Valve just dropped its biggest update of 2022 with the Dota 2 7.31 patch, that introduced a brand-new hero, Primal Beast, as its centerpiece.
The patch also includes numerous changes to the game, including a Techies rework and new neutral creeps. On top of that, almost all the heroes were given buffs and nerfs to further add variety to the meta.
The three major changes in Dota 2 7.31 patch
Primal Beast
Dota 2’s newest hero was first seen in Aghanim’s Labyrinth as the limited-time game mode’s final boss. The apex predator is a strength-based hero whose abilities make the new character an ideal offlaner.
Primal Beast is an initiator hero that can start fights by charging straight into the enemy team then combining his Onslaught and Trample skills. The strength hero can also hold the offlane on his own with his Uproar passive ability which gives him additional damage and more armor.
Meanwhile, Primal Beast’s Pulverize is a great teamfight ultimate that damages and stuns enemies caught in its area of effect.
Techies rework
Techies received a major rework with two of their abilities being completely replaced.
Techies’ Proximity Mines is now an ultimate ability, and the heroes’ Statis Trap and Proximity Mines have been replaced by two new skills.
The first new ability, Sticky Bomb, sticks to enemy units that are near where it was cast. Next is Reactive Tazer, an ability that temporarily disarms enemies who attack Techies. The ability can be used on ally heroes once Techies has an Aghanim’s Scepter.
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Neutral Creep Updates
Valve has also introduced three new neutral creeps to Dota 2’s jungle camps. The Ancient Ice Shaman has the Icefire Bomb ability that can do serious damage to enemy buildings, which makes it the ideal neutral creep for split pushes.
The Ancient Frostbitten Golem has the Time Warp Aura which grants a 10% cooldown reduction in a 1,200 radius. This creep gives teams shorter cooldowns, which will help in teamfights.
Finally, the Warpine Raider is another ideal neutral creep in clashes because of its Seed Shot ability that slows an enemy target for 100% for one second and deals 100 damage. It will also bounce to nearby enemies three times.
Dota 2 7.31 patch has shaken up the meta. The top teams and players will be experimenting with the changes, so fans can expect to see different strategies involving new hero lineups and fresh items as well as ability builds soon.
Check out the full Dota 2 7.31 patch notes on Valve’s website.
READ MORE: Techies rework in Dota 2 7.31: Are they better or worse?
