Some other patch has been released for Dota 2 and as compared tothe last one, this one is nearly in most cases targeted on hero stability modifications. Given a fairly confined pool of possible convey heroes, a few nerfs to the prevailing staples and buffs to all different heroes had been expected, but as became nearly usually the case with Dota 2 balance changes, the elaborate heroes didn’t get absolutely obliterated, even as nearly all other includes got really tame buffs.

DARK WILLOW

Enabled Dark Willow in Captain's Mode

That is the first large change of the patch and it opens up plenty of latest ways to play the game. even as records doesn’t necessarily lower back it up, some expert gamers have expressed dissatisfaction with the constraints of the present day pool of professionally viable guide heroes and Mireska is extra than likely to change this.

⋆⋆⋆ GENERAL ⋆⋆⋆

Bounty runes no longer provide XP is a great nerf for many roaming heroes. They have never been a sustainable source of XP income, but they are often used to push multiple heroes from level 2 to level 3, giving them access to extra skills early in the game. Overall, this will probably force players to play on the path a bit more, as it is now impossible to reach level six in a timely manner without participating in the game. The last 10 minutes, however, up to level 6 becomes a bit easier, because Tome of Knowledge now provides XP 40% more. This is the main fan of the item, but overall this change looks a bit heavy. It almost feels like IceFrog wants the purification stage to be more than the last 10 minutes into the game.

The new random mechanics are also welcome changes. The problem with the previous one is that it allows the initial purchase of Wand Magic, which, depending on the situation, can be a game-changer. Faerie Fire, not the Iron Branch, is a welcome change in the game, as well as an increase in Bonus Hero pools. If we have to live with this new mechanic, it's even better if there are more heroes to choose from and random. It promotes consistency for the first option, which lets you find a good hero to vote in a bonus pool, and reduce the consistency of second choice, as you are now random from a larger choice, at this point, we really want to see the Bonus Hero pool expanded from 12 to 115 heroes and randomly give a little sweetness instead of the Faerie Flame.

⋆⋆⋆ ITEMS ⋆⋆⋆

Aeon Disk changes may not get more item attention and will still remain in niche domain for certain heroes in very specific situations.

Changes in boots will be much more impactful. This will really deter players from starting boot with laning, while equalizing the movement speed slightly across the board.

This will generally mean that the support will average slightly more persisting, because the MS bonus of brown shoes will be the same, compared to Phase and Tread. The former still have the added benefit of the active component, but can no longer be bought completely from the side shop, making aggressive laning a little easier and ganks potentially more successful.

A small nerf for the Soul Ring is also a very welcome change. This item gets a lot of attention lately, considering how its buildup is very attractive to many Power heroes. 20 HP may not sound much, but it can make a difference. It is also very good nerf for Tinker, which generally spam it several times in a row.

⋆⋆⋆ HEROES ⋆⋆⋆

Abaddon

Changes in this patch aim to promote the consistency of Abaddon, while making the peak slightly less frightening. The 25th level talent, which improves the health of the Aphotic Shield, is considered the ultimate goal of the game for heroes for a reason - the utility of it is immense, as it doubles as a powerful blow, above the pseudo healing and worthy of AoE nuke. Overall it should smooth the power curve of the hero a bit and maybe we will see its return to the offlane position or even the greedy position 4.

Alchemist

A big wake up call for game developers is when Alchemist from Vici Gaming still decides to choose +400 Conspiracy Damage against Lancer Phantom Liquid. It is an ideal situation for talent talent, but VG.Paparazi still chooses nuke.

5% increase in damage to the gap is not possible to change the situation, especially after we see how effective cooldown and nuke damage talent pairing.

Ancient Apparition

Some interesting changes for talent for AA. While level 25 people rarely play, level 15 one looks very promising, provided you have where to keep it. Regeneration of health, alternative talent, does not really do much for what the hero wants to do, while sight, throttling, amplifier damage and MS increase to AA at a 1.5 second cooldown can make a big difference in the game.

Anti-Mage

Extra 25 HP and regeneration at level 10 coupled with a lower cooldown for Blink is unlikely to make AM a meta hero again. Especially considering how he lost the ability to have the illusion created in the lower cooldown.

However there is the possibility that AM will make it into the proper territory behind the +400 Blink Cast Range available at the beginning of the game. This greatly enhances the hero's endurance when he's just started farming and makes pursuit almost impossible, while later being used as a very startling initiation tool.

