It’s Dota 2 patch day, the first released since the last major update 7.37. Dubbed patch 7.37e, this Dota 2 has minor nerfs for most heroes, albeit there are several significant changes that we should be mindful of. Here’s our breakdown
Dota 2 Patch 7.37e (Image credit: Wykrhm Reddy)
Dota 2 Patch 7.37e Major Changes
Ringmaster
One of the most prevalent changes occurred to Ringmaster, and unlike many heroes that received a nerf in patch 7.37e, he got a fantastic buff! Specifically, Ringmaster’s Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade now adds two charges to his ultimate, Escape Act.
Additionally, when the box pops open, it deals 300 magical damage to all enemies in a 275 radius and throws 8 Impalement Art daggers with 50% range in all directions. This drastically boosts Escape Act’s damage output while still serving as a reliable saving mechanism for Ringmaster.
Naga Siren
Naga Siren finally got her well-deserved nerf after being a major menace in the competitive scene. She has had one of the highest ban rates in competitive Dota 2 recently due to how pro teams play her as a position-5 hard support that can farm efficiently as well.
While pos-5 Naga Siren remains unpopular in our typical pubs, it’s a crucial change for the pro scene’s meta.
Juggernaut
Carry players, rejoice! Juggernaut, one of the most popular hard carry heroes, just received a buff on his Blade Fury. With a cooldown reduction of 6 seconds at level 1, this lets Juggernaut pull off successful kills on heroes in his lane, especially when paired with Lich, Tusk or any heroes with stuns.
The shorter cooldown also means Juggernaut will be able to use Blade Fury more frequently, whether it’s for offensive or escape.
Enchantress
Enchantress has been very popular in meta due to her durability and healing capabilities. Additionally, being able to scale from a pos-5 support hero to deal decent damage using her Impetus’ pure damage with budget item, Dragon Lance, makes her a great pick.
While Enchantress did not receive any damage reduction nerfs, her Nature’s Attendants’ healing duration at level 1 has fallen. This could affect her sustainability in the lane during early game.
Medusa
We can expect to see less Medusa picks in pro scene after her major nerf in her facet, Venomous Volley. The facet now scales with Split Shot, which also received some rescaling. Overall, Venomous Volley will not be very effective as an AOE skill anymore.
Additionally, her Mana Shield got a nerf in base damage per mana, which has dropped from 2.4 to 2.2
Other minor hero buffs and nerfs in Dota 2 patch 7.37e
Several buffs also occurred for these heroes:
- Alchemist – shorter cooldown for Unstable Concoction
- Anti-Mage – increased base strength from 19 to 21
- Elder Titan – Facet, Deconstruction, now loses 1 stack per second instead of all stacks instantly
- Sven – Lower mana cost for God’s Strength. Innate ability, Vanquisher, gets increased bonus damage from 17% to 20%
Whereas, these heroes got the short end of the stick with nerfs in patch 7.37e:
- Kez – The new Dota 2 hero, Kez‘s Grappling Claw received a reduction in bonus hero lifesteal.
- Axe – His facet, One Man Army’s armor as strength decreased from 50% to 40%
- Bristleback – Hairball’s cast range decreased from 1000 to 750
- Pangolier – His facet, Thunderbolt, which affects Rolling Thunder, has reduced turn rate bonus from +110% to +40% only.
- Shadow Fiend – His facet, Lasting Presence’s bonus armor reduction buff is removed when he dies. Hero reduction duration has also decreased from 70s to 60s only.
All in all, the Dota 2 Patch 7.37e brought much-needed calibration on various heroes that have been very popular in meta consistently. With this change, hopefully this would affect how the picks and bans go in upcoming tournaments, ESL One Bangkok 2024 and BLAST Slam I.