Dota 2’s Dawnbreaker Update brought a new hero and huge changes to the game's map, but it also brought some big changes to established characters and items as well as part of the 7.29 update.
As expected, the most overpowered items and heroes received big nerfs while weaker heroes received buffs. Dozens of heroes also saw their Aghanim’s Shard abilities either tweaked or reworked completely.
It’s worth taking a good look at the big changes that came in Dota 2 update 7.29 and picking out the most significant changes.
Catch up on everything from the Dawnbreaker Update:
- Meet the new hero, Dawnbreaker
- Big changes to Dota 2 map included in patch 7.29
- Read the full patch notes
Core Io likely dead, Broodmother reworked in Dota 2 update 7.29
The biggest came to Broodmother, who was effectively reworked. Insatiable Hunger was changed from Broodmother’s ultimate to her Q, with Spawn Spiderlings becoming her new ultimate. Fittingly, Spawn Spiderlings was buffed to be stackable and has a longer debuff duration while Insatiable Hunger was nerfed. Spin Web was also rescaled to give players more webs to place, but with the accompanying movement speed bonus being reduced at lower levels.
Io was also given a significant nerf that will redefine how the character is played at a the pro level. The ONE Esports Singapore Major saw core Io return for the first time since The International 2019, where Anathan “ana” Pham completely reimagined how the hero is used. Though Io has been buffed and nerfed many times in the years since, ana’s strategy still proved to be quite strong.
Icefrog didn’t seem to like this, and has delivered some pointed changes to the hero to address it being played as a core. Tether’s cast range was reduced and its movement speed functionality was changed to prevent players from moving above the maximum move speed limit. Even more importantly, Spirits’ maximum range and collision damage was reduced, making it much more difficult to farm the jungle.
It’s possible that Io will remain a viable carry option, but this should stop the hero from being a massive snowballing threat while returning Io to being primarily used as a support.
Leveling stats returns, talent tree changed
Back in the day, the optimal strategy for leveling up certain heroes involved completely ignoring abilities and instead getting more stats. That was removed over time, but is now back with the Dawnbreaker Update.
Players can acquire +2 to all base attributes seven times, similar to how it was in years past. After leveling stats seven times, players will then be forced to upgrade their spells or talents as normal.
Speaking of talents, leveling past 25 was given a significant change. Previously, players acquired nothing but stats for levels 26 through 29, and were given all previously unleveled talents after they reached level 30.
That’s no longer the case after the Dawnbreaker update. When a hero hits level 27, they now receive their unused level 10 talent. At 28, they receive their unused level 15 talent, and so on.
Necronomicon removed in Dota 2 update 7.29
Necronomicon is Necronomigone. Or it’s been turned Necronomicoff, depending on your preference. Either way, Necronomicon has been removed.
The item has provided serious balance issues over the last two years, causing Icefrog fits due to its strong stat boosts and ability to turn any hard-pushing hero into a boulder that can smash down an entire lane with ease. Instead of tinkering with its recipe or increasing its cost, the developer removed the item entirely.
This change was cheered on by many due to how controversial the Necronomicon has been for a long while now, but it’s a devastating blow to the likes of Lycan and Beastmaster who heavily rely on the item. Both received buffs to compensate for its loss, but it’s hard to imagine they will be enough to make up for such a significant loss to their respective arsenals.
Another serious change came to Abyssal Blade. The item no longer has a blinking effect for its active ability and can only be cast at melee range. As with the removal of Necronomicon, this is a tough loss for a subset of heroes, particularly melee heroes like Sven and Ursa who have strong physical burst damage that was amplified by the extra mobility. This is welcome news for ranged supports who won’t have to deal with well-farmed carries being all but inescapable.
Make sure to check out the full patch notes on the official Dota 2 blog.
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