In the last few days, Dota 2 encountered two main update patches - 7.33 and 7.36 both bringing a lot of gameplay changes. Here is the analysis of both to describe new realities Dota 2 players want to live in.
Patch 7.33 (released 2023-04-20)
New Map
The "New Frontiers" update for Dota 2, encapsulated in Patch 7.33, has introduced groundbreaking changes, making it one of the most significant updates in the game's history. This update has transformed the game significantly, with the scale of changes comparable to a new version of Dota, leading some to suggest it could be dubbed Dota 3.
The map expansion is one of the most significant changes, increasing its size by 40%. Key updates include:
- Two Roshan Pits: Roshan now alternates between two pits, one on the Radiant side during the day and one on the Dire side at night. This change alters the traditional strategies around Roshan fights and timings.
- Twin Gates: These gates allow players to teleport across the map, providing new tactical opportunities and quick rotations, which can be crucial for ganking and repositioning during battles.
- Lotus Pools: Located near the safe lane of Radiant and Dire sides, these pools periodically spawn lotuses that players can collect for health and mana regeneration. The lotuses can be combined into larger ones for greater benefits.
- Outposts: Four outposts now serve as teleport points but do not provide experience, vision, or true sight. This addition emphasizes mobility and strategic teleportation across the map.
- Tormentors: Mini-bosses that spawn near each base after 20 minutes, providing Aghanim's Shards to the player with the lowest net worth when defeated. Tormentors do not attack but have a mega shield that reflects damage, requiring team coordination to defeat.
- Watchers: New structures scattered across the map that provide vision when activated. Enemies can disable these Watchers, making them temporary sources of vision. Killing Roshan activates all Watchers for the team that defeats him, offering a significant vision advantage.
Major Gameplay Changes
The gameplay has been revamped with several significant changes:
- Universal Heroes: A new hero type that gains 0.6 damage from each attribute point, making them versatile and adaptable to various situations. This category includes heroes like Abaddon, Bane, Batrider, and more.
- Black King Bar (BKB) no longer grants complete magic immunity. Instead, it provides debuff immunity, pure damage immunity, and 50% magic damage reduction. This significant change will affect how and when players build BKB and its impact on team fights.
- Neutral Items: Neutral creeps now drop tokens, which players can use to select one of five items. These non-shareable items ensure each player benefits individually from neutral item drops.
Matchmaking and User Interface
The matchmaking system has been overhauled with the new Glicko system to ensure fairer matches and faster queue times. This system aims to improve the overall competitive experience by better matching players of similar skill levels. The user interface has also been updated to enhance usability, making it more intuitive and user-friendly.
Balance Changes
Nearly every hero has received adjustments, and new items have been introduced to diversify gameplay. Muerta has a new Aghanim's Scepter and Shard upgrade and has been added to Captain's Mode. This addition will allow her to be used in professional play, starting with upcoming tournaments like the DreamLeague Season 19 playoffs and the Berlin Major.
Patch 7.36 (released 2024-05-22)
Recently, Valve released a global patch, 7.36. It does not change the world so much, but it significantly impacts gameplay. It introduces two new mechanics: Innate Abilities and Facets.
Innate Abilities
Each hero now has unique Innate Abilities that are available from the start of the game. These abilities either provide unique effects or enhance existing spells, giving players new strategic options from the beginning.
Facets
Facets allow players to customize their Heroes to suit their playstyle or adapt to specific situations. Every hero has at least two Facets, that can be changed before the game starts or during the planning phase. Below are some interesting new Facets for each position:
Carry (Position 1)
- Phantom Assassin
- Methodical Facet: Increases damage from critical attacks by an additional 100% (up to 550% at max level) and grants the ability to gain critical hits, similar to Monkey King's Jingu Mastery.
- Faceless Void
- Time Zone Facet: Replaces Chronosphere with the Time Zone ability, which impacts movement speed, projectile speed, and ability cast speed. It slows down enemies while speeding up allies within its range.
Midlaner (Position 2)
- Windranger
- Whirlwind Facet: Transforms Focus Fire into a non-directional ability, allowing random attacks on all targets within a radius.
- Death Prophet
- Spirit Collector Facet: Allows summoning of spirits from slain enemies using Exorcism.
Offlaner (Position 3)
- Timbersaw
- Twister Chakram Facet: Grants the new Twisted Chakram ability upon learning the Ultimate spell at level 6.
- Magnus
- Reverse Polarity Facet: Alters the Ultimate ability to push aside all nearby enemy heroes.
Support (Position 4)
- Techies
- Squee's Scope: Increases attack range with each unit of attack speed.
- Spoon's Stash: Allows use of a Backpack equal to an Inventory, creating a nine-slot Techies in Public Games.
- Shadow Shaman
- Snake Facet: Allows summoning of a single, highly durable and damaging snake with Ultimate.
Hard Support (Position 5)
- Warlock
- Champion of Gorroth Facet: Enhances the Golem's fire damage based on Warlock's health and mana regeneration. The Golem's size increases as well.
- Venomancer
- Plague Carrier Facet: Allows Plague Wards to be placed directly on allied heroes.
These changes in Patch 7.36 bring new strategic depth and customization options to Dota 2, making it essential for players to experiment with and master the new mechanics. This extensive update adds another layer of complexity and strategy, ensuring that the game remains fresh and engaging for both new and veteran players.