10. Lycan
Reworked Howl. Now causes all enemies within 2000 AoE to have 5/6/7/8 reduced armor and deal less 25/30/35/40% less base attack damage. Lasts 5/6/7/8 seconds. Cooldown: 24/22/20/18 CD Manacost: 50. Howl is now cast around your wolves as well
- This is a huge nerf. Lycan needed the bonus attack speed to effectively split push and carry games. Now by simply debuffing the enemy, it seems Lycan has been neutered into an offlane or even support role and forces him to build summons items
Reworked Scepter. Grants Wolf Bite. Target an allied hero to convert them and provide Shapeshift properties (including melee). Grants both of you 30% lifesteal, and a shared 30% lifesteal to heal the other one when within 1200 range of each other. Cooldown: 80. Manacost: 150
- Similar to the other change, this is rather useless. His old Scepter ability worked as a Hand of Midas that automatically pushed lanes; now he can only buff an allied carry instead of simply carrying the game himself
9. Arc Warden
Tempest Double duration increased from 16/20/24 to 18/22/26
- A longer active ultimate gives opponents more opportunity to claim the tempest’s huge gold bounty
Level 25 Talent reduced from +350 Spark Wraith Damage to +300
- Spark Wraith is very useful in the late game especially due to the cooldown reduction talent; a 50 damage nerf is very significant
8. Keeper of the Light
Blinding Light mana cost from 100/125/150/175 to 130/145/160/175
- Blinding Light is a great first level spell for dangerous lanes, and increasing the early mana cost makes it harder to cast repeatedly
Blinding Light cast range reduced from 575/650/725/800 to 475/550/625/700
Will-O-Wisp cast range reduced from 900 to 800
Level 15 Talent reduced from +350 Cast Range to +250
- Squishy Keeper of the Light will have a harder time positioning himself to get good casts off with all of these unprecedented cast range nerfs. Keeper is a hero that doesn’t even want to be seen by the enemy, let alone focused and surrounded
XP Talent is now replaced with +6% Spell Amp
- This will make leveling harder after the laning phase; it's recommended to get the movement speed talent instead of this now.
7. Drow
Agility reduced from 30 + 2.8 to 20 + 2.6 (base damage unchanged)
- This is a crippling nerf, lowering Drow’s attack damage, attack speed, armor, and move speed
Frost Arrows now do 5/10/15/20 damage
- This may be to make up for the lowered Agility, but doesn’t make up for it enough, and doesn’t scale either
Frost Arrows no longer last 7 seconds on creeps
- A huge nerf, considering that several hero summons are considered to be creeps. Also prevents her from kiting jungle creeps when farming
Gust max knockback distance increased from 350 to 450
- Obviously a good buff to the skill, but doesn’t help her damage
Replaced Precision Aura with Multishot. Channels for up to 1.75 seconds. During that time, it releases a flurry of arrows in continuous salvos. Releases 12 total arrows over 3 waves. Arrows deal 90/115/140/165% of your base damage and apply Frost Arrow slow for 1/2/3/4 seconds. Travel distance is twice your attack range. Cooldown: 32/28/24/20. Manacost: 50/60/70/80
- This skill can dole out decent damage, and the range can be very useful, giving vision, damage, and slow on distant enemies, but this is still no substitute for the loss of stats and Precision Aura as a basic ability. The forced channel is inconvenient as well
Marksmanship no longer instantly kills creeps
- No longer insta-killing creeps means Drow can no longer flash-farm creep camps
Marksmanship proc damage is now 40/50/60 bonus (as a proc on top, non-critting)
- This is decent damage, but the fact that this bonus damage doesn’t proc on Multishot is puzzling
Marksmanship now also provides bonus agility to you and nearby ranged heroes equal to 28/36/44% of your agility.
