The Crownfall Act III Archive gave Dota2 players the 7.37 patch, the update that was primarily rumored to level the playing field. Several hero and item updates were revealed with this update. Frankly, I didn’t find the update that amazing.
The impact of the changes wasn’t as significant and the idea of ‘leveling the field’ didn’t quite strike me. Yes, some heroes and items were buffed and others were nerfed, but not significantly.
That being said, I was eager for this patch to see the changes. Downloading it with my super-fast Spectrum Internet wasn’t an issue, So as soon as the Patch update was available, I quickly went into the game to find what was new.
Here are the details of what I found:
Hero Changes
Let me start with the hero changes made in this update.
Alchemist – Buffed
With the cooldown reduction on unstable concoction and mana cost reduction on acid spray, Alchemist is somewhat buffed. If someone is playing this hero, then they would probably get more out of it in the late game.
Anti-Mage – Buffed
Well, I personally don’t like this hero, and getting a strength increase is not ok.
Axe – Nerfed
With its armor strength decreased, I think it won’t be a good idea to take it mid, given the One Man Army is nerfed. But the Battle Hunger movement has increased, which compensates for it.
Batrider -Buffed
Smoldering Resin’s damage has been increased, which is somewhat of a buff in my perspective, as it can give a hard time to the laners.
Beastmaster – Nerfed
Drum Hit Damage and Magic Resistance on the talent tree have been decreased, which slightly nerfs the hero.
Clockwerk – Nerfed
Battery Assault bonus damage has decreased; however, the Level 10 Talent has been changed to +75 Headshot Damage from Cog cooldown. Players were using Rocket Flare too, but it seems this would tilt almost everyone towards it.
Earth Spirit – Nerfed
Several changes are made to Earth Spirit that nerfed the player. The bonus damage against the creeps has been reduced to a 1.25x multiplier. The talent tree got a significant hit with Spell Amplification and reduced Magnetic Damage.
The Rolling Boulder Distance and Geomagnetic Grip have been replaced with each other with increased cooldowns. Overall, this hero is significantly nerfed.
Enchantress – Nerfed
This hero is nerfed in a manner that it’s no good until mid-game. The Nature’s Attendants duration has been decreased and the mana cost for Enchant has been increased, which leaves the players in a pickle in the early game.
Elder Titan – Buffed
The Deconstruction – Natural Order stacking has been changed to 1 stack/ second, which is a significant buff considering the hero’s ability.
Invoker – Nerfed
EMP and Cold Snap have been nerfed. The Shard effect on the EMP has decreased the Pull Speed to 150.
Jakiro – Buffed
The Level 10 Talent Dual Breath Movement/ Attack Speed is now replaced with the -2s Dual Breath Cooldown, which sort of buffs it if you’re looking to spam the move.
Juggernaut- Buffed
The Blade Fury cooldown is decreased, which means you can engage more in fights and get away by spamming the move.
Kez – Nerfed
I really liked this hero, and who wouldn’t like a new hero who’s quite buffed in the beginning? But Kez is nerfed yet again as Echo Slash damage is reduced on the lower levels and Grappling Claw lifesteal reduced at all levels, which I think is unnecessary.
Lich – Nerfed
Frostbound duration has been decreased and the Chain Frost continuity is no longer applicable, which makes its Ulti less damaging than before.
Luna – Nerfed
I feel Luna has always been one of the targets of the updates. This time it’s no different. The Bonus Night Vision has been rescaled, and it has significant nerfs on the Talent Tree. The Moon Glaives damage has been reduced to level 10. Moreover, Lunar Orbit Glaive and Lucent Beam Damage have replaced existing level 15 and 20 abilities on the Talent Tree.
Lycan – Buffed
The Apex Predator ability now applies to the units under Lycan’s control, which means the summoned wolves will also be able to deal 2% damage to neutral creeps. If you know how to play this hero, then this will surely help you a lot!
Medusa – Nerfed
The previous buffed ability Venomous Volley has been nerfed, finally! It now scales with a split shot and is not applied by illusions, which minimizes the players from spamming Manta Style. The base damage/ mana and split shot damage is also reduced.
Naga Siren – Nerfed
With existing Mana problems, Naga’s mana cost is again increased, which basically means that you’ll need to carry Clarity to avoid mana drain during the game.
Pangolier – Nerfed
Rolling Thunder is now half! Yes, from 110 to 48 points, it’ll be a disaster and will definitely make it difficult to play this hero moving forward.
Ringmaster – Buffed
I think they did a good job changing the ability of this hero. Even if you need the Scepter to upgrade it, the Escape Act now comes with 2 charges and has 300 magical damage for 275 radius as well as 8 Impalement Daggers in all directions. Fancy!
Shadow Fiend – Nerfed
Its previous broken ability of armor reduction buffs is finally removed. Moreover, the Necromastery damage/ soul is decreased and the bonus attack speed with Feast of Souls is decreased too. So, it’s pretty much nerfed.
Apart from the above, Bounty Hunter, Bane, Brewmaster, Bristleback, Dazzle, Legion Commander, Lina, Lion, Monkey King, Muerta, and other remaining heroes have pretty much been nerfed. Basically, this update has done worse to the heroes and I really hope things get better with the next update.
