Dota 2
Even though we expected to see patch 7.35, Valve surprised us by releasing Patch 7.34e. The latter does not include any significant changes, however, there are several buffs and nerfs to both heroes and items. There is no point in going through everything when you can read the full changelog, which is why we will look at the biggest winners and losers.
Winners
Credit: ValveWhen talking about the Dota 2 7.34e changelog, we can see that only a few heroes got buffed. On top of that, the heroes who got buffed only received a slight change in some of their abilities. For example, Drow Ranger’s Multishot has 2s less cooldown on all levels.
Enigma is also an interesting option because the hero’s Black Hole has 20s less CD on level 1 and 10s less on level 2.
The rocket damage of Gyrocopter is up by two on all levels, and Juggernaut received ten bonus damage on Omnislash at level 1 and 5 more on level 2. Besides those things, heroes like Lycan, Lion, Leshrac, and Marci received small buffs, affecting some of their abilities.
Losers
Bristleback
There is no arguing that the Dota 2 patch 7.34e is all about nerfs. We can find many of the big names from The International 12 and heroes that were popular in PUBs. Let’s go over some of the most important ones.
Bristleback is an interesting name that we did not expect to receive that many changes. The hero’s been pretty big in PUB games, so we expected to see some small nerfs, but Valve have decided to remove him from the meta. The Dota 2 7.34e change log shows he got four nerfs:
- Hairball has a 500 range less (1k instead of 1.5k), and a 13s CD (it was 10s before)
- Quill Spray deals a maximum of 500 DMG (it was 550)
- Bristleback’s damage threshold is different on each level, meaning it will be harder for the hero to rely on this ability early on
- The hero’s level 20 talent gives less Quill Spray Stack Damage
Kunkka
Aside from Bristleback, Kunkka also receives big nerfs in the Dota 2 Patch 7.34e. What’s interesting about the changes is that they only affect the hero’s late-game performance; this is strange because Kunkka was one of the top-tier midders at The International 12, and he is a hero that’s hard to play against early on.
- Ghostship’s damage delay is 35% instead of 45%
- Tidal Wave deals 180 damage (it was 250 before)
- Torrent Storm has 1s less duration (4s instead of 5s) and its cooldown is 75s instead of 70s
Primal Beast
Primal Beast was one of those heroes that you wanted to avoid playing against when he was mid. Besides doing huge amounts of damage, the hero is also extremely annoying. Therefore, we are not surprised that Primal Beast received a few nerfs.
- Trample’s mana cost is now 90 on all levels instead of dropping to 75 on level 4
- Pulverize’s cooldown is up for 36/32/28 to 49/36/32s
- Pulverize Duration decreased from +100% to + 67% (this is the hero’s level 25 talent)
Overall, the changes are not harsh, so we expect to keep seeing Primal Beast. That said, the hero won’t be as successful as before.
Witch Doctor
Credit: ValveAnother hero who has been ripping through Dota 2’s bug game lately also got nerfed. The Dota 2 Patch 7.34e includes one important nerf to the hero, and it is to his Paralyzing Cask. The latter’s damage multiplier against creeps is down to 1.5x instead of 2.0x, meaning he won’t be able to farm that fast.
The good thing about Witch Doctor in the latest patch is that Death Ward now prioritizes heroes over creeps within its attack range.
Spirit Breaker
Although a few other heroes also received a lot of nerfs in the most recent Dota 2 patch 7.34e, we want to talk about Spirit Breaker. The latter has been one of the most annoying heroes at The International 12, so we are not surprised that Valve nerfed him. With that said, the changes are not as drastic as some people anticipated:
- Charge of Darkness now has a 21/18/15/12s CD instead of 22/19/16/13s
- Aghanim’s Scepter Cooldown is now 9s instead of 8s
- Greater Bash’s damage multiplier is down from 1.5x to 1.3x
Necrophos
The last hero we want to talk about that also received a lot of nerfs in the 7.34e patch is Necrophos. He underwent many changes in the previous couple of months, but the hero’s PUB stats were impressive. He became one of the most picked and successful Dota 2 heroes in the previous patch, so here’s what changed:
- Heartstopper Aura’s Regen Duration is down to 7s from 8s, and his Aghanim’s Scepter HP regen to Decay is now 7s from 8s
- Death Seeker’s CD is up from 16s to 19s
- Ghost Shroud’s mana cost is 75 instead of 50
Overall, Necro’s nerfs will make the hero less effective than before. However, they are not that bad to the point where he is unplayable, so it will be interesting to see what will happen.
Conclusion
Valve's latest update includes other important information besides the different nerfs and buffs. For example, we will see an event with Arcanas in the next couple of months and many other Dota 2 changes. As for now, players will have access to Frostivus.
