Valve has finally released Dota 2 patch 7.38: full list of changes
Author: Hawk Live LLC
Last updated:
Patch 7.38 has finally been released for Dota 2, bringing significant gameplay changes to Valve’s MOBA. The developers have extensively reworked hero abilities and attributes, adjusted items, and made substantial changes to the current matchmaking meta.
This was announced on the official Dota 2 website.
Credit: Valve Corporation
Additionally, a new treasure has been introduced in the game, tied to a special event, offering players the chance to obtain an exclusive Arcana.
Full patch 7.38 changelog:
General Changes
The damage of universal heroes per attribute has been reduced from 0.7 to 0.45. As a result, many heroes’ base damage has changed.
Skill points can now be spent starting from level 2 instead of level 6.
Reflected spells now receive all bonuses of the original spell, including enhancements from the hero’s aspect, talents, Aghanim's Shard, and Aghanim's Scepter. Previously, enhancements depended only on whether the target had Aghanim’s.
Slow resistance now also increases minimum movement speed. For example, 20% slow resistance increases your minimum movement speed from 100 to 120.
Glyph of Fortification: Duration reduced from 4 to 3 seconds.
Units no longer receive a bonus to movement speed at night.
Items that are first placed in a hero’s backpack can now be moved to the main inventory in 3 seconds without needing to wait for a cooldown. This works only once per hero and per item.
Wandering Waters
The upper and lower parts of the outer perimeter are now flooded with streams of water that can be walked on. Streams flow out near T3 towers (just before the medium camp) and descend to T1 towers (the former location of paired portals).
Moving downstream increases both current and maximum movement speed, while moving upstream imposes no penalties.
Streams are divided into two zones: one with strong currents, providing up to 150 additional movement speed, and others with moderate currents, providing up to 100 additional speed. The strong current begins at the stream’s source near each base and lasts until the waterfalls near T2 towers. All other stream sections have moderate currents.
The speed bonus depends on the direction of movement, starting at 100% when moving downstream and decreasing to 0% at a 90-degree angle.
The positions of observers, camps, and paths in these areas have been slightly adjusted to accommodate the stream.
The main forests of Radiant and Dire now also have a stream with moderate currents, starting near the easy camp next to T1 towers. They connect with the outer streams, crossing the easy line near T1 towers.
Object Changes
Roshan
Roshan has been returned to the river, with two lairs now located near each sidelane.
The upper lair is slightly closer to the entrance of the Dire forest, while the lower lair is closer to the Radiant forest.
Only the active lair is displayed as an icon on the minimap.
Initially, Roshan spawns in the lower lair. Starting at 15:00, Roshan follows a day-night cycle, crossing the river toward the target lair: upper at night and lower during the day.
Roshan no longer has bonus movement speed when traveling between lairs.
Roshan now has a base slow resistance of 25% and an additional 25% slow resistance when running between lairs.
When encountering a hero while traveling between lairs, Roshan will stop, grab them, and forcefully throw them. Upon landing, heroes are stunned for 1 second and take 200 pure damage + 0.5% of the target’s current health for each minute of game time. Each throw grants Roshan 70 bonus movement speed and increases throw damage by an additional 100 until he reaches the target lair. After 5 throws, Roshan ignores heroes in his path.
Throw distance: 1,500. Maximum bonus movement speed: 300. Can be dispelled by abilities and items that block spells (e.g., Linken’s Sphere) but cannot be reflected. Heroes are thrown away from Roshan based on their position relative to each other.
An icon for Roshan has been added next to the minimap, showing the boss’s status (alive, dead, possibly alive) and location. If Roshan is dead, the status includes a timer until his possible respawn. Since respawn time ranges from 8 to 11 minutes, the status will indicate he may be alive, with a timer to guaranteed respawn. If a team has vision on Roshan or hears his roar during this status, the timer updates, and the status confirms Roshan is alive.
Third Eye from Templar Assassin precisely shows when and where Roshan will respawn.
Roar of Retribution: Now also applies a 2-second disarm to all units in the radius. Radius reduced from 900 to 600. Cast time increased from 0.1 to 0.5 seconds. Cooldown increased from 20 to 60 seconds.
Roshan’s throw ability now has a 2-second recharge before it can be used again on the same target.
Added a unique attack animation for stuns and a new animation and particles for Roar of Retribution.
Tormentor
Tormentors have been moved to the map corners.
Now only one Tormentor is active at a time.
The first Tormentor now spawns at 15:00 (7:30 in Turbo).
The Tormentor now grants 250 gold to each hero upon death. Still grants an additional 280 gold if all players have Aghanim’s Shard.
The Tormentor’s position depends on the time of day: on the Dire side during the day and on the Radiant side at night. It always first appears on the Radiant side (Dire side in Turbo), meaning the Tormentor and Roshan are always on opposite sides (except in Turbo).
The Tormentor’s abilities now scale based on game time, not the number of deaths.
Unyielding Shield: Damage absorption changed from 2,500 + 200 per death to 1,900 + 20 per minute of game time. Shield regeneration changed from 100 + 100 per death to 30 + 5 per minute of game time.