- Having the bonus Agility as an ultimate ability means Drow is weaker before level 6
Level 15 Talent reduced from +14 Agility to +12
- A small nerf to Drow’s attack speed and damage
Level 20 Talent changed from +25% Evasion to +35% Multishot Damage
- This is a nerf, 25% Evasion is huge especially for a carry
Level 25 Talent changed from +20% Precision Aura Damage to +15% Marksmanship Chance
- Most people would get the Cooldown Reduction Talent anyways, especially with the new Multishot active. Even with this Talent, the damage increase is slight.
Level 25 Talent reduced from 50% Cooldown Reduction to 40%
- This talent is very valuable, letting Drow spam Multishot as well as active items. This decreases her cooldown power by a large percent
6. Chaos Knight
Agility gain reduced from 2.1 to 1.4
- Agility is very important for illusion and crit heroes as it dictates their attack speed; this is a huge nerf
Chaos Bolt now releases fake projectiles from nearby illusions
- A slight buff; now enemies won’t be able to discern the real hero from the illusions by this spell
Reality Rift no longer slows
Reality Rift now reduces armor by 2/3/4/5 for 6 seconds
Reality Rift cooldown from 14/11/8/5 to 15/12/9/6
- This increases CK’s damage output while lowering his control; this can be considered a buff considering his stun will control enemies anyways
Chaos Strike max crit reduced from 160/200/240/280% to 140/170/200/230%
- A big damage nerf that causes CK to rely more on his new Reality Rift for damage
Phantasm outgoing damage rescaled from 50/75/100 to 40/70/100%
Phantasm incoming damage increased from 260% to 350%
Phantasm illusions now have 25% Magic Resistance bonus
Phantasm illusions are now considered Strong Illusions and cannot be instantly killed with spells
- CK’s phantasms are now much more resistant to AoE spells; however, the cleave of late-game heroes shreds them so hard now that they can’t be considered buffed
Reworked Scepter. When you cast Phantasm, causes every allied hero to create an illusion (same stats as Phantasm illusions). Your hero gets an additional illusion as well. Does not interrupt allies.
- This is 4200 gold that’d only be worth it if you have a team of five carries; it’s not worth it in normal games and a huge nerf
5. Pudge
Flesh Heap health regen reduced from 6/9/12/15 to 4/7/10/13
- Health regen is invaluable to the constantly rotting Pudge, so this is an obvious, if not slight, nerf
Rot self damage is no longer lethal
- A huge nerf! Having the ability to self-deny gives you an escape from almost any situation; Pudge players must be much more careful with positioning now
Dismember now deals damage through Spell Immunity (as a result of the Spell Immunity change)
- This is a nice buff but not necessarily for the hero itself; it applies to most active ultimates
Reworked Scepter. Reduces Dismember cooldown to 11. Allows you to target an ally with Dismember, instantly swallowing them in your belly and healing them for 4% of their max health per second. The ally can exit whenever they want by issuing a command.
- On paper, this looks like a cool buff for support Pudge. However, remember that Aghanims used to drastically increase Hook range, and it becomes an obvious nerf
Level 20 Talent changed from +15% Cooldown Reduction to -5s Meat Hook Cooldown
- This is actually a rather nice buff but forces Pudge to build mana items to use it effectively
Level 25 Talent changed from +3s Dismember Duration to Dismember Double Damage/Heal
- A clear buff, but not enough to make up for the other nerfs
XP Talent is now replaced with +5 Armor
- Pudge often spends minutes at a time lurking in the trees; the XP talent was very helpful for those types of games.
