Dota 2 7.30c patch notes: hero and item updates, meta hero nerfs, Dawnbreaker and more

Valve has just released the latest Dota 2 gameplay patch version 7.30c. The patch included several balance changes to items and heroes, including much needed nerfs to Beastmaster, Clinkz and Lycan, who have been decimating matchmaking lobbies. In addition to these changes was the addition of one of Dota 2's newest heroes to Captain's Mode: Dawnbreaker. It's expected that Dota 2 7.30c will set the pace and scene for the forthcoming meta, ahead of the Dota 2 International 10 event starting on the 7th of October.

General updates in Dota 2 patch 7.30c

We'll start with some general updates. The most profound change has to be the stacked Neutral Creep gold and XP bounty reduction. This severely affects Hard Carrys like Sven, Magnus and Luna, that rely on flash farming stacked Creep camps for a power spike. Support players that stack camps will still benefit from the Stack Gold Bonus though.

• Stacked Neutral Creeps gold and XP bounty reduced by 15% (Stacker gold bonus unaffected)

It's expected that this change will affect high-tier matches, like Ancient- to Immortal-level brackets the most. This change ultimately shifts the meta away from passive jungle farming strategies to more aggressive gameplay.

• Ancient Black Dragon: Fireball Mana Cost increased from 100 to 200
• Ancient Thunderhide: Frenzy Mana Cost increased from 50 to 75
• Ancient Thunderhide: Slam Mana Cost increased from 90 to 150.

• Added Dawnbreaker to Captain's Mode

Following the latest hero balance changes, we also see Dawnbreaker added to Captain's Mode, which will translate to the hero featuring a lot more frequently in competitive lobbies.

Item balance changes in Dota 2 patch 7.30c

We've indicated all of the item changes below, with analysis on how some of the more major changes may affect the meta. Among those items most significantly affected were: Echo Sabre, Sange and Yasha, Kaya and Sange, and Helm of the Overlord.

Echo Sabre - major nerf

• Bonus Mana Regeneration from 2.25 to 1.75
• Bonus Strength reduced from 15 to 13
• Fixed Swashbuckle attacks and Toss Tree not putting echo sabre on cooldown.

Arguably one of the most striking changes to the item meta is the nerf to Echo Sabre. These nerfs are profound given the item's popularity in the previous patch. The bonus stats made it an attractive choice for strength melee cores, like Sven, Slardar and Tiny, who benefited the most from this item.

Monkey King Bar - buff

• Attack Speed Bonus increased from 35 to 45 

Silver Edge - minor nerf

• Cooldown increased from 18 to 20 seconds

Sange and Yasha & Kaya and Sange - nerf

• Status Resistance reduced from 25% to 22%

Although this item nerf doesn't appear to be significant, it does impose fairly remarkable but indirect nerfs to heroes like Sven, who rely heavily on status resistance to avoid being kited. This is especially true considering the major nerf to Echo Sabre.

Helm of Iron Will - negligible

• Cost increased from 925 to 950

Sacred Relic - negligible

• Cost reduced from 3800 to 3750

Armlet of Mordiggian - negligible

• Recipe Cost reduced from 650 to 625 (Total cost unchanged)

Crimson Guard - negligible

• Recipe Cost reduced from 950 to 875 (total cost reduced from 3700 to 3650)

Helm of the Dominator - negligible

• Total Cost increased from 2350 to 2375

Helm of the Overlord - nerf

• Recipe Cost reduced from 1250 to 1225 (Total cost unchanged)
• Bonus attributes reduced from +8 to +7
• Bonus Health Regen reduced from +8 to +7
• Bonus Armor reduced from +8 to +7
• Dominated Creep Bounty increased from +200 to +250

The reduction in bonus attributes, health regen and armour appears insignificant at first glance but does confer an indirect nerf to players who embraced the "zoo strategy," using heroes like Lycan, Beastmaster and Chen. This is especially true considering the Mana Cost changes to the Ancient Creeps, mentioned in the "General Updates" section of this article.

We'll have to wait and see whether this change triggers a shift away from the "zoo meta" in the latest patch.

