Dota 2: Analysis of update 7.31, new but not enough

Many people are disappointed by the new 7.31 update because the wait time is too long while the change does not really make much difference. Looking back, players haven’t had a major update in the last half a year. Unlike last time, update 7.31 has no new Aghanim’s Shard or new mechanics in Neutral Item. This time around, we feel like it’s updating like it did before 7.00: balance changes, some new gameplay, some new items, and finally a new hero.

PRIMAL BEAST

Valve really favors the Strength offlaner because this is the third time in a row that such a hero has appeared. There aren’t too many complaints about Primal Beast right now as the new hero doesn’t seem to be getting overly buffed in 7.31.

In theory, Primal Beast will be in the position 3 group without Blink Dagger to initiate combat. Practically speaking, Blink + Pulverize is very difficult to deploy, while the skill Onslaught can be used to initiate combat as well as increase the mobility of Primal Beast. This new hero definitely needs more tweaking and is worth analyzing after the upcoming balance updates.

NEW NEUTRAL CREEP AND REWORK

In the face of complaints about Dota getting easier, Valve decided to return to its RTS roots. The developer has added many new options for Chen, Lycan, Beastmaster, Visage and Enchntress.

It’s not a massively played hero group. In the last month in pubs, four of the five names listed above were in the least played group. Three of them are in the group of Dota heroes that have been played at least in the past year. This is probably the main reason why the community feels this update is not big enough because most players don’t play these heroes.

Even so, this is still a big patch. It will make a definite impact on the meta, especially in the pro arena. Perhaps people will need more time to adapt, but the changes will not be immediately noticeable in each game.

However, Dota 2 gamers always adapt to win. And the more people adapt, the more willing they are to learn how to use microphones. Nearly every Dota 2 mechanic can be obtained from capturing neutral creeps. That means creeps won’t feel out of place in the Dota 2 community anymore. This is not a return of Zoo Meta, but will be Exhibition Meta (showing the ability to know which neutral creeps to apply to the match).

NEW ITEM AND REWORK

Nearly every previous item disparagement has been mentioned. Vlad’s can become a support item, the Mage Slayer now has a new upward direction and the Drum of Endurance is back. At least in theory.

We have Orchid that no longer favors Intelligance, a new reliable Bloodstone that no longer weakens on death. Ethereal Blade becomes an item that deals damage based on the opponent’s main stats, making it strong against most Agility carry, especially Morphling – the hero who used to consider Ethereal Blade as his effective assistant.

7.31 also has Revenant’s Brooch, an item suitable for hand-hit Intelligence cores. Inspired by HoN, this item is well worth getting against Ethereal effects, not to mention the other benefits it’s worth. Revenant’s Brooch is really cool to combine with the new Etheral Blade.

However, the author feels that the biggest change does not come from the above items. Although only one or two lines have changed, these are the two items that will have a big impact on the game: Radiance and Diffusal Blade.

Diffusal Blade is now about 20% cheaper. With what the author is witnessing, surely a Riki rework will have to happen. Currently, Riki is having a win rate of over 55%. This is probably a must-have item for any active Agility core.

Meanwhile, Radiance can match Maelstrom and Battlefury in terms of farming. Since it can split into Butterfly/Halberd and Nullifier/Rapier, we have a lot of ways to take advantage of Radiance and then transform it into more powerful late game items.

CHANGE HERO

This is probably the most disappointing part of the patch note, with the exception of Techies, but there are still some notable changes. The first is Techies. This is still a very annoying hero and hinders pushing a lot. But in general, the hero is weak and is one of the most disadvantaged heroes of the patch. Perhaps, Techies will soon be buffed in the near future.

Some of the new trends are notable, like Tiny, Pugna, Ax and Huskar, but very few heroes change their gameplay completely. Tiny is still a magic nuker then turns into a hand-to-hand nuker, Ax is still an initiating hero, but now has the power to get stronger later. Huskar is still Huskar but more buffalo.

The article feels Brewmaster and Omniknight are two big changes. Brewmaster is stronger in theory, but to reach its full potential requires a lot of experience. Brewmaster is basically the same as the Tread swap mechanism and will be very destructive if played well. No hero has a 70% chance of 1.9x crit, 60% magic resistance, 60% status resistance, and 90% dodge. Perfectly exploiting them is almost impossible, but some pro players will definitely give it a try.

Omniknight can be played more actively. Losing status resistance in Heavenly Grace is a big loss, but it’s still a very powerful ally. Combined with Hammer of Purity, we have a strong lane support or an offlane core with great kill potential. Dota 2 needs more time for Omniknight’s role to be more clearly defined, but the problem of the hero is not in the strength – Omniknight frankly said, it is quite boring. The new update will change this while preserving the essence of the hero.

EPILOGUE

There are dozens of things to analyze in this patch and how they affect the game. Surely the valve will also correct hero rework, as well as Primal Beast and the balance issues around them. Let’s wait and see what the meta trend will be in the near future.

According to dotabuff

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