Valve launches Dota 2 7.28a patch update for Mistwood

Valve has introduced the Dota 2 7.28a patch update for Mistwood with new features and quality enhancements over the 7.28 patch

The much sought-after 7.28 patch of Dota 2 brought in a large gamut of changes to the MOBA title by Valve and alongside the new hero and a bunch of new items, the 7.28 patch also implemented a lot of changes to the heroes of Dota 2. Some of the heroes were strongly nerfed, while some received a number of buffs.

New 7.28a patch with more goodies

To ensure gamers get more bang for the buck from the 7.28 patch, Valve has slipped in another update to Dota 2 and it does all that gamers expected from the original patch and some more. The 7.28a update aims to provide minor nerfs to heroes that were overpowered and buff heroes that were nerfed too harshly in the last update. The biggest patch of the year also introduced a new hero to Dota 2 named Hoodwink who possesses a unique combination of nuke and escape skills, along with a hard-hitting ultimate.

Readers will recall that it had been merely five days since Valve dropped the latest season-defining Dota 2 patch, the Mistwood update. Considering this type of patch usually drops right after the International launch around September, fans had become quite vocal over some much-needed buffs and nerfs. The International’s postponement eventually did delay the patch no doubt, but the wait seems considerably worth it.

Patch 7.28a highlights:

Arc Warden: Base strength reduced from 25 to 23.

Batrider: Movement speed increased from 290 to 295.

Enigma: Level 15 (Right) Talent changed from 10%Cooldown Reduction to 8%

Lifestealer:

Attack damage max increased from 27 to 30.

Attack damage min increased from 21 to 24.

Lycan:

Level 15 (Left) Talent changed from 10 percent Cooldown Reduction to 8 percent Cooldown Reduction.

Mirana:

Level 20 (Right) Talent changed from +10 percent Spell Amplification to +8 percent Spell Amplification.

Ogre Magi:

Attack damage max reduced from 43 to 40.

Attack damage min reduced from 37 to 34.

Outworld Destroyer:

Level 15 (Left) Talent changed from +6 Armor to +8 Armor.

Level 25 (Left) Talent changed from 20 percent Spell Lifesteal to 30 percent Spell Lifesteal.

Movement speed increased from 310 to 315.

Snapfire: Level 10 (Left) Talent changed from +15 Movement Speed to +20 Movement Speed.

Vengeful Spirit: Attribute strength gain increased from 2.4 to 2.6.

7.28a patch changes analysis

Along with introducing 120 new spells; one for each hero on the roster, the Mistwood patch also brought some much-needed nerfs to heroes that have been outshining other options both in public and competitive matches. The two biggest offenders, Sven and Outworld Destroyer, found themselves out of the list of top heroes with the highest win rates.

Though Sven could average a win rate close to 50% after the changes, Outworld Destroyer was basically sent to the bottom of all tier lists available. The community even seemingly spotted a cycle in the hero’s balance changes, turning him into a Dota 2 meme.

Many finer enhancements have been introduced with 7.28a, but the most significant ones belong to Lifestealer and Outworld Destroyer. It looks like IceFrog may have swung the nerf hammer a tad bit harder than usual for these two and the buffs they received don’t make up for the nerfs that eventually finished them.