The non-existence of 6.89 is not a failure but a strategic ghosting. By late 2015, IceFrog and Valve faced an impossible choice: continue patching the Warcraft III engine, which was limited to a 8MB map size and 20-year-old pathfinding AI, or fully commit to the standalone Dota 2 . The release of Dota 2 Reborn in September 2015, with its custom game support and Source 2 engine, rendered 6.89 redundant. To release a balance patch for the old mod would have fractured the player base—keeping purists anchored to a dying platform while the future demanded migration.
Roshan's pit was moved, and Shrines were added near the Secret Shops for healing and teleportation. dota 6.89
At The International 2016 (TI6), Valve teased the arrival of Monkey King, the first hero not ported from the original DotA. Fans assumed he would headline the 6.89 update. The non-existence of 6
Three extra item slots were added to allow for better inventory management, especially for utility items like wards. To release a balance patch for the old
Rumors and teasers eventually pointed to December 12, 2016 , as the day the patch would drop. 2. The Shift to 7.00: A "Gargantuan" Change