What you need to know about 7.23d
No huge update is complete without the tons of letter patches after it. The Outlanders update has been one of the most radical post-International changes ever, so it’s little surprise that there’s been four letter patches in a little less than a month. Here’s five things you need to know about the latest Dota 2 patch, 7.23d.
Outposts nerfed again, less experience across the board
Experience has become a common commodity nowadays. Even before outposts, Tome of Knowledge was given two initial charges in the shop to allow for supports to quickly jump up in levels and obtain their ultimates. The change to tie passive gold income to levels also allowed heroes to get richer and stronger faster.
The introduction of outposts meant that there were brand new objectives to be fought over. Outposts have become an integral part of any team’s strategy and has instantly become a crucial step to consider on the path to victory.
It’s little wonder that experience gain across the board has been decreased. Tome of Knowledge’s initial stock has been reverted back to just one charge, while outposts experience gain per minute has been reduced. Kills also provide slightly less experience now.
The last general change is the removal of increased passive income per level. Previously, every level up would grant you two extra gold per minute. It was a small increment, but the abundance of experience meant that heroes scaled quickly and easily.
More neutral items bite the dust
Elixir and Helm of the Undying are Dota 2’s latest neutral item victims. Now, 58 neutral items are left. Previously, the Tome of Aghanim and Third Eye were removed due to their ridiculous power spikes and endless utility.
Elixir was a tier one neutral drop, meaning that it could be found starting seven minutes. The item provided so much health and mana restoration that it was akin to a portable, personal shrine with three charges. It irrevocably shifted the lane in one side’s favor as heroes would be able to commit all their resources in a fight, retreat slightly, then come back for another volley. Elixir was one of the best tier one items, but it now belongs in the grave.
Helm of the Undying was also one of the best utility items in the game. In essence, it’s a free Wraith King Aghanim’s for one hero. There’s zero counterplay for the item, however, and it will always activate if the item is in the inventory, unlike Wraith King’s aura.
In Dota 2, there are always micro decisions made to focus on key enemy targets, to prevent an Enigma’s Black Hole for example, to fully mitigate their impact and allow your allies to fight without fear. Helm of the Undying removed that agency completely, as any hero who died were free to cast spells and use items for five seconds. Theoretically, the wraiths could be disabled, but that meant spending five seconds of extra disable on a hero that was dead. It was game-breaking and deserves its removal from the game.
Crystal Maiden can’t catch a break
Crystal Maiden has been changed yet again. This time, her base mana regeneration has been nerfed slightly to compensate for an increase in her Arcane Aura self-multiplier. This means that generally, the hero will get more mana regeneration than before when she gets two points in Arcane Aura.
While this can be considered a buff, it also unduly nerfs Crystal Maiden’s tremendously weak early game yet again. Once known as one of the most powerful level two heroes in the game due to her access to two disables, her initial mana pool and regeneration have been nerfed so many times that she’s a shadow of her former self. The unwarranted magic resistance buff to her aura in the Outlanders update also caused her to shoot to the top of the win rate charts, but now she’s in the gutter again. Broken or not, she’s probably going to get some undue changes yet again in coming patches.
Drow Ranger’s Multishot nerfed
Drow Ranger was reworked in the Outlanders update, transforming her from aura slave into a more independent hero. Her Precision Aura used to send ranged carries like Templar Assassin and Outworld Devourer through the roof in attack speed.
When the skill was changed to Multishot, her win rate tanked as players struggled to find her role. Now, the community has realized that Drow has become a much more capable laner and fighting hero thanks to Multishot. She finally had a way to secure ranged creeps reliably..Frost Arrows getting minor damage bonuses also meant that her harassment potential increased.
Now, she’s a strong laner that can contribute to early skirmishes, instead of being stuck farming the jungle for Marksmanship procs. Furthermore, Multishot is calculated off her physical damage, allowing her to scale well into the late-game. In a meta that favors heroes that come online quickly, Drow has become a premier carry pick that can stand her ground no matter the stage of the game.
Thus, her Multishot damage has been reduced. She’s also received minor nerfs to her agility and cooldown reduction talent, all of which served to make her Multishot scale incredibly.
Treant Protector’s Leech Seed and Overgrowth nerfed
Treant Protector was dumpstered when the original Outlanders update dropped. The changes to couriers meant that Treant’s old Nature’s Guise would be too powerful at sniping the little critters, so it was removed in favor of an AoE slow and damage spell, Nature’s Grasp. Plus, his Living Armor was reworked and no longer provided global healing.
Expectly, his win rate tanked. He’s risen like a phoenix, however, with 7.23c’s change giving him back his Nature’s Guise, this time as a passive ability, and the global aspect of his Living Armor.
His tankiness, high damage, and access to two powerful spells right from the get go meant that he’s become the strongest level one hero in the game, bar none. While Nature’s Guise loses its invisibility until the level 10 talent is picked, the fact that you get free pathing at the start of the game is bonkers. It allows him to set up and angle his spells easily, and his right clicks hurt so much that it’s practically a level one nuke.
Judging from the hero’s skyrocketing win rate, it’s clear that he needed some nerfs. His Leech Seed mana cost and cooldown has been increased so that he’s less obnoxious in the lane. Overgrowth’s cooldown is also increased to reduce the hero’s impact in teamfights. Undoubtedly, he’s still one of the strongest supports in the game, so pick him while you can. You never know when IceFrog’s nerf hammer is going to come bearing down on Rooftrellen.
Image via gamepedia