Dota 2: Analysis of the general changes of The Outlanders update

The new patch is finally out with a lot of changes, arguably the biggest ever. Therefore, this article will analyze extremely carefully to avoid misleading the community.

Little by little, we will digest and analyze all the changes in 7.23, with supporting data where possible. First, we’ll discuss the general changes to the game.

CHANGES ON COURIER

Everyone has their own courier which is really convenient. Controlling the courier used to be a skill that a lot of seasoned teams have developed over the years, but it’s not fun. The definition of “mid must be prioritized using courier” has never made for a fun experience, except for courier sniping.

The new system isn’t necessarily better either, but you can exploit the courier more in the late game. Overall, what it does is remove the annoyance of having to share couriers in chaotic pub matches.

Finally, we have a system that is less complicated, but has more depth in the late game. That’s welcome, however some exceptions in the professional arena can cause this system to be tweaked.

ECONOMY OF SUPPORT

Teams now get the Observer Ward for free, which helps the Support’s economy a lot. The imbalance between core and support in terms of net worth was very serious before. This change somewhat improves the lives of supports, helping them play a bigger role in the game.

Having to spend less gold means supporting better items. It also means that support’s build options become more open and there is a high chance of getting items that help win the game.

Once, the article said that the core is an action role-playing game, and the support is a survival horror. And now, although it is still the same, the support’s chance to fight back has somewhat increased. From an outsider, support can now have more of an impact on the game.

However, this comes with a price: supports now take on more responsibility for determining the outcome of the game. Support doesn’t simply create space for early game cores, wards, and that’s it. The support’s personal skill and game knowledge will be tested, so if you play mainly support, you have to improve on areas that were previously only for cores. Stay tuned to EG.Cr1t- for more on how high level supports should play in this patch 7.23, and position 5 support as well.

LEVEL 30 AND OUTPOST

The increased level limit is quite interesting. Heroes that gain a lot of stats as they level up can exploit this advantage. However, the most outstanding thing is still the ability to unlock all talents.

One thing is for sure, the XP boost talent is now more valuable than before. They still have risks, but in most cases the benefits outweigh the risks. For the same reasons, the GPM (gold gain) talent has also gotten better, but not as much as XP. Especially the very strong late game talents, like Puck’s.

Some things are less obvious, like the increase in the potential value of the hero. Heroes like Medusa, which is usually towards the late game, can now have both +1000 mana and Split Shot in the same match.

At first glance, we think it can only gain an advantage in extremely long games, but gaining XP from outposts is also very important and should not be ignored. In most cases, the XP in Outpost gives you a third of your level – which when stacked will be huge.

The average XPM of all heroes in this patch increased by about 9%. The reason is that the amount of XP awarded for killing a hero is calculated based on the level of the hero killed and everyone will level up faster. It’s not too rare to see a hero reaching level 30 in a normal game.

EPILOGUE

The article feels that the new patch has some places that are not worthy of criticism. Current statistics show that even Tier 5 items are not as strong or annoying as many people have assumed. As for Tier 4 items, we’ve seen them replaced later in the game by core players in open qualifiers: possessing a free, random, special effect that’s also pretty cool, but rare when it’s the effect you really need in that game.

The rest of the patch has to be amazing. There are more targets on the map, more free support, no more sacrifices like before. Since then, the experience of support gamers has also become more positive.

According to Dotabuff