowed to enter public matchmaking, which Valve has tuned to make sure you'll be playing against others of your skill level. A party system will also allow you to play with friends if you want.

In true Valve fashion, the developer also added that just because the game was being released doesn't mean it's done working on adding new characters or features. DOTA 2 will be an ongoing process, and its sure to be one MOBA fans flock to in droves.

Have you already signed up to get your copy?