Another patch is to hit the Dota 2 world really soon, and this Christmas present is not unwelcome. Featuring a great deal of various bug fixes, UI improvements and, most importantly, balance changes, this patch is solidifying the great year it was for Dota 2 (unless you are an [A]liance or Na'Vi fan).
It is always interesting to look at the ways the game rules change in response to the trends in both competitive and pub play and, as per usual, we are going to make an in-depth analysis of the balance improvements the game is soon to receive.
Last time we have used color coding to make things a bit simpler for you to read and as usual, Green will indicate a minor change, Yellow a moderate amendment and Red will signify a major change to a hero.
A nerf to the illusion pushing is in a way a response to the changes introduced to some of the illusions in the patch itself and will be covered further down.
Bounty runes now spawn at 0:00 on each side of the river and grant 100 XP/Gold, instead of 50. This prevents the possibility of the early game kills based on luck with an appropriate rune, while still giving enough reasons to contest the rune spots before the game begins.
Enhancements to the maximum Attack Speed it is possible to stack on a single hero should not affect the gameplay as much as the community seems to believe. In most cases, it is better to have a balanced IAS/Damage builds, as they tend to suffer less from the diminishing marginal returns on your gold investments. At the same time, it is certainly a rather sizable buff to the Windranger, as noted in the official patch notes, as well as Ursa.
Neutral ancient creep - Granite Golem having a 15% Max HP increase Aura does make Chen slightly more viable and it also makes stacked ancient camps a bit harder to clear, but overall it should not have that much of an impact on the carry GPM's or Chen's popularity.
The biggest impact this buff has is on a level 1 Borrowed Time, since percentage-wise it is a 33% increase in the duration of the ultimate. It means that Abaddon will have more time to use the Mist Coil appropriately as well as having more time to deal auto-attacks uninterrupted. Overall, it should not make him a lot stronger, but it might put the hero on the radar for some professional teams.
We feel that this buff, while providing more net gold in the earlier stages, does not justify the Alchemist pick. His poor stats gain as well as a relatively non-scaling skillset prevents him from being a solid 1st position carry in a meta that allows for comebacks and huge gold swings. In pubs he could become a really strong snowballing machine, but if countered appropriately still does not seem too strong.
Personally, I feel like this skill should be completely redesigned, since there aren't many situations where you should even consider getting more than one point in it, instead opting for a bigger mana and HP pools from stats. Extra 2% slow looks nice, but shouldn't have too much of an impact.
I honestly don't know why was this change implemented, but I am almost certain there will be virtually no change to the Bane's general skill build and gameplay tactics associated with this balance change.
Making investing skill points in the skill not seem like a complete waste at level 3 and making the hawk a very good scouting tool early on, as opposed to being a free XP/Gold for the enemy.
Also opens up the possibility of a support Beastmaster with a level 1 Boar and Orb of Venom to completely zone out the enemy offlaner.
The first point is in green because I strongly believe that the hero is too situational for a competitive play. He might be used as a counter to the Slark once in a while, but otherwise he seems a bit week and unreliable.
The second one deals with a popular pub build, where Bloodseeker under the effect of Bloodrage and Blade Mail effectively dealt the extra return damage twice - from both receiving and dealing extra 40% damage. Personally, I don't feel it was that strong to be nerfed, but there are certain ways it could have been abused by the professionals and since the hero is entering the competitive play, this minor "bug" had to be fixed.
Being able to constantly track the whole enemy team as throw bouncing shurikens should definitely increase the viability of the hero. It is still a rather situational pick, but it certainly looks really interesting on paper.
The Thunder Clap nerfs are quite minor, however reducing the armor value by 2 on a strength hero that has a very decent starting HP pool will make him a lot squishier. 12% squishier to the physical damage to be exact and while it does not completely break the hero, it will certainly make midlaning as Brewmaster a lot harder.
The damage cap of 400 on the spell is one stack easier to reach, but otherwise it is a very minor buff.
A rather nice nerf to the hero that is still really hard to deal with, especially in the higher level public matchmaking. It does not hit her hard, but it does hit her, which is nice.
