After seven years Dota 2 finally has a new collab and it's one of the biggest ever, and you can play it right now

Dota 2 used to be an absolute fiend for a good crossover. From Final Fantasy to Fallout, Deus Ex to Darkest Dungeon, Valve's hit MOBA has been inundated with cosmetic goods and iconic announcer packs over the years. Hearing Morty crash out over a Rampage never gets old, but after seven years without a third-party peep, it's certainly time for some new blood in the collab arena. The good news, if you're a Monster Hunter fan, is that Valve and Capcom have banded together to create some pretty sweet in-game goodies for you to craft up. Oh, and it's live right now.

Promising "new sets, new pets, a new in-game hunt and crafting system, and of course monsters," the Dota 2 Monster Hunter collab event has spawned in unceremoniously. Digging into the details, the new collab's headliner comes in the form of six Monster Hunter-themed sets, which can be crafted for free provided you put the time in to grind the required materials through hero hunts (basically, play games, kill heroes, profit).

The basic sets look to be simple enough to attain, but you'll have to really work for the three alternate versions over the three-month event period. Honestly, as far as grind elements go, this is probably the best way to do it. Casuals can comfortably snap up the basics, while the die-hards can go hard for the extra trimmings.

The best part of the crossover isn't the sets, though, as you'll initially be tasked with crafting up your own adorable Palico courier. There's also a pet Poogie in it for you. 'What's a Poogie?' I hear you ask. A Poogie is a tiny pig that wears clothes. It could not be more peak. Your squealy cute Poogie will chill out in your base while you're out on the field, greeting you on your victorious (or, often in my case, disastrous) return.

Tying the event together, we have the Hero Atlas, which acts as a means to track your event progress while delivering lore bites for Dota 2's hero roster, penned by none other than scribe extraordinaire Goodkind. Neat.

If you've got a few bucks going spare, there's also the Expedition Pack, which is itself filled with tons of the good stuff. The big highlight is usable Monster Hunter monsters for Dragon Knight (Rathalos) and Beastmaster (Bullfango), though you'll also gain access to a themed music pack and collection of seasonal sprays, alongside a crafting material bundle to give you a headstart. To top it off, pack havers can craft exclusive variants of hero sets, Palico, and Poogie(!) that boast "custom ambient and Immortal effects."

Considering the dearth of content Dota 2's faced in recent times, this is a pretty huge shadowdrop to say the least. It's easily the largest collab in terms of content that Dota 2's received, and, hopefully, is a potential sign of things to come. Or, you know, we'll have to wait another seven years for the next one.