4. Chen
Holy Persuasion minimum health reduced from 1000 to 700/800/900/1000
- This nerf makes Chen’s creeps weaker in the early game when he wants to be aggressive and fight with them
Holy Persuasion mana cost increased from 70/90/110/130 to 90/110/130/150
Hand of God mana cost increased from 200/300/400 to 250/350/450
- This lowers Chen’s ability to spam his spells at all levels
Level 10 Talent changed from +30% XP Gain to +200 Health
- His biggest nerf, Chen can no longer level up while ganking like he used to. This forces him into a more core role when he truly shines as a support
3. Undying
Base armor reduced by 1
- A tanky hero by nature, this reduces Undyings survivability, especially at low levels when he needs to trade hits in lane
Soul Rip mana cost increased from 80/95/110/125 to 100/110/120/130
- Making one of Undying’s most mana-intensive casts cost even more is a solid nerf
Tombstone Zombies damage increased from 33 to 36
- A small buff that lets his zombies claw down enemies faster
Zombies collision size reduced
- Having a horde of undead below one’s feet makes it rather hard to walk, but if the collision size is reduced, it’s easier for enemies to run through them
Flesh Golem has been reworked. Now increases your strength by 30/40/50%. Your attacks slow the enemy by 30/35/40% and deal 25/35/45 DPS for 5 seconds. Zombies do double damage to a unit under the effect of the attack debuff. Cooldown: 125. Duration: 30. Manacost: 100/125/150
- Undying’s ultimate now increases his health and damage instead of all incoming damage to nearby enemies. This new ability is more suited for a carry, and not a tanky brawler offlaner
Level 10 Talent reduced from +8 Health Regen to +6
- This further reduces Undying’s survivability at low levels
2. Clinkz
Base attack range reduced from 650 to 625
- For a hero that relies so much on his right-click, this rather small nerf could be relatively frustrating
Skeleton Walk now provides 70/100/130/160 attack speed when coming out of invisibility. Lasts 4 seconds.
- Quite powerful, but the fact that it’s only available after invisibility lowers his flexibility and means he can’t have his Skeleton Walk available as an escape as often
Replaced Strafe with Death Pact. Consumes an enemy unit, skeleton, or a level 3/4/5/6 neutral. Gains 250/350/450/550 health and causes your attacks to have -2/3/4/5 armor debuff. If a hero dies under your attack debuff (lasts 3 seconds), you gain +5 damage permanently and Death Pact cooldown is refreshed. Death Pact lasts 55 seconds. Cooldown: 90. Cast Range: 900. Manacost: 60.
- The old ultimate is back as a basic ability and offers potential permanent damage. A buff, but there will be downtime when he can’t have this active, which also lowers his flexibility in fights
Burning Army now deals 24/26/28% of your attack damage instead of 80/100/120% of your base damage.
- A huge nerf. Clinkz is now forced to build pure damage instead of regen and utility items like Orchid, and it makes his ultimate and Scepter useless until late-game
Level 20 Talent changed from +16 Health Regen to +350 Death Pact Health
- Replaces one survivability talent for another, not a nerf or buff, although it does further his reliance on the big cooldown of Death Pact
Level 25 Talent changed from +4s Strafe Duration to +4s Skeleton Walk Attack Speed Duration
- This makes his bonus attack speed 8 seconds, which can be very good in fights; just a shame that the default duration is so low
1. Riki
Agility reduced from 30 + 2.5 to 18 + 1.4 (base damage unaffected)
- This is one of the biggest nerfs in the entire patch. Riki can definitely no longer be a right-click carry with this abysmal Agility
Strength gain increased from 1.9 to 2.4
Base damage increased by 8 overall
Base health regen increased from 1 to 3
Base armor increased by 2
Base movement speed increased from 290 to 320
- The buffs on these base stats, while making him an okay early brawler, are nowhere near enough to make up for his lost Agility
Smoke Screen no longer slows (previously was 8/12/16/20%)
Smoke Screen no longer reduces vision
Smoke Screen miss rescaled from 10/30/50/70% to 25/35/45/55%
Smoke Screen radius rescaled from 325 to 280/310/340/370
Smoke Screen cooldown increased from 17/15/13/11 to 20/17/14/11
- This is a huge nerf as well; one of Riki’s best spells has been nerfed on all accounts. The slow on Smoke Screen stacked beautifully with the Diffusal Blade slow and Orb of Venom. Now enemy heroes can simply walk away from him
Blink Strike now has 2 charges (with 25/20/15/10 replenish rate)
- Having an instant Blink Strike after his first one is convenient, but does not add much damage relative to the old cooldown
Blink Strike damage reduced from 75/90/105/120 to 25/50/75/100
- A huge nerf to his damage, especially at level 1
Cloak and Dagger is now the Ultimate. Has 4/3/2 fade delay. No longer has health regen bonus. Backstab damage is 1.4/1.8/2.2.