Level 1 Reality Rift now hurts. And it hurts really hard. A 20 mana cost decrease on a strength hero with a miniscule manapool is also extremely significant and the increased duration on the illusions is a cherry on top of the buff cake. It is unlikely that all of the illusions will survive the fight, but the ones that do can keep on pushing for 10 seconds more. Given the decrease in the damage illusions deal to the structures, it was necessary to a certain degree.
Very good and very on-point buffs for the hero that was forgotten even by the Puppey and EGM. Quintuple Centaur stuns with Helm of the Dominator and Blink Dagger incoming.
Being able to secure more farm in the offlane while harassing most of the supports without them being able to touch you is really nice. Since your attack range is higher, it is possible that any HP trading you will have with the enemy support will be 1 hit advantageous for you, provided you have the vision, and it is not the terms enemy wants to start trading HP with Clinkz on.
Personally, I'd rather have a +1 armor kind of buff. It is nice and a value point in Battery Assault is 33% more painful, but it will most likely go unnoticed.
Overall nice buffs to her first and second spell and a rather huge change to her ultimate - if previously it was a hybrid between damage and utility, now it is almost pure utility. Given the massive extra 150 units radius (300 units diameter), the chances of the explosions hitting the same target several times to deal significant damage are rather low, but channeling the spell can be a lot safer. Though, I have to say this - Upheaval is better.
Ahhh, here are the +1 armor buffs I was asking for. Coupled with an incredible +0.1s disable buff. Don't get me wrong - combined, they do make the hero a little bit stronger. But it feels a little bit underwhelming.
1 autoattack less to kill for every 7 levels, compared to the unnerfed version. A deserved buff that does deal with her extreme survivability with the extra movement speed.
Huge buffs to the Disruptor. Decreased cooldown on ultimate coupled with decreased manacost on Glimpse make for a very viable support, which does not have as many mana issues as he used to.
In case you got too many levels too fast. Also disables Blink Dagger.
Argument is over: Manta Style over Sange and Yasha every time. They won't deal a ton of damage, especially to the structures, but they will not be completely useless, like they previously were.
The hero is still extremely strong in the right hands. A little weaker, but still incredibly strong.
A very nice early game buff. With lowered manacost you can pretty much spam the spell to make denies a lot easier and trade HP with the enemy more effectively.
A minor nerf and a bug-fix. Considering it is a setup spell that pretty much makes any damage to the enemy pure, the nerf is not too heavy.
Extremely hard to catch, good for roaming and allows for nice kiting with Impetus. If only the added MS was shared with the enchanted creeps.
While the nerfs are minor separately, they add up to a decent overall nerf that was rather deserved. I especially like the Chronosphere part, since you now have to choose between either having your inventory filled up with an useless item, or having only one ultimate in 100 seconds.
The ultimate is now massive and I feel like support Gyrocopter could be a thing, especially given the previous buff to the Homing Missile. Speaking of which - while the buff sounds cool, I still feel like using Force Staff on a rocket is a bit of a waste and way too situational to have an impact.
A really interesting buff to the early game on the hero. First point in [missing skill: huskar-inner-vitality-5271] is no longer useless.
It is a bit gimmicky, but what it certainly allows for is instant usage of any usable items - be it Scythe of Vyse or Force Staff. Brushing off these extra milliseconds of turnrate can potentially leave the enemy with no time to react. If I understand it correctly, it makes harassing a little bit easier, since you can look in a different direction from the enemy, while attacking, and saving a potential retaliation attack. Also: literally a ball.
A well-deserved nerf. There is not a lot to talk about, while the damage on heroes was generally negligeble, and the utility aspect is what mattered, the pushing side of the hero got pretty heavily nerfed.
Extra armor and +6 attack is really good on a hero that somewhat suffered in the laning stage when it came to last hitting. And a value point in crits is now an option.
The buffs aren't too impressive, but they add up to something that is really close to being a viable hero.
A good change to a skill that can be considered a nerf and a buff depending on the situation.
Some really strong overall buffs to the hero. The one on the Diabolic Edict is especially strong.
A good minor buff.
