The pros saw it coming, and Dota 2 players have been hoping for it since their rework. Now, in 7.14, it’s finally, happening: Techies is in Captain’s Mode, and now every hero on the roster is enabled competitively.

Okay, awesome, we got that out of the way, woohoo. Now it’s time to recognize that the latest Dota 2 patch is actually pretty massive, affecting twenty-two items and over sixty heroes.

So what are these big changes? Well, for starters, right at the top of the patch notes:

First creep wave no longer draws aggro on the side lanes until they meet the other wave

This seems to be specifically targeting one hero we observed in our 7.13 patch analysis: Axe, which many players play at the starting horn by drawing the first creep wave for that sweet, sweet extra CS and harass. But disabling first-wave creep aggro can also change the dynamics of early teamfights, which occasionally end up dragging in the occasional creep or two.

A ton of heroes got direct changes once again. This time, Broodmother and Io have some serious laundry lists, and Dark Willow got some nerfs that may make her feel just right. Not too powerful, not too puny.

And yes, that is a Riki nerf. But an extremely minor one:

Tricks of the Trade now attacks at a slower pace, nerfed from 0.5/0.45/0.4 to 0.6/0.55/0.5

His winrate spiked with the most recent Tricks of the Trade rework, so this seems to be Icefrog hoping a little something will make him more bearable in pubs. And here’s hoping all of our readers get that effect.

Meanwhile, the items are nothing to shake a Magic Stick at.

Support and ganker players will need to take note that Force Staff now requires a Ring of Regeneration instead of the cheaper Ring of Health, which dramatically brings down its health regeneration. The mana cost has also gone up, so combined with the health change, players need to think twice about picking it up. Ward nukes should also take note of the Ward bounty changes.

Plus, the Magic Wand recipe got a serious change: we’re back to a Magic Wand recipe instead of a Mango.

There’s a lot to go into, so it’s worth reading through to see what’s going to change — because something very likely will affect how you play.

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General Gameplay

• Enabled Techies in Captains Mode
• First creep wave no longer draws aggro on the side lanes until they meet the other wave

Items

Skull Basher

• Now uses Mithril Hammer instead of Javelin. Gives +25 Damage and +10 Strength.
• Bash no longer pierces evasion

Abyssal Blade [derived from Skull Basher changes]

• Now grants +25 Damage
• Bash no longer pierces evasion

Monkey King Bar

• Now uses Demon Edge, Quarterstaff and Javelin. Gives +52 Damage and 10 Attack Speed.
• Procs changed from 60 Pure damage to 100 Magical damage

Maelstrom

• Now uses Javelin instead of Gloves and Recipe.
• No longer gives +25 Attack Speed
• Chain Lightning damage increased from 120 to 170
• Maelstrom: Procs can no longer be evaded

Mjollnir [derived from Maelstrom changes]:

• Procs can no longer be evaded
• Chain Lightning damage increased from 150 to 170
• Attack speed reduced from 80 to 75

Battle Fury:

• Now requires a 300 gold recipe

Blink Dagger

• Cooldown increased from 14 to 15

Boots of Travel

• Building prioritization range increased from 700 to 900

Dagon

• Manacost rescaled from 180 to 120/140/160/180/200

Force Staff:

• Now requires a Ring of Regeneration instead of a Ring of Health (total price is still the same)
• Manacost increased from 25 to 100
• Health regen reduced from 5 to 2

Hurricane Pike:

• Health regen reduced from 5.5 to 2
• Manacost increased from 25 to 100

Helm of the Dominator

• Health regen decreased from 8 to 7
• No longer grants +5 attack speed to the item holder
• Bounty increased from 125 to 200

Linken’s Sphere

• All Stats reduced from 15 to 13

Magic Wand

• Now requires a 150 gold recipe instead of a Mango
• Now provides +3 All Stats instead of +2 All Stats and 1.5 HP Regen
• Max Charges increased from 17 to 20

Enchanged Mango

• On sale now from 100 to 70
• Health regen decreased from 1 to 0.7
• Consumed Mana restore reduced from 175 to 125
• Daily Bonus Hero now gives 2 Mangoes

Necronomicon

• Duration increased from 50 to 60

Phase Boots

• During Phase your base turn rate is improved to 1.0 (the highest value, can still be lowered by other effects)
• Active duration increased from 2.5 to 3 seconds
• Active speed reduced from 24/20% to 20/16%

Observer Ward

• Gold/XP Bounty rescaled from a constant 100 Gold and 100 XP to growing over time with 100 + 2/min Gold and 50 + 4/min XP

