Dota 2 patch 7.30 dropped this morning and includes a ton of changes, from gameplay updates and item updates to multiple hero reworks.
If you don’t want to read patch 7.30’s 6,000+ words of patch notes, here’s a TL;DR look at the eight biggest changes.
8. New Pick Order
- Captain’s Mode second pick phase is changed from Dire/Radiant/Dire/Radiant to Dire/Radiant/Radiant/Dire (assuming Radiant is first pick)
This change allows both teams to pick a duo combo. The team that gets the Second pick can take a strong duo during the first pick phase while the team that has the First pick can now pick up a strong combo during the second pick phase.
7. Multiple item reworks
Three items have been reworked to have different components. Helm of the Overlord now requires a Vladimir’s offering to be built. Mage Slayer now uses an Oblivion Staff along with being 800 gold cheaper.
Lastly, Silver Edge now combines Shadow Blade with Crystalis. Breaking invisibility results in a guaranteed crit along with bonus damage. Silver Edge now has a much better buildup along with being 300 gold cheaper.
6. Roshan no longer drops Cheese on his second death
The big power spike for teams has been the second Roshan kill. It gives them Aegis, Cheese, and a free Shard.
This change means teams won’t benefit as much from this power spike, it’ll also make going high ground riskier for attackers. We can expect a few more comebacks thanks to this change.
- How to counter Viper in Dota 2 with kYxY
- Dota 2’s Techies is so annoying that even pro teams choose to surrender
5. Seven neutral items have been removed
The following neutral items have all been removed.
- Faded Broach
- Ironwood Tree
- Imp Claw
- Illusionist’s Cape
- Minotaur Horn
- Orb of Destruction
- Ballista
However, patch 7.30 also introduced eight new items for people to enjoy.
- Pig Pole
- Tumbler’s toy
- Brigand’s Blade
- Fae Grenade
- Blast Rig
- Ascetic’s Cap
- Witchbane
- Arcanist’s Armor
4. Five neutral items per tier
One of the issues with neutral items was the big disparity in strength between them. Some Neutral items were underwhelming compared to their game-changing counterparts.
Having five neutral items per tier will help teams have a more balanced distribution of items. It also means every player will have a neutral item from the seven-minute mark.
3. Huge nerfs to the meta carries of patch 7.29
The biggest carries in patch 7.29 have all been nerfed. Luna, Terrorblade, and Medusa have all taken a hit with the nerf stick. This is an expected change considering how popular these three heroes were.
Time will tell if pros will continue to pick them or try out some newly buffed carries like Anti-mage and Faceless Void.
2. The healing meta has been hit hard
Patch 7.29 saw a big increase in popularity among healing supports. The most popular two healers being Winter Wyvern and Phoenix. IceFrog decided to nerf the heroes directly instead of nerfing Holy Locket, a core item for both heroes.
Phoenix’s Sun Ray now provides 20% less max health as healing on all levels. While Winter Wyvern lost 33% healing from her level 10 talent.
Both heroes also received other nerfs as well. While it’s likely they will remain staple picks, they won’t be as overpowered in patch 7.30.
1. Shard and Ability reworks
Since the introduction of Aghanim Shard in patch 7.28, every patch has had multiple hero shard reworks and patch 7.30 is no different. 12 Heroes have had complete Shard reworks while multiple others have been heavily changed.
Along with many ability reworks, this will introduce massive changes to the meta. It’ll take a while before players settle into the latest Dota 2 patch.
The full list of changes can be found on the Dota 2 website.
READ MORE: Is Hand of Midas screaming for a big buff in Dota 2?
