Everything you need to know about patch 7.31c.
The newest Dota 2 patch changed the meta, but not to the degree that people expected. Some of the top heroes from the previous patch continue to dominate our PUBs. Needless to say, the same happened in pro games, where the best teams in the world used the same cores in every game.
With that being said, it seems like this is about to change because Valve released a new patch. The Gameplay update 7.31c features several notable changes, and it also adds the Stockholm Major Fantasy. As you know, Tour 2 of 2021/2022 DPC came to an end, which means we are a few days away from the beginning of the first Major.
Expect to learn more about the Major in the upcoming days. Until then, here is the information you need regarding the newest update.
Fantasy for the Major
The first important thing in the latest Dota 2 update is the chance to play Fantasy Dota. This thing will work similarly to every other fantasy before that. In other words, people need to earn card packs, open them, and choose their daily lineup.
After completing these steps, players will earn 4/3/2/1 Fantasy levels, depending on their lineups’ performance. Interestingly, Valve decided to give users a free Lineage Treasure for every 4th fantasy level. As for the first, second and third, people earn shards.
When it comes down to the card packs, you can win one for each day’s first win. Of course, you can also get backs by buying them or joining the Supporters Clubs.
The patch
After covering the Fantasy part, it is time to take a more in-depth look at the new patch. Unsurprisingly, there are a couple of notable changes that users have to be aware of.
Neutral Creeps and Items
Starting with the items and creeps, there are several nerfs that will make the lives of some heroes a lot harder. Dark Troll Summoner’s skeleton warriors now have 0 armor. What’s more, the ability that allows him to cast them now has two extra seconds cooldown and their duration is 35 seconds.
The Harpy Scout is also perfect because this unit now provides 1200/800 vision instead of 1800/1800. What’s more, her Take Off max mana cost per second is now 4%.
As for items, there are a couple of interesting changes. The first one is to Desolator, a thing that every Templar Assassin player gets sooner or later. In patch 7.31c, Soul Stealer’s max stacks are 20 instead of 25.
Interestingly, Eye of Skadi now doesn’t slow as much as it used to, but it removes more attack speed.
Another item that went through a couple of changes is the Wraith Pact. Following the update, the item’s aura is now 1200, the Reprisal Damage Reduction is 30%, and the Reprisal DPS is 30. What’s more, the lifesteal effect is up from 15% to 18%, and the mana regen from 1.75 to 2.
Hero Updates
Like most smaller Dota 2 updates, patch 7.31c introduced a couple of hero changes. Nothing is groundbreaking, but there are some nerfs that will definitely affect the meta. We will try to cover as many heroes as possible, but if you want to learn everything about the new update, check the official release and read everything.
Bloodseeker
The first hero that deserves more attention is Bloodseeker. Despite not being the go-to option for pro gamers, this hero appeared in a couple of matches. Judging by the changes, we will probably see him a lot more often because Blood Mist receives three buffs.
Once BS gets the Shard, the self-damage turns to Magical instead of Pure. The shard also increases the damage to enemies to 7% and reduces the cooldown to 3 seconds.
Chaos Knight
CK established himself as one of the top carries in the current meta. His late-game potential makes him a dangerous opponent, and even the latest nerfs won’t pish him out of the game. Following the changes, CK’s Chaos Bold Shard Bonus damage is down from 300 to 150. Furthermore, Chaos Strike no longer applies the Bonus Damage to Creep heroes and Roshan.
Crystal Maiden
CM is a support hero that always finds a spot in the meta. With that being said, the hero is not that popular now, so Valve decided to boost her Freezing Field. The ability’s explosion damage radius is 320, the movement speed slow is 40% and it has a 90 seconds cooldown. This should make CM a more viable option for the early and mid-game skirmishes that take place in the current meta.
Death Prophet
DP was the most popular hero in NA during Tour 2, so it isn’t surprising the hero received a couple of notable nerfs. The most annoying one has to be Exorcism because this pell now deals 50% damage to buildings. This will be a massive hit for DP because people used her to push towers.
Aside from Exorcism, her Spirit Siphon also receives two nerfs. If the hero gets a Shard, this ability’s fear duration is down to 1.5s (it was 2s). Furthermore, the base HP drain per second is 10/12/14/16 instead of a flat 16 on all levels.
Storm Spirit
While we are on the topic of mid laners, we have to mention Storm Spirit. One of the best heroes in the current patch also suffered a couple of nerfs that will probably have a bad effect on him.
The first one is to Overload, his primary damage ability. Instead of dealing 100 damage on level four, Overload now deals 10 less damage on each level. In other words, a level 4 Overload will grant Storm Spirit +90 damage.
Another thing that will make the hero less popular is his level 10 talent, which now grants +1.5 mana regen instead of +1.75. On top of that, the hero starts the game with 1 armor reduction, which means he won’t be as tanky as before.
Tiny
There are not that many heroes that are as strong as Tiny in pro Dota 2 games, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this hero receives several nerfs. Starting from Tree Grab, this ability now deals 85% damage to buildings instead of 100. The idea behind the nerf is to make Tiny less powerful when pushing.
The nerf hammer also visited Grow because this ability’s attack damage multiplier is 40% instead of 50%.
People who like Tiny’s Three Throw should know that the slow will also apply to the Tree Volley damage. Furthermore, one of Tiny’s level 15 and 20 talents is different. The level 15 one no longer provides +40% Grow Damage with Tree. Instead, it gives +10% Status Resistance.
As for the level 20 option, the 15% Status Resistance is replaced by + 40% Grow Damage with Tree.
Aside from the heroes mentioned above, the new patch changes a lot of other names. Primal Beast and Sand King are also among the losers, whereas Zeus receives a couple of very important buffs. You can learn more about everything new by checking the patch notes.
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