That one is really strong. Dominating a neutral creep with all the abilities can allow for a safe place to get in position to, since the enemy will have to blow some of their cooldowns just to get rid of your shell. Also, with a Helm of the Dominator you can make a roaming Centaur or Ursa neutral camp and confuse your enemies.
A lot of minor buffs to attack projectile, damage and stun durations, Fiery Soul stack duration etc. Nice, but not overpowered. She also got a little bit more mana intensive in return.
Better lane harassing and potential for a mid lane. Overall some really nice changes.
Minor bug fixes and a really well-placed buff on Battle Cry. It is now a really good fighting spell with a net 100 extra damage at level 1.
Sixth bounce of the Glaive will virtually deal no damage, unless it is really late into the game, however, it has the potential to disable the blinks on the other side of the fight, which can be situationally good.
Beam count increase is really nice - extra 300 damage for free is never a bad thing.
I still do not fully understand why on earth is this hero so overpowered. Not only does he have extra magic resistance, but there was also a built-in bloodstone. Top it with potential quintiple damage at all times, ability to flash farm and push all lanes simultaneously, slow through bkb and a nice escape mechanics and you will see why I personally hate the hero. He is not easy to play, but it doesn't mean that he should be compensated for what essentially is our own inadequacy.
Support Morphling incoming?
Overall changes into the play style on the hero. The fact that you can no longer make really long nights is outweighed by the fact that you can essentially bite into the day cycle. I still don't think it will make Night Stalker a viable pick, but it does make his ultimate a lot more impactful.
A very strong nerf, however the question remains: does it affect the Unrefined Fireblast as well?
More intelligence = more mana = more damage from both his autoattacks and his ultimate. A very sizeable buff which, if the hero is played correctly, can shut down certain heroes really hard.
The contract is a lie!
A very nice survivability buff. Maybe we will see more of him in the competitive play.
The hero stopped being complete garbage and became a very decent support/offlaner. I really like the change, but please, stop using him as a mid hero. Given the change he is a lot better if played in a 3-5 positions, rather than taking a slot from a multitude of better suited heroes.
I like the buffs, but I still don't see where exactly in the meta does the hero fit.
QoP of Pain a viable mid hero now? Quite possible. I really like the change to the ultimate, which deals the same net damage as previously. And 1300 units blink is godly.
A very nice buff to the hero, which desperately needed it. I think Riki can easily become a decent offlaner or even a 1st position carry with these changes, since his burst damage at level 6 is incrediblly high.
Mid Rubick can be making a comeback. With a 2s cooldown on ultimate he can potentially outcast Invoker.
Easier mid, better flash-farming and a much higher burst damage in the early levels - something this rather risky hero really needed.
Nerfs/buffs all around the place. I personally dislike the -1 second on Agh's Ultimate, but I have to admit it was rather strong.
I think he now has negative starting armor.
Really strong overall buff. Much like Bounty Hunter, Slardar can now spam his ultimate and provide a very necessary information for the whole team. Damage amplification is also undeniably strong.
A small, but a very well-deserved nerf.
Please, get at least a level of the spell early on - it is amazing now. Being able to scout ahead, check runes and generally provide a lot of useful information for the team is never a bad thing.
Ok, he is fast, we got it. Is there anything else this hero does?
Given how much the hero relies on mobility, the turn rate increase is actually a lot more of a buff, than it would be on any other hero.
Nice overall buffs for a support Sven. I like the idea very much, especially considering how Death Prophet is extremely popular and how Slardar is getting buffs.
Competitive games incoming! Pushing? Check! Counterpushing? Check! Making the enemy team get an early gem and generally waste a lot of gold? Check! I am not a fan of a hero, but he is undeniably strong. Can't wait to see competitive matches with him.
Given a huge nerf to illusion-pushing, these minor buffs will unlikely make EE-sama happier.
I don't thnik this change will make Tidehunter any less viable. Yes, he now deals a lot less damage and will have slightly harder time in the offlane, but he is still an excellent initiator/counter-initiator.
A dota equivalent of hitting your friend on the head with a baseball bat and saying sorry.
Landing a combo got a bit easier (avalanche into toss), while the speed increase at level 6 will make kiting Tony a bit harder. I like the changes, but they do not necessarily make the hero viable.