Arc Warden

A very interesting talent change that encourages more castor development for the hero. Arc Warden is often regarded as an expedited fast expression core with a high split-push capability, but it can realistically also be used as a temporary miracle damage hero.

Midas will probably remain one of its core purchases, especially considering an 8% preliminary reduction, but its development in the future may involve items like Dagon and Ethereal Blade, as well as some utility items. Double Pipe, Double Force Staff and double Scythe of Vyse all sound very promising on paper and considering how right-clicking the Arc Warden has not been considered feasible, there may be a possibility of a new building coming up.

Axe

Hero desperately needs some very careful fans and this timely increase of MS can actually be enough for the hero to be picked once or twice during the tournament. +3 Which regen is still very interesting, but +40 MS will allow the hero to start and still make it back to safety, or pursue some of the more elusive targets.

BloodSeeker

A very welcome change that can allow the hero to return to the meta. Given how popular Elder Titan was lately, surprise Bloodseeker pick might not be completely out of the question, and now he is significantly more survivable, at least in theory.

---

Clinkz

Clinkz approached the state of viability with Strafe changes. Considering how he can avoid all projectile-based stuns, he is able to play without BKB longer, while still giving the single target DPS a stunning and potentially push it.
Not surprisingly, the team will explore one or two standings Clinkz in the upcoming PGL Bucharest.

Crystal Maiden

This change is certainly interesting and can make heroes desirable in pubs and professional scenes. Considering how Tranquil is slightly better, compared to other shoes, Crystal Maiden will have a greater chance of actually reaching its target, while its late game utility can be significantly improved with the 30 GPM talent change. Both alternative talents are just as good, so still it is worth debating what will happen to the hero, but he is absent from the pro scene for a while, especially surprising, considering the uprising of Chen and Enchantress.

Dazzle

Some of the more benign fans of a hero are forgotten for nearly three major patches now. It is unlikely that the hero will return to meta, because his aggressiveness is very limited, while his savings sometimes just delay the inevitable. He will be good enough in a low-level pub, however, because there is a chance the support will reach level 20 in it.

Doom

Doom is in a decent place some of the last patch, sometimes chosen as a surprise hero against a certain formation. He retains his ability to turn off the enemy's secure path almost completely solo and will still be a problem for the enemy to be solved at the end of the game. With increased Intelligence, it will become slightly stronger, but overall the effect of this change tends to be ignored.

Dragon Knight

Very welcome nerfs to the most consistent hero of the previous patch. Loss of Agility gain probably won’t be that much of a big deal, however +30 Attack Speed talent was what enabled DK in the pro meta in the first place, since it allowed him to remain a very viable damage dealer throughout the game. With this gone, he will probably still be picked, but with more “utility core” in mind.

Drow Ranger

Gust now knock back for 900 units and given the alternative is +25 AS, we strongly suggest always going for this talent. It creates a lot of space between you and your aggressor(s), allowing you to dish out damage from a safe distance. It won’t be surprising if there is a new Drow Strategy somewhere in the works already, since the survivability of the hero has skyrocketed with the new patch.

Ember Spirit

We have seen how effectively Ember Spirit is played well in Fnatic versus Team Liquid games. He is still one of the most difficult targets in the game and can still farm very quickly. This change not only slightly increases the damage of the SoF, but also supports the idea of the physical damage of Ember as well as providing an extra incentive to choose SoF 2 So talent at level 25.

Gyrocopter

A very slight nerf for the biggest hero of ESL One Katowice. Given how sometimes professionals even opted not to go for the early levels of Homing Missile, it is unlikely anything will change regarding the popularity of Gyro. That said, many of the other carries have received some buffs, so the meta dynamic will be very interesting.

Invoker

These changes might renew the attempts from the community to make the QW Invoker work again. 8-second Cold Snap does sound quite scary on paper, but depending on the target, you either won’t need it for that long, or it will simply get dispelled. The Tornado lift time increase, on the other hand, makes for a much better EMP setup, so maybe there is still a way to make it work in a particular game.

Jakiro

The hero is criminally underplayed in both pubs and pro-scene and these changes have a chance of providing players with a good position 4 alternative. The hero remains quite clunky and there are a lot of counter-play possible against him, however his abilities, cast points aside, are incredibly powerful and given some setup from the teammates or smart positioning can have a lot of impact.