Neslyn A. July 30, 2018
Valve has released a few final tweaks before the biggest esports event of the year.
The culmination of DOTA Summit 9 paved the way for some small but significant changes in Dota 2 gameplay. The 7.19 patch is expected to bring more balance prior to The International 2018.
In 7.19, daily bonus heroes will feel more fair as the provided Enchanted Mango count has been reduced to one. A small change on the map includes an addition of two trees near the cliff area just below the Dire shrine.
Moreover, this patch is associated with notable changes to the abilities of numerous heroes. The nerfs and buffs on these heroes should have a slight effect in their respective win rates.
Centaur Warrunner stays on top of the win rate chart as 7.19 increases its base strength by two. A similar change was also made to the hero in the 7.18 patch. Centaur is one of the hottest offlane picks in today’s meta.
Puck also received a good buff with the increase to Waning Rift’s silence duration from 1.5/2/2.5/3 to 2/2.5/3/3.5. Outworld Devourer’s Sanity Eclipse damage multiplier and Essence Aura mana bonus are also increased significantly.
Meanwhile, Zeus was given a nerf in the radius of his Nimbus, reducing it from 500 to 450. Crystal Maiden and Enchantress were the most contested hero picks during The Summit and both earned an increase in the mana costs of Crystal Nova and Nature’s Attendants, respectively.
Heroes such as Necrophos and Bloodseeker received changes constituting both nerfs and buffs to their abilities.
The full patch notes can be found here.