Dota 2 patch 7.34 analysis: big hero buffs and nerfs

Less than four weeks after the latest patch, 7.33e, IceFrog decided to surprise us with Dota 2 patch 7.34. And this patch is quite significant, despite being much smaller than 7.33.

Dozens of heroes were changed. As usual, some got nerfed while others got buffed, based on how successful they were in the previous patch and how they were abused by players. In some cases, the changes make perfect sense. In other cases, they make no sense at all.

Just look for example at Legion Commander, a hero that had the highest win rate in Dota 2 patch 7.33e and a pick rate of 24%. Everyone was expecting LC to get big nerfs. Instead, her base strength was decreased by 2 and her movement speed is now “just” 325 instead of 330. In other words, she’s still ridiculously strong.

Patch 7.34 is out now! Jump in the queue to play or check the changelog here!https://t.co/ES1Ns6BgVT pic.twitter.com/Nozpf91Bts

— DOTA 2 (@DOTA2) August 8, 2023

Nerfed heroes

On the list of popular heroes that got completely destroyed by Dota 2 patch 7.34, Spectre has to be the most important one. Her base strength was reduced by 2, Reality now has a 3s cooldown, and Haunt was removed. What used to be the essence of this hero is now granted only if you buy Aghanim’s Scepter.

The ability that used to be granted by purchasing Aghanim’s Scepter (Shadow Step) is now Spectre’s ultimate. This is a massive nerf that will almost certainly convince people to switch to other options for the carry role.

Another hero that received massive nerfs is Undying. His base damage was decreased by 4 and the cooldown of his Decay is now 13 seconds at level 1. This makes the hero far less viable in the laning phase.

Buffed heroes

When it comes to buffs, a lot of heroes received huge bonuses. Viper is one of them. His Viper Strike is now deadly. The duration was increased to 6s, the projectile speed is 1500, so it’s much harder to dodge, and the attack slow is 80-160. The ability is powerful enough to make players buy Aghanim’s Scepter quickly.

Another hero who received impressive buffs is Witch Doctor. The Bounce delay for his Paralyzing Cask is now just 0.1s instead of 0.3s, which makes it extremely effective when multiple targets get hit. Death Ward now deals pure damage and pierces spell immunity, which means it’s viable even after the 40-minute mark.

Core players will absolutely detest Witch Doctor because their BKBs are now useless against him.

Header: Valve Corporation