After a long wait for a new patch, Valve have only released a letter patch in the form of Dota 2 patch 7.32e. But at least there is a new hero, Muerta, to go with it.
Everyone was expecting a huge patch with massive changes to drop in the form of Dota 2 patch 7.33 right after the Lima Major. But once again, Valve have managed to leave a bit of a sour taste in the Dota 2 community’s mouths by extending the longest patch ever and giving it a new letter to release patch 7.32e.
There are silver linings though, as the Dead Reckoning update does bring to the game Muerta, the hero that was announced at TI11. Besides that, there is a new mini-game called ‘The Dead Reckoning’, as well as a few hero and item changes. The full set of changes can be found here. We will take a look at what changes from the Dead Reckoning update are worth exploring in more detail.
Muerta
The biggest talking point of the Dead Reckoning update is undoubtedly Dota 2’s newest hero, Muerta. The update is named after her, and with the lack of gameplay changes, she will be the major topic of discussion for the next few weeks.
So what do we know about Muerta? She is a ranged intelligence carry, as some had predicted based on the guns in her hand and the Revenant’s Broach she adorns. Her four skills are-
· Dead Shot
· The Calling
· Gunslinger
· Pierce the Veil
On first impressions, she seems like someone who can be played as a core or as a position 4 support. As the hero is explored more and secrets of her abilities are unveiled, GosuGamers will have detailed articles on Muerta and how to best utilize the hero.
The Dead Reckoning
The Dead Reckoning mini-game gives players the chance to earn chests and sets with the theme of ‘death’. There is nothing different this adds to the game; just the ability to get a few sets by targeting a specific player more in a game.
Changes to Turbo
In case you are a Turbo player, there are some big changes to the game mode that you might want to take note of.
Hero Nerfs
Dota 2 patch 7.32e brings with it many small changes to heroes and items, but the major ones are the nerfs to Lina, Razor, and Riki.
In case of Lina, her first three skills have been nerfed, with Fiery Soul being nerfed the most, and rightly so. The Fiery Soul level 20 talent has also taken a hit, which is going to massively curb the strength of the right click Lina build.
Two other heroes being hit by the nerf hammer in Dota 2 patch 7.32e are Razor and Riki.
In case of Razor, Forked lightening now has a 1 second cooldown. This means that when Razor is targeted with a plethora of skills, not only will his damage to all enemies be reduced, but also his Bloodstone heal will suffer, which will make the hero a lot more balanced.
In case of Riki, ‘Sleeping Dart’ has its cast ranged reduced and its cooldown increased. That is literally the skill making Riki the pesky position 4 support he is in the current meta, and the nerfs will make it a bit easier to tolerate the Stealth Assassin. Previously with an Aether Lens, he could keep sleeping enemies from an irritatingly long distance. The reduced range will make him more vulnerable.
The overall atmosphere around the Dead Reckoning is one of disappointment. The Dota 2 community has been waiting for a major meta shift for a long time, and a new letter patch is just a slap in the face. All hope is not lost though, as Dota 2 patch 7.33 is being worked on and will reportedly be released in late April. The Berlin Major goes on till May 7th, so realistically, May 8th is the date to look out for the new major patch.
