Dota 2 developer Valve has evidently been busy preparing some last-minute tweaks, as the popular MOBA title shapes up for the beginning of its first Major of the Dota Pro Circuit season in Stockholm next week. Dota 2 patch 7.31c arrives just in time for the event, and will serve as the official tournament patch.
This time round, Valve is focusing heavily on Dota 2’s Heroes, with 41 members of its expansive roster of characters getting tweaked. Meta heavy-hitters Primal Beast, Sand King, and Tiny are all receiving sizable nerfs to put a dampener on their power – Tiny in particular has had his numbers squished multiple times across 7.31.
Meanwhile, on the buffs front, Valve is continuing its attempts to bump Zeus up following his Heavenly Jump change on patch 7.31, while also giving a bit of extra love to a number of Heroes like Chen, Phoenix, and Witch Doctor. Though the buffs on this patch generally appear to be more conservative than the nerfs, we’ll have to wait and see just how much they impact the pro meta.
Though not a nerf per se, Death Prophet’s Exorcism bug from last patch has been fixed, bringing its building damage back down to where it should have been.
The Stockholm Major Fantasy and Gameplay Update 7.31c. https://t.co/ZuhnSpTexR pic.twitter.com/vaO2CTmW36
— DOTA 2 (@DOTA2) May 4, 2022
Interestingly enough, the biggest change on this patch comes in the form of some hefty buffs to Wraith Pact, including a change to its Aura Radius (900 to 1200) that brings it back in-line with the radius offered by Vladmir’s Offering. The item’s also getting a boost to Wraith Reprisal’s damage reduction and DPS, as well as a bump up on its bonus lifesteal and mana regen – the final two tweaks are also being made to Helm of the Overlord.
Aside from Hero and item changes, a few neutral creeps – Dark Troll Summoner, Harpy Scout, and Skeleton Warrior – are all receiving nerfs, with Harpy Scout bearing the brunt of them.
Though not the biggest patch by any means, Dota 2 patch 7.31c is certainly making some meaningful changes ahead of the Stockholm Major. For those planning to tune in, you might want to get those Fantasy Dota picks locked down, with Valve also confirming the league’s return.