Dota 2 patch 7.35c has been released by Valve a few days before DreamLeague Season 22 to balance items and heroes alike.
The next major Dota 2 patch and the new hero Ringmaster might still be a few weeks away, but Valve has released Dota 2 patch 7.35c to bring some balance to the overpowered items and heroes.
The majority of the changes are nerfs, which is the case in most balance patches. Dota 2 patch 7.35 seems a rare patch which has a lot more broken items than the average patch. So balance patch 7.35c has a pretty high number of changes to items, which is not typically seen in balance patches. Let’s take a look at which are the significant changes of patch 7.35c which are bound to affect pubs and the upcoming Dota 2 tournament, DreamLeague Season 22.
Items
The following items have had their cost increased-
- Disperser – from 5700 gold to 6100 gold (400 gold increase)
- Mage Slayer – from 2625 gold to 2825 gold (200 gold increase)
- Parasma – from 5575 gold to 5975 gold (400 gold increase)
- Shiva’s Guard – from 4825 gold to 5175 gold (350 gold increase)
There are also a few items that have had their cost decreased, but most of them are small changes. The major ones include-
- Glepnir – from 5650 to 5450 (200 gold decrease)
- Helm of the Overlord – from 6200 gold to 5725 gold (475 gold decrease)
- Orchid Malevolence – from 3475 gold to 3275 gold (200 gold decrease, which applies to Bloodthorn as well)
Mage Slayer
Mage Slayer was bound to be the first name on the nerf list. Its cost to benefit ratio was too low, which even Wang “Ame” Chunyu mentioned in his interview with GosuGamers. Now, it costs more and does less than it used to pre-patch 7.35c. This should deter players from buying it as the first item sight unseen.
Shiva’s Guard
Shiva’s Guard, along with Mage Slayer, is one of the items of the patch. It hasn’t seen the most massive nerf, but rather a bunch of small nerfs.
Heroes
Doom
Doom had a 100% contest rate at BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024, and was clearly a hero in need of some nerfs. The reduction to Doom duration is quite significant for the early levels and might stop him from being banned in nearly every game.
Faceless Void
Faceless Void is the highest picked carry in the top tier of pubs played on patch 7.35. The nerf to Time Dilation will hit hard since typically, that is the last skill to be maxed out. This nerf might warrant a change in skill build.
Lion
Lion’s Mana Drain with his Aghanim’s Shard was the talk of the town till recent times. The Demon Witch has been thriving in Dota 2 patch 7.35, and was also the most picked hero at BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024. If nothing else, maybe his Shard popularity will take a hit with the nerfs to Mana Drain in patch 7.35c
Meepo
Meepo was gaining popularity thanks to his Scepter ability MegaMeepo and seeing slightly more play than usual in professional games. Players pretty much went for a first or second item Scepter. Now with MegaMeepo nerfed, the pick rate and win rate is bound to decrease. Meepo is a tricky hero to balance, as he can either be extremely strong or see no play at all because of his unique hero design.
Witch Doctor
While the pure damage Death Ward is still extremely strong, at least it can now be countered by evasion even when Witch Doctor has an Aghanim’s Scepter. Patch 7.35c increased the evasion for Talisman of Evasion from 15% to 20% (same increase for Halberd and Radiance), which will now serve as a better counter against Death Ward.
With DreamLeague Season 22 starting on the 25th of February, there won’t be too much of a meta shift. Teams will mostly stick to the stuff they have been working within the past few weeks. But don’t underestimate the impact of small changes in Dota 2. We might just see some surprises pop up based on the changes from Dota 2 patch 7.35c!