Forget Blink Dagger, rush Aghs. Eyes in the Forest are incredibly OP.
Bug fixes.
A very interesting overall buff to the hero, that will make his ultimate easier to use.
A minor nerf to the early game and a scaling buff to the lategame. Quite possibly it was what this hero really needed.
5 seconds cooldown increase on one of the most underrated spells in the game will not completely ruin the hero, but she is going to get less popular - that's a fact.
He can now be tanky for longer. It is good, but does not feel enough to get him back into the meta.
I don't really understand it - is IceFrog trying to distract pub players from the almost OP nuissance Upheaval is? If so, he is succeeding, since this buff to the spell looks really strong, at least on paper.
Some really nice buffs to the hero which urgently needed them. I like them, they are strong enough to make her a viable hero in both pubs and competitive play.
There isn't really a lot that has changed in the items section - supports aer getting more money, since the decrease in the cost of courier to 120, which, I think, is a great way to make early game a bit more exciting. Templar Assassin got a nice buff, since blink is no longer disabled under the effect of refraction, while Nyx Assassin now has an almost guaranteed escape for the same reasons.
Diffusal Blade no longer being an UAM is another nice addition to the meta, since it was a sub-par UAM, but sometimes you just had to have it.
There is also the cost increase on Eul's Scepter of Divinity, since it did too much for the price and a 17 charges on Magic Wand.
Being able to use Medallion of Courage on allies absolutely justifies the cost of the purchase, though I am seriously afraid this feature will be heavily underutilized in public matchmaking.
Shadow Amulet now costs a little bit less, I assume the same goes for Shadow Blade.
Finally, the Blade Mail is now fully purchasable from the side shop, since the addition of Broadsword to it, to replace Talisman of Evasion.
they messed up Ns's ulti QwQ
People who are saying that Pudge is a good hero think again. He can only do one thing: Gank. All you need to do is buy wards and you're sorted. Useless hero.
ty as always. :}
love to see more of these...
keep the good work up....and shove the negative comments back where no light may pass.
Hail Gaben XD
jesus why does whoever writes these think his/her opinion is qualified; these opinions generally suck
Brood's nerf should be green.. so the little babies ca see less.. the mother still owns :D.
ty ice frog, level 3 chen is imba.. + an extra creep + 500 hp with Helm = I'll pick him a lot more :D
finally a buff on phoenix... plz add 1 more hit on his ulti and the hero becomes perfect.
Jakiro is still a strong pusher slowing the attacks of the tower.. making the creeps land more hits(or tank some more)
I think you meant to say "nerf" for DP
@Sir Nigel Thornberry
In US.East there was lag :3
I would have put Windranger's almost doubled Powershot range in red letters because it can really change the gameplay for Windranger like you can kill someone from twice the distance in 6.82
I ain't played Dota 2 in a long while, but I think I'll start again.
@13oundary: u are such a joke. Why would you bother wasting space making 1k mmr comment. ....
produced on many websites.
13oundary13oundary5 days ago
gift
The Tiny Toss duration increase just
How am i supposed to take this analysis seriously when it's written by some sort of wannabee professional who thinks techies is a viable hero and thinks Pudge is a bad hero mid.Seriously,hire someone who isn't autistic.
So much BS, I think I never saw that much in a single blog post here. Especially went ham on the whole viability and heroes being good and bad thing, which is completely subjective to begin with.
Oh well, I guess it kind of matches the spirit of the update, which came rushed, incomplete and with a lot of misjudgment.
No offense intended, everyone has their bad days, it's not necessarily characteristic of the people here, and I still appreciate whAt you guys do.
Lol at the comment above me, written by such an obvious troll (@i love LoL) :D
The minor nerfs to Dragonus and Leviathan--Skywrath Mage and Tidehunter, respectively--do not change either hero all that much.
'Base agility reduced from 18 to 13 ... I think he now has negative starting armor.'
Thing is, a reduction in agility reduces att speed as well, so it's more likely that his BAT (Base Attack Time) was abnormally too high/too fast.
Aaaand Night Stalker now popular in pro dota thx Gabe
This stinks of Redditarded circle-jerkery.