Neutral item changes in Dota 2 patch 7.30c

The latest patch nerfed six neutral items in total. The majority of the changes are not that remarkable and may represent an attempt by Valve to balance some of the newly introduced items, ahead of The International 10.

Ascetic's Cap

• Status resist bonus reduced from 50 to 40
• Bonus Health reduced from 300 to 250

Blast Rig

• Bonus Armor reduced from 8 to 7
• Blind Duration reduced from 2.5 to 2

Apex

• Primary Stat Bonus reduced from 75 to 70

Giant's Ring

• Bonus Strength reduced from 40 to 35
• Bonus Movement Speed reduced from 60 to 50

Telescope

• Bonus Cast Range reduced from 125 to 110
• Bonus Attack Range reduced from 125 to 110

Witchbane

• Cleanse is now a single target spell

Major hero balance changes in Dota 2 patch 7.30c

The hero balance changes in Dota 2 patch 7.30c are simply too lengthy to include here, so we've touched on only the major changes.

Which 7.30 meta heroes were nerfed?

Omniknight was the hardest hit by this patch. Heavenly Grace can now be dispelled which means that players using Euls' Scepter or Nullifier have even more incentive to use it.

Batrider also got clapped by having his strongest ability, Firefly, nerfed to oblivion. The cooldown was increased from 46/42/38/34 to 52/46/40/34 seconds. To top it off, Batrider's vision was halved, which further reduces the hero's ability to scout and pick off heroes from the Fog of War. 

Clinkz' Burning Barrage has also been nerfed (thank god). The cooldown has been increased by 2 seconds at all levels and will cost more mana to cast. Burning Army duration has also been increased by 10 seconds and Death Pact's bonus health was reduced by ~20% at all levels.

We feel like Beastmaster has been nerfed in more ways than one, especially considering the changes affecting the "zoo meta". The following changes also make the hero less viable earlier in the game. Primal Roar's cooldown has been rescaled from 90/80/70 to 100/80/60 and sees the hero receive the -30s Primal Roar Cooldown moved to the Level 25 Talent.

• Level 10 Talent +20 Move Speed replaced with +1.75 Mana Regen
• Level 15 Talent +3 Mana Regen replaced with +30 Move Speed.
• Level 15 Talent +250 Health Beastmaster Controlled Units replaced with +2.5% Wild Axes Damage Amp Per Stack.
• Level 20 Talent -30s Primal Roar Cooldown replaced with +250 Health Beastmaster Controlled Units.
• Level 25 Talent +4% Wild Axes Damage Amp Per Stack replaced with -30s Primal Roar Cooldown

Similar changes were made to Lycan, particularly to arguably his strongest ability: Feral Impulse. This ability was nerfed by reducing the Bonus Damage and Bonus Health Regeneration from 12/24/36/48% to 11/22/33/44% and 2/4/6/8 to 1/3/5/7, respectively. The Feral Pulse Damage at the Level 20 Talent was also rescaled from 30% to 25%. 

What are the meta heroes in Dota 2 7.30c?

Dragon Knight received quite a massive buff to Elder Dragon Form. The cooldown of Elder Dragon Form was rescaled from 115 seconds to 115/110/105/100. This means that purchasing Aghanim's Specter will allow Dragon Knight to transform into Black Dragon form again just 40 seconds after casting it. Black Dragon also receives a Magic Resistance buff from 20% to 25%. Finally, Dragon Knight's Shard ability, "Fireball" was also buffed, increasing its DPS from 60 to 65.

Tiny received a strength increase buff from 28 + 3.8 to 30 + 4.0, meaning that Tiny will not only be super tanky later in the game but he will also do more damage per hit. 

Grimstroke received yet another buff this patch which further boost's Stroke of Fate's damage and cast range. Grimstroke's Level 20 Talent will increase the Stroke of Fate cast range to +1000 instead of +800. The Level 25 Talent will further buff Stroke of Fate's damage by an additional 50% (rather than 40%).

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You can read the full patch notes on the official Dota 2 blog.

• Read more: The International 10's new location and dates revealed

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Header image via Valve.