- The removal of early invis completely destroys Riki’s early game; he can no longer gank or escape enemies effectively before level 6. The bonus damage is nice though.
Tricks of the Trade is now a basic ability. Attacks 4 times over 2 seconds, dealing 70/80/90/100% of your damage. Hits random units, including creeps. Cast Range: 400. Radius: 450. Cooldown: 21/18/15/12. Mana cost: 50
- A set number of attacks while invulnerable. This is a cool ability that syncs with his other abilities but makes him completely reliant on this one spell to make any impact. Also, the loss of a slow on Smoke Screen means this spell is even harder to hit enemies with
Tricks of the Trade Scepter has been updated. 1000 Cast range, +1 second duration, +2 attacks, targets allied units.
- This is similar to the old Scepter upgrade except on his basic ability
Level 10 Talent changed from +8 Agility to +25 Attack Speed
- The new Riki could've used that extra Agility.
Level 10 Talent increased from +6 Health Regen +8
Level 15 Talent reduced from -8s Smoke Screen cooldown to -5s
Level 15 Talent changed from +20% Critical Strike (1.5x) to +35 Damage
Level 20 Talent increased from +0.3 Backstab Multiplier to +0.5
- Several slight buffs that don’t make up for the nerfs in the slightest
Level 25 Talent changed from +300 Tricks of the Trade AoE to -7s Tricks of the Trade Cooldown
- Riki’s entire damage output revolves around Tricks of the Trade, and by association, this talent. Having to wait until level 25 to truly come online puts a large damper on a hero
Top 10 Biggest Hero Buffs
10. Crystal Maiden
Base mana regen increased from 0 to 1
Arcane Aura self mana regen adjusted from 2.5/4.5/6.5/8.5 to triple on yourself
- This is a slight nerf to Crystal Maiden’s mana regen, but not to her team’s
Level 15 Talent changed from +14% Manacost/Manaloss Reduction Aura to +10% Magic Resistance Arcane Aura
- This is a simply amazing buff; a global Magic Resistance bonus is invaluable for protecting herself and her allies. Additionally, the triple self-bonus applies to this bonus as well, meaning the bonus is a huge 30% on her own hero
9. Winter Wyvern
Winter's Curse no longer reduces damage on the targets from the Winter Wyvern player's hero or units
- A simple yet effective buff. Wyvern’s allies still can’t damage the target of her ultimate, but now she can. Winter Wyvern can now build damage items to augment her spells; Wyvern core is now very viable
8. Tusk
Base movement speed increased from 305 to 310
Base HP regen increased from 0 to 0.5
Walrus Kick now deals damage through Spell Immunity (as a result of the Spell Immunity change)
Level 15 Talent increased from +350 Health to +400
Level 20 Talent increased from -6s Ice Shards Cooldown to -8s
- Several small buffs that individually seem insignificant, but together make the hero much tankier and more able to fight at all stages of the game. A very brawl-focused hero that wants to team fight, Tusk will make great use of these buffs
XP Talent is now replaced with +10 Health Regen
- Tusk is always brawling in lane, so this bonus XP won't be missed that much.
7. Tiny
Base movement speed increased from 290 to 310
- This is invaluable to the ganking part of Tiny’s game, who can burst almost any hero in the early-to-mid game if they don’t see him coming
Base damage reduced by 15
- This nerf, while big on paper, is made insignificant by his other changes
Tree Grab no longer has charges.