Reflect: Damage reflection percentage changed from 90 + 20 per death to 50 + 2 per minute of game time.
The Shining: Damage per second increased from 30 to 60. Radius reduced from 1,200 to 1,000.
Alleviation: New ability. Upon death, the Tormentor leaves behind an aura with a 900 radius that increases health regeneration for all units in the area by 2% of their maximum health. Lasts 15 seconds.
Lotus Pools
The method of collecting lotuses has changed. Pools now have three entrances and an empty area in the middle. Heroes automatically collect lotuses when within a 350 radius of the pool’s center if they have inventory space. Collecting the first lotus takes 1.5 seconds, with each subsequent lotus requiring 30% less time (1.05s, 0.735s, etc.). The timer only counts down when all heroes in range are from the same team, stops if an enemy hero enters the radius, and resumes when enemies leave. If multiple allied heroes are in range, the lotus goes to a random character.
Lotus pools now spawn large lotuses after neutral items of level 4 appear. Previously spawned lotuses combine into enhanced versions when there are at least the minimum required number in the pool.
Lotus pools now spawn enhanced lotuses after neutral items of level 5 appear, similar to large lotuses.
Shrines of Wisdom
Wisdom runes have been removed and replaced with new structures: Shrines of Wisdom.
Shrines of Wisdom are located in the forests on the far line between first- and second-tier towers, where ancient creep camps used to be.
Shrines activate every 7 minutes, glowing and filling with experience.
To gain experience from an activated shrine, a hero must stay within a 300 radius for 3 seconds.
Like lotus pools, the shrine won’t count down if an enemy hero appears in the radius and will resume if the enemy leaves or is killed.
Experience is awarded to a random hero within the 300 radius and their teammate with the lowest level. The amount of experience matches the bonuses from wisdom runes.
Bounty Runes
Spawn interval increased from 3 to 4 minutes.
The formula for calculating bonus gold changed from 36 + 9 every 5 minutes to 40 + 6 every 4 minutes.
Other
Map area enhancements (e.g., Mighty Mines) have been removed.
Outposts in the corners have been removed.
Paired portals have been moved to the map corners on new elevations near the Tormentors.
The map has been generally adjusted. Neutral camps, trees, and rocks have been slightly altered.
Lifesteal
Individual abilities no longer have special rules for how lifesteal works in different situations (on creeps, illusions, depending on damage type, etc.). Lifesteal mechanics are now uniform for all abilities.
Lifesteal from attack damage depends on physical damage and is reduced by 40% when damage is dealt to non-heroes.
Lifesteal from abilities now depends on physical and magical damage from spells or attacks and is reduced by 80% when damage is dealt to non-heroes.
Neither regular nor ability lifesteal now works with pure damage.
Holding Alt while viewing lifesteal items shows their percentage from attacks and spells, including the difference between heroes and creeps.
The following sources and targets do not grant lifesteal: attacks where attack modifiers don’t apply (e.g., Cleave, Luna’s Glaive); attacks on couriers, wards, buildings; damage from abilities to illusions, wards, couriers, buildings; reflected damage (e.g., from Blade Mail); abilities that drain health instead of dealing damage; any damage to self or allies.
A small number of abilities have different lifesteal calculations, but lifesteal enhancements will still provide a bonus:
Open Wounds from Lifestealer heals allies based on damage they deal.
Feast from Lifestealer heals based on a percentage of the target’s maximum health.
Ransack from Meepo heals characters for a fixed amount of health.
Neutral Creep Changes
Flooded Camps
Neutral camps located in the water stream are considered flooded.
Flooded camps are populated by new neutral creeps—amphibians.
These camps are located in:
Small camp: on the edge between tier-1 and tier-2 towers.
Medium camp: on the edge near the tier-2 tower.
Medium camp: in the main forest area flooded by the river, where a large camp used to be.
Over the course of the game, creeps in these special camps evolve.
Every five minutes, one creep in the camp permanently upgrades to the next tier.
Each camp consists of three units. By 15:00, the small camp fully evolves into a medium camp, and both medium camps become large. By 30:00, the remaining medium becomes large, and the two large camps evolve into ancient camps.
Each creep can only evolve twice, so an initially small camp can never develop into an ancient camp (sorry, tadpoles).
Units do not upgrade if the camp is blocked. The number of upgraded units cannot increase, so if only one ancient creep is in the camp, attempting to stack the camp won’t produce another ancient creep.
Camps consist of the following creeps:
Small camp: three tadpoles.
Medium camp: two swamp walkers and one swamp mage apprentice.
Large camp: two croakers and one swamp mage.
Ancient camp: two ancient croakers and one ancient swamp mage.
Details of the new creeps are provided below (see your previous message for specifics).
Ancient Prowlers
Prowlers have returned to ancient creep camps.
Each camp includes two Prowler Servants and one Prowler Shaman.
Average reward for clearing such a camp: 158 gold and 314 experience.
Ancient Prowler Servant
Returned ancient melee creep.
