Dota 2’s latest balancing patch is now available, with a focus on fine-tuning the newly introduced Aghanim’s Shard mechanics for most heroes.
Heroes like Batrider, Lycan, Puck, Nyx Assassin, Wraith King, and Monkey King, who were dominating public matchmaking with high pick and win rates, have received targeted nerfs.
Batrider, who enjoyed a resurgence in the core role, had his Sticky Napalm buffs adjusted. The skill no longer does reduced damage against creeps, and creeps’ magic resistance has been lowered. This allowed Batrider to easily clear out Ancient stacks in the early game, giving him an advantage in farm and experience.
Lycan’s overall pack damage has been reduced through a percentage reduction to his passive ability, Feral Impulse. Puck’s teamfighting ability has been slightly worsened with an increase in the cooldown on his Dream Coil ultimate. Nyx’s ganking prowess and map movement have been slowed down with nerfs to his base movement speed and the shard movement speed bonus on Vendetta.
Outworld Destroyer has received the most extensive changes among the heroes. The hero was considered one of the weakest in the game after the 7.28 update, so Valve has buffed several of his skills and base stats to compensate for his lack of farming capability.
Additionally, some of the newly introduced Mistwoods items have been adjusted. Orb of Corrosion, the choice item for brawlers, now has a higher cost with the inclusion of a 100 gold recipe. Cloak of Flames, a Radiance-lite neutral item, now deals reduced damage on illusions and has a smaller radius and armor provided. Falcon Blade, intended as a replacement for items like Ring of Aquila and Drums of Endurance for spell-casting carries, has slightly increased mana regeneration and health.
Swift Blink, one of the new upgraded Daggers, has received buffs to its bonus damage, attack speed, and now allows the user to exceed the movement speed cap.
The full patch notes for Dota 2 7.28b can be found here.
Items:
Orb of Corrosion:
– Now has a 100 gold recipe
Falcon Blade:
– Mana regen increased from 1.6 to 1.8
– Health increased from 150 to 175
Cloak:
– Cost increased from 450 to 500
Swift Blink:
– Buff allows you to exceed max movement speed
– Movement speed increased from 30 percent to 40 percent
– Bonus damage and attack speed increased from 40 to 50
Satanic:
– Damage increased from 45 to 55
Chipped Vest:
– Return damage from 26/13 to 28/17
Bullwhip:
– Speed modifier increased from 16 percent to 20 percent
– Speed modifier duration reduced from five to four
Cloak of Flames:
– Armor reduced from five to four
– Radius reduced from 400 to 375
– Illusions now deal 30 damage per second instead of 45
Psychic Headband:
– Cooldown reduced from 30 to 20
Book of Shadows:
– Cooldown reduced from 25 to 15
Heroes:
Abaddon:
– Curse of Avernus shard slow increase from +6 percent to +10 percent
Alchemist:
– Berserk Potion shard cooldown reduced from 45 to 35
Axe:
– Counter Helix shard attack speed increased from 25 to 35
Batrider:
– Sticky Napalm now does half damage to ancients
Beastmaster:
– Base damage reduced by two
Bloodseeker:
– Bloodrage shard increased from 1.5 percent to two percent
Broodmother:
– Silken Bola shard root duration increased from two to 2.5
Clockwerk:
– Jetpack shard cooldown reduced from 25 to 20
– Jetpack shard movement speed bonus increased from 15 percent to 22 percent
– Jetpack shard mana cost reduced from 150 to 75
Dark Seer:
– Normal Punch illusion damage dealt increased from 25 percent to 40 percent
– Normal Punch max stun duration increased from two to 2.25
Disruptor:
– Thunder Strike shard radius increased from +160 to +260
Dragon Knight:
– Fireball shard mana cost reduced from 150 to 100
Drow Ranger:
– Frost Arrows shard now also adds +5 damage per stack
Grimstroke:
– Ink Over shard cast range increased from 700 to 950
