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Dota 2 patch 7.39 Allows You To Eat Armor!
Dota 2 patch 7.39 is here and there is a doozy of changes. Valve has added a ton of quality of life improvements, such as clearer in-game voice settings, a slew of simpler to use hotkey options, and and a far easier to use market.
That's a lot of good stuff, but our focus on this article will be all the juicy game play additions and changes that will shake up the meta.
The biggest changes in Dota 2 patch 7.39
Tormentors are weaker and spawn later in the game
Instead of showing up at the 15-minute mark, Tormentors now spawn at 20 minutes, similar to their first iteration. They also have significantly lower health pools, making them much easier to bring down.
Since competitive games were played around the 15 minute tormentor, the game became a little too telegraphed and map movements too forced. This allows teams to take the objective later and with fewer players involved. Overall I like this change and it gives a little more flexibility in the mid-game, instead of forced focus on tormentor.
Dota 2 patch 7.39 reworks several areas on the map
The water world patch added rivers to the edge of the map but Valve isn't done just yet. The latest update removes some of the clutter around the map, making it easier for players to move around. I like this change, because some areas of the map were hard to navigate due to the amount of trees, especially around towers. It's not a huge overhaul but it's certainly a step in the right direction.
New Neutral Item season
We are always down for new items and Dota 2 patch 7.39 does not disappoint, with a new season of neutral items. Some must be lost but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make.
Of particular interest is Dormant Curio, which is a tier 1 item that does nothing but improve the next Neutral item made by 30%. Players can choose an immediate upgrade now, or hold on for stronger mid-game neutrals. It's an interesting decision and we applaud IceFrog for his endless innovation.
As for returning classics, we're happy to see Poor Man's Shield and Psychic Headband come back. Solid power spikes for melee heroes and spell casters respectively.
18 new or reworked facets
Facets are still undergoing major changes each patch, with several heroes have new ones introduced, old ones removed, and occasionally some reworked. Dota 2 patch 7.39 is no exception, with 18 new or reworked facets introduced.
It's hard to narrow down which facets are gimmicky and which are massive buffs. Some at least look very fun though.
Bloodseeker can now silence targets with Bloodrage while boosting their damage, similar to how the hero functions 20 years ago. Nature's Prophet can plant money trees on his dead enemies. Clockwork can eat Chainmail for permanent armor boosts (wtf?!). Oh and Witch Doctor's Maledict can persist after death and hurt enemies, cause why not?
There is a lot to go through and we expect to make several articles on Dota 2 patch 7.39. So be sure to check Strafe regularly for more updates!
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Featured Image Source: Valve