- This is one of the biggest buffs in the game. Instead of Tiny’s tree lasting a measly 5 hits, he can keep it as long as he wants. This multiplies his pushing and last-hitting ability by several times over
Tree Grab now causes you to move 25 speed slower
- This is to balance his previously mentioned base speed buff
Tree Grab bonus damage no longer works on denies (denies already don't splash)
- A small nerf that admittedly makes him harder to play as a mid
Tree Grab building damage reduced from 80/120/160/200% to 20/50/80/110%
- This is a necessary change, given that Tree Grab has potentially infinite duration
Level 20 Talent changed from -7s Tree Grab Cooldown to +20 Strength
- While this increases the time it takes Tiny to pick up a tree, this is overshadowed by the previous buffs and the new talent which makes Tiny a tanky beast
6. Doom
Base damage increased by 3
- It’s now easier to last hit and play as a carry
Devour max creep level rescaled from 3/4/5/6 to 4/5/6/6
- Doom now has a wider variety of jungle creeps to choose from at level 1
Devour cooldown rescaled from 70/60/50/40 to 70
Devour gold bonus rescaled from 25/50/75/100 to 20/80/140/200
- The gold bonus is doubled and the cooldown is less than halved; a net buff to GPM
Devour digest duration now matches cooldown (rather than 80)
- While this is a nerf, it simply means Doom will need to use Devour off cooldown, which he should be doing anyway
Scorched Earth duration rescaled from 10/12/14/16 to 16
Scorched Earth speed increased from 11/12/13/14% to 12/13/14/15%
Scorched Earth damage rescaled from 20/30/40/50 to 20/35/50/65
- A huge buff to Scorched Earth, which was previously an underwhelming spell, now means Doom can easily run down smaller opponents
Infernal Blade base damage rescaled from 25 to 16/20/24/28
- A nice damage buff once fully leveled, this skill is rarely used early game anyways
Reworked Scepter. Infernal Blade stun duration increased to 1.75 seconds and +2s DPS duration. Applies Break.
- This turns Doom into a DPS beast, allowing him to shred a huge percent of his enemies health every four seconds
5. Nature’s Prophet
Intelligence gain from 3.5 to 3.7
Agility from 18 + 3.3 to 22 + 3.6
- These stat boosts are simply insane; a ricing NP will be deadly with the attack speed and damage from his new Intelligence and Agility
- Not mentioned in the patch notes, but 5x the couriers means Nature’s Prophet’s habit of courier-sniping as a support has become much easier. Also, if successful, the loss of GPM granted by the courier can be devastating to the enemy
Max base damage reduced by 4
- This will hurt Nature’s Prophet’s last-hitting, but he is most successfully played as a support nowadays
4. Weaver
Shukuchi no longer grants haste
Shukuchi now removes speed limit, causes you to be unslowable, and grants you 225 bonus speed
- Being unslowable is simply a godsend for this slippery hero. Weaver can now run unhindered through any typical slowing ability, as well as unconventional ones like Disruptor’s Kinetic Field and even Mars’s Arena of Blood!
XP Talent is now replaced with +8 Agility
- Weaver scales with gold more than with levels, so this isn't too huge of a nerf.
3. Razor
Replaced Unstable Current with Storm Surge. Passive Aura. Provides 3/5/7/9% movement speed to nearby allies. Has double values on your hero.
- A move speed aura is a rare and valuable thing in DotA 2, allowing you and your teammates to get into position in team fights much easier
Eye of the Storm now passively shocks every unit in a 500 radius around you for 60/100/140 damage every 3 seconds. Still has the active component.
- A new passive feature to an active ultimate is very rare in DotA 2. This is a clear buff that makes room for his other abilities to do more as well
Static Link now causes Razor to continuously attack the linked target. You cannot attack other targets during this time. Your attack happens automatically while you are moving without interruption (as long as it's legal to attack).
- Razor can now attack and steal damage while moving; very handy both in the lane and in team fights
Static Link drain rate from 7/14/21/28 to 7/12/17/22
Static Link drain duration from 8 to 5/6/7/8
- These minor nerfs make Static Link less effective, but the ability itself has been buffed as to make this not important
Fixed Eye of the Storm targeting ethereal units when it cannot hurt them
- This is a simple bug fix, nerf it may be
Level 10 Talent reduced from +15 Agility to +10
Level 15 Talent reduced from +7 Static Link Damage Steal to +6
- Razor has a few Talent nerfs to ensure he doesn’t become unkillable in the midgame
Level 15 Talent changed from +4% Unstable Current Movement Speed to +12 Strength
- This strong Unstable Current movement speed talent is no longer realistic given the new nature of the spell, that it buffs both Razor and allies
Level 25 Talent changed from +200 Unstable Current Damage to +200 Eye of the Storm Passive Damage.