Health increased from 600 to 750.
Experience gained from killing increased from 50 to 95.
Gold reward from killing reduced from 52-58 to 37-43.
Base attack time increased from 1.5 to 2 seconds.
Base attack speed increased from 100 to 134.
Attack interval reduced from 0.83 to 0.3 seconds (attacks take longer, but less time passes between them, keeping DPS unchanged).
Turn rate increased from 0.5 to 0.9.
Prowler Aura: No longer stacks with copies of this aura.
Prowler Aura: Lifesteal changed from 10% to 9/10/11/12%.
Prowler Aura: Health regeneration bonus changed from 10 to 9/10/11/12.
Ancient Prowler Shaman
Returned ancient melee creep.
Level increased from 5 to 6.
Health increased from 1,200 to 1,400.
Experience gained from killing increased from 95 to 124.
Gold reward from killing increased from 58-69 to 76-80.
Base attack time increased from 1.5 to 2 seconds.
Base attack speed increased from 100 to 135.
Attack interval reduced from 0.83 to 0.3 seconds (attacks take longer, but less time passes between them, keeping DPS unchanged).
Turn rate increased from 0.5 to 0.9.
Desecrate: Number of nearby enemy units required to activate the ability increased from 1 to 3.
Petrify: Neutral creeps will set this ability to autocast only if the Ancient Prowler Shaman has less than 90% health at the time of the attack.
Petrify: DPS increased from 75 to 100.
Petrify: Duration reduced from 2 to 1.2/1.3/1.4/1.5 seconds.
Petrify: Interval between damage ticks reduced from 0.5 to 0.1 seconds.
Other Creep Changes
Kobold: Prospecting Aura: Can no longer be toggled off.
Ancient Thunder Lizard: Slam: Number of nearby hostile units required to activate the ability reduced from 4 to 3.
Item Changes
(See previous translation for detailed item changes, including Block of Cheese, Bottle, Orb of Blight, Orb of Frost, Orb of Venom, Sentry Ward, Smoke of Deceit, Wind Lace, Abyssal Blade, Arcane Boots, Battle Fury, Bloodstone, Bloodthorn, Boots of Bearing, Drum of Endurance, Ethereal Blade, Eul's Scepter of Divinity, Eye of Skadi, Hand of Midas, Heaven's Halberd, Gleipnir, Mage Slayer, Mask of Madness, Orb of Corrosion, Phylactery, Khanda, Revenant's Brooch, Sange and Yasha, Shadow Blade, Silver Edge, Solar Crest, Tranquil Boots, Wind Waker, and Witch Blade.)
Neutral Item Changes
Neutral Crafting
Neutral creep tokens no longer drop.
The neutral stash has been removed.
Neutral items can no longer be dropped or moved to a hero’s backpack.
Clearing a neutral creep camp fully grants the player a Madstone.
Collecting enough Madstones allows a player to craft a neutral item by selecting one artifact and one enchantment.
Obtaining Madstone
Fully clearing a neutral creep camp grants Madstone to the player’s team who killed the creeps.
The player who earned the Madstone receives 2 units, and 1 additional unit is distributed to a random ally.
Clearing an ancient creep camp grants 3 units to the killer, with 2 more units distributed among random allies.
Dropped Madstone is automatically collected if no enemy heroes are within 800 units of the last killed creep and an allied hero is within 1,200 units. Otherwise, Madstone remains on the ground and can be picked up by either team.
If the player picking up Madstone has reached their limit (see below), the entire stock of Madstone is evenly distributed among allies.
Item Tiers
Neutral items now consist of two parts: artifacts and enchantments.
Artifacts determine the item’s abilities (can be passive and/or active).
Enchantments provide passive stats and attributes.
Like the previous neutral item system, they are divided into tiers (levels).
Each tier becomes available only after a specific game time.
Artifacts belong only to one level.
Enchantments have multiple levels and can appear in different tiers.
Crafting
When crafting an item, players are offered a choice of 4 artifacts and 4 enchantments, from which they must select one each.
Artifact options include 3 from the current level and the option to keep the current artifact.
Enchantment options include 4 from the current level but without the option to keep the current enchantment.
Crafting a neutral item replaces any existing neutral item the player has.
To craft a level 2 item, a level 1 item must first be crafted.
Crafting a level 1 neutral item requires 5 Madstones.
Crafting neutral items of levels 2, 3, 4, and 5 requires 10 Madstones.
Neutral items of level 5 can be recrafted at an increasing cost, starting at 10 Madstones.
Madstone Limits
Players are limited in the number of Madstones they can hold at any time.
At certain intervals, the limit increases, allowing the creation of the next tier item.
At the start of the game, the Madstone limit is 0.
5:00: Limit increases to 5.
15:00: Limit increases to 15.
25:00: Limit increases to 25.
35:00: Limit increases to 35.
60:00: Limit increases to 45.
70:00: Limit is removed, and players can collect unlimited Madstones.
Turbo
Madstone availability time in Turbo is halved.
When collecting Madstone, the player receives 3 units, and the team receives 2 units.
