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One of the largest updates in the MOBA’s history has arrived.
At long last, patient Dota 2 fans have been rewarded with Patch 7.38 titled “Wandering Waters”. After pleading with Valve for an update, and even resorting to astronomy in the hopes of finding out the next patch date, players have been gifted epic changes to Dota.
From a map redesign to Roshan’s return into the (now longer) river, there’s heaps to unpack in the Feb. 18 Dota 2 update, so let’s dive right in!
Table of contents
Dota 2 Patch 7.38 patch overview
Huge map update sees currents, flooded rivers aid your movement
The Dota map has been flooded! The river has extended into each side’s safe lane and offers a huge benefit for those exiting the base. Walking downstream grants a movement speed buff, meaning it’s a lot quicker to return to the safe lane to farm or assist allies with a gank.
That’s not all that’s new on the map. Wisdom runes and Lotus Pools have been replaced by Shrines that grant the same effect the locations did before — but this time you’ll need to fight over them. The shrines are more centralized in the lane and require no enemies nearby to grant their boons, encouraging battle.
Dota 2 Patch 7.38 Wandering Waters: A new map appears
Dota 2 players are in for a treat with Patch 7.38 is giving us a new map to explore!
Jarrad Adams
The Tormentors have changed too; they’ve been moved to the old Roshan pits and alternate location based on day (bottom) or night (top).
But if the Tormentors are there… where did Roshan go?
Roshan returns to the river
Roshan is back in the river! He has kept his two pit setup and, as he did before, will alternate between the two based on the current day/night cycle. However, there’s no warp gate for him to walk through now — he’s just going to send it up the river each time!
This is a huge early game change as mid laners will now need to contend with Roshan charging through the creep wave. Later on, Roshan contests will almost certainly include more players as his pit isn’t so remote.
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Craft “personalized” Neutral Items with Madstone
Of all the changes coming with Patch 7.38, perhaps none is bigger than Neutral Item crafting. Players killing jungle creeps will receive Madstone — two for themselves, and one for a random ally — that can be used to upgrade a Neutral Item artifact.
Once you have enough Madstone, you’ll pick a Neutral Item Artifact and an Enchantment. Artifacts can come with an active ability or a passive bonus, while Enchantments on that artifact are passive. As you earn more Madstone, you’ll be able to level up and select new artifacts and enchantments with bigger bonuses.
We’ve broken down all the neutral item changes in ourMadstone piece, check it out for more!
Patch 7.38 biggest buffs and nerfs
Since it’s been a while without hero changes, we’re including a third column for “reworks.” Some of these heroes are getting a few ability updates, while others are being stripped back entirely and rebuilt from the ground up with new Facets.
With so many heroes getting major changes it’s hard to determine which will emerge stronger or weaker. For a full list of the changes, read on below!
Items
Heroes
We’re just going to be touching on the heroes in our"rework" columnfurther up. If you’re chasing every single hero change with patch 7.38 (there are hundreds!) be sure to check the official patch noteshere.
That’s all for now! Dive intoDota 2and experience the changes for yourself! For more coverage stay tuned toesports.gg.