- This is simply compensating for the damage moving from the basic ability to the ultimate
2. Troll Warlord
Agility gain increased from 2.9 to 3.3
- As an Agility carry, any Agi buffs on Troll Warlord are much more effective than they would be on any other type of hero, granting damage in addition to the normal bonuses to attack speed, movement speed, and armor
Berserker's Rage ensnare chance increased from 10/12/14/16% to 14/16/18/20%
- With the attack speed of this hero, a mere 4% buff adds up tremendously to offer Troll much more time locking down his target
1. Lone Druid
Spirit Bear attack range increased from 128 to 150
Spirit Bear armor type changed from Basic to Hero
Spirit Bear attack type changed from Basic to Hero
Spirit Bear no longer has Defender
Spirit Bear Demolish is now available at level 1
Spirit Bear Return is now available at level 1
Spirit Bear Entangle is now available at level 1
Spirit Bear Entangle duration is now 0.75/1.5/2.25/3
Spirit Bear Return is now a 3 second channeling ability. Cooldown: 30
Spirit Bear Demolish building bonus damage is now 10/20/30/40%
- Lone Druid received a large nerf in 7.20 when his Entangling Claws stopped piercing Spell Immunity. Although that’s still the case, Lone Druid is now a beast in the lane, being able to brawl with all of his Spirit Bear’s abilities now available at level 1. He may not counter BKB carries with Entangle anymore, but he can still team fight and push like no one’s business
Spirit Bear damage reduced from 35/55/75/95 to 25
Spirit Bear now levels up when your hero does and gains +5 damage per level
Spirit Bear health reduced from 1500/2000/2500/3000 to 1100/1400/1700/2000
Spirit Bear now gains +75 HP per level of your hero
- Spirit Bear’s basic stats are nerfed at early levels, but it’s made up for the fact that it has access to all of its abilities at level 1 as mentioned, as well as the fact that it now scales with the base hero
Spirit Bear Entangling Claws damage type changed from Physical to Magical
- This is a buff. Magic damage is more valuable in the early game, and LD has enough physical damage in the late game.
Spirit Link is now passive.
Spirit Link no longer heals the spirit bear when Lone Druid deals damage
Spirit Link lifesteal reduced from 40/50/60/70% to 20/35/50/65%
Spirit Link attack speed reduced from 20/40/60/80 to 15/30/45/60
- This is a rather significant nerf to LD and Spirit Bear’s right-click power, but it’s overshadowed by the buffs this hero has received
Reworked True Form. 100 Cooldown. Transforms into a melee bear. Gains 500/1000/1500 Health (healed on cast as well), +10/15/20 Armor. Grants you Spirit Bear's Entangling Roots and Demolish. Sets your melee attack range to 225. Duration: 40. Manacost: 200
- This makes True Form no longer toggleable and on a long cooldown. However, it is now much stronger, with much more bonus health and armor, less attack range reduction, and no movement speed reduction, as well as the same abilities as his Spirit Bear. This is extremely strong and can be used in crucial moments to turn the tide of battle.
Savage Roar now occurs both your hero and the Spirit Bear when cast on either.
Savage Roar AoE increased from 325 to 375
- This offers Lone Druid some much-needed crowd control other than his right-click abilities
Level 20 Talent changed from -25s Battle Cry Cooldown to -40s True Form Cooldown
- This huge cooldown reduction is for a very strong ability, LD’s ultimate, and can be considered a huge buff
Level 25 Talent changed from Battle Cry Grants Spell Immunity to +1000 True Form Health
- Temporary spell immunity is nice, but 1000 bonus max health that also heals for that amount offers similar survivability
