Dota 2's latest patch nerfed many meta heroes and buffed less popular picks.
Dota 2 developer Valve Software has rolled out the relatively small patch 7.39c. Although it’s just a letter patch, it packs a punch, delivering significant nerfs to many meta heroes and corresponding buffs to less popular picks. Released just hours before the final day of PGL Wallachia Season 5's Group Stage, we can expect to see the changes make an immediate impact on the pro scene.
Here’s a summary of the biggest changes in Dota 2 Patch 7.39c.
Patch 7.39c: Biggest item changes
A wide range of items and neutral items received adjustments in this patch.
The most notable highlight is the change to Harpoon: its initial pull projectile can no longer be disjointed. This means heroes with Blink or similar escape abilities can no longer evade the Draw Forth pull. Khanda has been buffed with a price reduction, and its Break effect is now immune to dispels.
Big item nerfs were also part of the update. Hurricane Pike’s Thrust buff is now dispellable, meaning items like Nullifier can cancel its effects. Blade Mail has had its armor bonus reduced by 1, and Orb of Venom and the neutral item Serrated Shiv have had True Strike removed.
Patch 7.39c: Biggest hero nerfs
Naturally, most of the nerfs in Patch 7.39c target meta-defining heroes that have dominated recent professional tournaments.
One of the biggest nerfs hits Templar Assassin, who has been a top ban in the pro scene. Her base Strength has been reduced by 2, weakening her overall durability. However, the more impactful change is to her Psionic Trap, which now provides only 250 vision instead of 400.
Popular carry Terrorblade also receives heavy nerfs to his early-game presence, with reductions to both his base damage and level 1 damage.
The most-picked support hero, Shadow Shaman, is unsurprisingly hit with early laning nerfs, including decreases to his armor and base Intelligence. Another popular support, Dark Willow, now has an added mana cost on Shadow Realm, limiting its spammability.
Undying now receives a flat 20 bonus movement speed during Flesh Golem, replacing the previous scaling bonus per level. His Level 15 Talent “Tombstone on Death” has been swapped with the Level 25 Talent, which is now “+6 Tombstone Attacks to Destroy.”
Batrider’s Aghanim’s Shard bonus building damage from Sticky Napalm has been significantly nerfed, dropping from 35% to 25%. He also receives a small reduction in base health regeneration. Meanwhile, Vengeful Spirit’s illusion now takes increased damage, and her base attack speed has been decreased.
Several meta offlaners were hit with hard nerfs. Dark Seer in particular is heavily affected, with a slow reduction on his Aghanim’s Shard Surge (from 50% to 35%) and a decrease to Wall of Replica's slow (from 50/60/70% to 40%).
Axe, currently the most popular offlaner at PGL Wallachia Season 5, sees nerfs to his Talent Tree: his Level 10 movement speed bonus is reduced, and his Level 25 Berserker’s Call AoE bonus is smaller. Minor nerfs also hit Bristleback, Beastmaster, Kunkka, and Wraith King.
Interestingly, Pangolier is among the nerfed heroes. Despite a declining win rate, he remains a frequent pro pick—likely justifying this laning-phase nerf, which reduces both his base and level 1 damage significantly.
In a similar case, Spectre receives a painful nerf. While she is currently unconctested in pro play, she’s proven very strong in pubs. Her Reality ability now has a mana cost of 40 (previously 0), greatly jeopardizing her signature in-and-out combat style.
Several midlane heroes also face significant nerfs. Death Prophet’s Exorcism ghosts no longer apply a slow. Puck has been nerfed again, with a reduced maximum distance on Waning Rift and decreased Aghanim’s Shard bonus damage, from 32 to 20. Monkey King’s Mischief now grants a flat movement speed bonus, making it faster early but less effective later in the game.
Patch 7.39c: Biggest hero buffs
Previously unfavored carry heroes that had fallen out of the spotlight are now receiving strong buffs. Phantom Assassin gets a cooldown reduction on Blur at early levels, and her Fan of Knives Break effect is now undispellable. Phantom Lancer’s Aghanim’s Scepter now spawns Juxtapose illusions every 600 units traveled, and the spell’s collision radius has been significantly increased. It may a
Primal Beast has received widespread buffs across its entire spell kit. The Provoke the Beast Facet now grants Uproar stacks upon spell activation. Additionally, Rock Throw’s cooldown has been reduced by 5 seconds, and his Level 10 Talent received an additional +10 bonus damage.
Sand King, a hero that has dropped out of the meta in recent months, receives rejuvenating buffs: increased Burrowstrike damage, faster pulse intervals for his Aghanim’s Shard, and a stronger Level 25 Talent that boosts Sand Storm’s slow effect.
Support heroes are also seeing their share of improvements. Crystal Maiden’s Aghanim’s Scepter now triggers Frostbite more quickly. Lich’s Evil Eye Facet gets a damage boost to Sinister Gaze, and Winter Wyvern has a stronger early laning presence thanks to increased base damage and improved level 1 spell damage. Nyx Assassin’s Spiked Carapace now reflects more damage, increased from 125% to 140%.
Hoodwink, once a tournament staple, went completely unpicked during The International 2025 Regional Qualifiers. This patch aims to reignite interest in the hero with micro buffs to her base movement speed and Bushwhack stun duration.
Other niche support heroes have also received minor buffs: Enchantress now gives increased attack slow with Untouchable, and Earth Spirit benefits from a slightly extended Rolling Boulder travel distance.
That sums up the new update summary! Read the complete Dota 2 Patch 7.39c patch here.

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