– Ink Over shard total damage increased from 240 to 320
– Ink Over shard movement slow increased from 20 percent to 25 percent
Huskar:
– Inner Fire slow increased from 35 percent to 40 percent
– Inner Fire shard cooldown reduction from -2 to -3
Invoker:
– Ice Wall shard cast range increased from 900 to 1,100
Io:
– Tether shard movement bonus increased from +5 percent to +10 percent
Lich:
– Ice Spire shard health increased from 300 to 600
– Ice Spire shard radius increased from 500 to 600
Lifestealer:
– Base damage increased by three
– Feast increased from 1.6/2.2/2.8/3.4 percent to 1.8/2.4/3.0/3.6 percent
Lycan:
Summon Wolves:
– Summon Wolves Cripple moved from level three to four
– Summon Wolves Invisibility moved from level four to three
Feral Impulse:
– Feral Impulse damage reduced from 14/26/38/50 percent to 12/22/32/42 percent
Magnus:
– Horn Toss shard landing damage increased from 150 to 200
Monkey King:
– Base strength reduced from 19 to 18
– Max damage reduced from 57 to 55
– Wukong’s Command Scepter spawn interval increased from every 3.5 seconds to every four seconds
Nyx Assassin:
– Base movement speed reduced from 315 to 310
– Vendetta shard movement speed bonus reduced from +40 percent to +25 percent
– Vendetta manacost increased from 160/220/280 to 180/240/300
Outworld Destroyer:
– Base armor increased by two
– Agility gain increased from 1.3 to 1.6
– Movement speed increased from 315 to 325
– Base HP regen increased from zero to one
– Essence Flux chance increased from 25 percent to 30 percent
– Astral Imprisonment damage increased from 120/190/260/330 to 120/200/280/360
– Astral Imprisonment mana steal from 14/16/18/20 percent to 16/18/20/22 percent
– Sanity’s eclipse base damage increased from 200/275/350 to 200/300/400
– Level 15 Talent changed from +8 Armor to +30 Movement Speed
– 20 Talent increased from +0.1 Sanity’s Eclipse Multiplier to +0.15
– 25 Talent increased from +1.6 percent Arcane Orb Damage to +2 percent
Phantom Lancer:
– Spirit Lance shard now also increases cast range by 200
Puck:
– Dream Coil cooldown increased from 70/65/60 to 80/75/70
– Level 20 Talent reduced from -7s Waning Rift Cooldown to -6s
Pudge:
– Dismember shard cooldown reduction from -7 to -10
Riki:
– Base HP regen reduced from three to 2.5
– Sleeping Dart slow increased from 25 percent to 30 percent
– Sleeping Dart cooldown reduced from 15 to 12
– Sleeping Dart mana cost reduced from 125 to 85
Skywrath Mage:
– Ancient Seal shard status resistance reduction increased from 40 percent to 50 percent
Slark:
– Fish Bait shard attack speed bonus increased from 50 to 75
– Fish Bait shard cooldown reduced from 12 to nine
Sniper:
– Concussive Grenade shard mana cost reduced from 75 to 50
– Concussive Grenade shard cooldown reduced from 20 to 16
Templar Assassin:
– Psionic Trap max trap count now increases by four with a Shard
Terrorblade:
– Demon Zeal shard HP cost reduced from 25 percent to 20 percent
– Demon Zeal shard melee bonus from 50 percent to 100 percent
Timbersaw:
– Whirling Death manacost increased from 70 to 80
– Flamethrower shard slow increased from 25 percent to 30 percent
– Level 10 Talent reduced from +1.75 Mana Regen to +1.5
Treant Protector:
– Nature’s Guise shard bonus now increases speed in trees by +15 percent
Tusk:
– Frozen Sigil shard hits to destroy from three to four
– Frozen Sigil movement/attack slow increased from 30 percent/30 to 35 percent/35
Visage:
– Stone Form shard manacost reduced from 300 to 200
Winter Wyvern:
– Splinter Blast shard now also increases damage dealt by 80
Wraith King:
– Base damage reduced by two
– Vampiric Spirit manacost increased from 50/60/70/80 to 65/70/75/80
– Reincarnation manacost increased from 160 to 180
Dota 2, balancing patch, Aghanim’s Shard, heroes, buffs, nerfs, Mistwoods, items, changes, patch notes.