Dota 2 patch 7.35b analysis: item changes

In Dota 2 patch 7.35, IceFrog went out of his way to buff heroes and make the game unpredictable again. The update brought lots of item changes, including new items, as well as numerous hero changes that immediately transformed the meta. But some of those changes proved to be overpowered.

That’s why Dota 2 patch 7.35b was released shortly after. Its goal was to reestablish the balance, at least to some extent, and patch the latest bugs that were reported by the community.

Key item changes

Eternal Shroud’s Endurance stacks were nerfed by 25%, at least in terms of their duration, which is now 6s instead of 8s.

Helm of Iron Will now gives just +5 armor and +4 HP regen. It’s still a good item, but it’s considerably weaker than before.

Kaya and Sange now gives just +12% spell amp.

Mage Slayer’s spell damage debuff is now 40%, which is extremely high. Against heroes like Zeus or Leshrac, this item can make a huge difference and it’s probably even better than the typical defensive options.

Manta Style was buffed again. Its attack speed bonus is now +15.

Meteor Hammer’s cost was reduced by 200 gold. For heroes like Treant Protector, this is a big buff.

Pavise’s bonuses were decreased substantially. From +3 armor to +2, and from +175 HP to +150.

Sange and Yahsa was buffed. The attack speed bonus is now +20 instead of +12.

Shiva’s Guard was one of the most OP items of patch 7.35 and had to be nerfed. IceFrog brought it back to Earth by decreasing the armor bonus by 4, the all attributes bonus by 2, and the HP regen bonus by 2. These are huge nerfs and will make players think twice before buying the item.

Solar Crest was also nerfed in big ways. The armor bonus was decreased by 2, the all attributes bonus was decreased by 2, and it now costs 100 mana to use Shine. In addition to this, self-casting is no longer worth it because you don’t get bonus movement speed or bonus attack speed anymore.

Veil of Discord’s armor bonus went from +6 to +5.

The cost of Vladmir’s Offering was decreased by 250. This could make the item quite appealing.

Yasha now gives +15 attack speed instead of +12, while Yasha and Kaya gives +20. The spell amp is just +12% now.

Header: Valve