Latest Dota 2 update brings nerfs to Mirana, Tiny, and jungling

Steven Rondina Published 30/09/2019

The Dota 2 7.22 update just keeps on changing.

Version 7.22h has arrived and it brings a short list of high-impact changes. While most recent updates have primarily focused on heroes, this new Dota 2 update changes a number of different items and brings a key gameplay change that should shake up the meta.

In terms of hero changes, it primarily continues to bring down the hammer on the standout heroes of The International 2019. Most of these heroes received nerfs in 7.22g and 7.22h hits them again.

Tiny proved to be a strong option in all positions at TI9 and Valve seems committed to fixing that. Avalanche’s damage was decreased and Toss’s cooldown was increased, giving him less early game burst potential.

Mirana’s Leap ability now grants significantly less attack speed, particularly at low levels. Meanwhile, Sacred Arrow’s projectile speed has been slightly slowed down.

Night Stalker’s Hunter in the Night ability received a reduction in attack speed at all levels, as did the duration of Crippling Fear. Not only that, but his level 20 damage talent and level 25 Hunter in the Night boost talent were both nerfed.

Kunkka’s Ghost Ship and X Marks the Spot abilities both had their cooldowns increased. Finally, Windranger’s level 10 mana regen talent was reduced from +3 to +2.

Item and jungle changes in latest Dota 2 update

Four items received changes in the 7.22h update.

Medallion of Courage and Solar Crest both had their stats reduced, with Medallion only providing +5 armor while Solar Crest offers +8. This does not impact their active abilities, but it does make these items less passively valuable after they were among the best bargains in Dota 2 in this regard.

Along with those changes, Phase Boots had their armor reduced as well, dropping from +5 to +4. This means that the boots provide no additional armor from the Chainmail that is used to build them. Whether this is part of a larger move to reduce the early game availability of armor or the remedying of an oversight from the 7.22g update, which nerfed Chainmail but left Phase Boots untouched, is unknown.

Finally, Ring of Protection is no longer available from the side shop. This is an indirect nerf to another armor-focused item and makes it a bit more difficult to build such items as Vladimir’s Offering or Urn of Shadows.

That said, the biggest change of all this patch came with a 5% reduction in experience granted from neutrals. This was preceded in the 7.22g update by a 5% reduction to gold bounties from neutrals. This move seems to be a direct answer to the increased popularity of jungling seen at The International 2019, and suggests that Valve has no interest in seeing Dota 2’s jungle meta return to where it was back in 2016.

The full patch notes can be found on the official Dota 2 blog.

Steven Rondina

About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

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