Sange

• Recipe cost increased from 500 to 700
• Now grants Greater Maim

Heaven’s Halberd [derived from Sange]

• Now grants Greater Maim

Yasha

• Recipe cost increased from 500 to 700

Manta Style

• Recipe cost lowered from 900 to 500
  [TFC note: due to Yasha recipe change; the price of Manta Style has decreased by 200]

Heroes

Alchemist

• Chemical Rage Health regen increased from 40/48/56 to 40/55/70
• Bounty Runes bonus gold increased from 2.5 to 3x

Ancient Apparition

• Chilling Touch damage rescaled from 30/45/60/75 to 20/40/60/80
• Chilling Touch no longer pierces Spell Immunity

Arc Warden

Magnetic Field cooldown reduced from 35/30/25/20 to 20

Level 15 Talent changed from +3s Flux Duration to +400 Flux Cast Range

Axe

• Battle Hunger manacost rescaled from 75 to 50/60/70/80
• Base movement speed increased by 5

Batrider

• Base strength increased by 3

Bloodseeker

• Blood Rite ground vision now increased to match the AoE of the spell (from 400 to 600)
• Bloodrage cooldown reduced from 12/10/8/6 to 9/8/7/6

Brewmaster

• Primal Split Fire Permanent Immolation damage increased from 15/30/45 to 20/40/60

Broodmother

• Spiderite bounty reduced from 16-21 gold and 20 exp to 3 gold and 3 xp
• Spiderling bounty reduced from 11-13 gold and 31 exp to 9 gold and 9 xp
• Spiderite armor reduced from 8 to 0
• Spiderling armor reduced from 8 to 0
• Spiderling damage reduced from 18-19 to 14-16 (~19% less)
• Spawn Spiderling manacost reduced from 120 to 100
• Spawn Spiderling cooldown reduced from 10 to 11/10/9/8

Chen

• Hand of God heal improved from 250/375/500 to 250/400/550

Crystal Maiden

• Base armor increased by 1
• Freezing Field attack speed slow increased from 30 to 60

Dark Seer

• Wall of Replica illusions incoming damage reduced from 300% to 200%
• Wall of Replica illusions outgoing damage increased from 60/75/90% to 70/85/100%
• Wall of Replica now auto attacks the hero it made the illusion of (can still be controlled)

Dark Willow:

• Bedlam damage reduced from 60/140/220 to 60/120/180
• Bedlam rotation duration increased from 1.5 to 1.8 seconds
• Cursed Crown no longer grants vision after it stuns
• Level 25 Talent increased from +1 Terrorize Duration to +1.5

Dazzle

• Fixed Poison Touch effective area covered not scaling properly with cast range bonuses

Death Prophet

• Base Health regen reduced from 2 to 1.5

Earthshaker

• Base damage increased by 3

Ember Spirit:

• Flame Guard magical damage absorbed rescaled from 50/200/350/500 to 80/220/360/500
• Searing Chains duration rescaled from 1/2/2/3 to 1.5/2/2.5/3
• Searing Chains now does damage in 0.5 second intervals
• Searing Chains total damage rescaled from 80/120/240/300 to 90/160/230/300

Enigma

• Malefice stun duration rescaled from 0.25/0.5/0.75/1 to 0.4/0.6/0.8/1.0
• Malefice cooldown rescaled from 15 to 18/17/16/15
• Malefice manacost reduced from 110/130/150/160 to 100/120/140/160

Faceless Void

• Chronosphere cooldown increased from 140/125/110 to 140/130/120

Invoker

• Invoke manacost reduced from 60 to 40

Io

• Tether can now target Spell Immune allies
• Tether cast point changed from 0.001 to 0
• Tether no longer applies slow on impact
• Spirits now apply a 20/40/60/80% movement speed slow on impact for 0.3 seconds
• Spirits now have two fixed positions they go to, 700 and 100 (No longer granular with toggles, but just a single press action)
• Spirits In/Out is just one ability now, alternates the direction (has a 1.5 second cooldown, same hotkey as spirits ability. Base cooldown/duration is still the same)
• Spirits creep damage increased from 8/14/20/26 to 10/18/26/34
• Spirits manacost from 150 to 120/130/140/150
• Spirits collision AoE increased from 70 to 110
• Spirits explosion damage AoE increased from 300 to 360
• Level 10 Talent changed from +400 Spirits Max Range to +25% XP
• Level 25 Talent changed from Tether Stuns to -60s Relocate Cooldown

Leshrac

• Lightning Storm manacost increased from 75/90/105/120 to 80/100/120/140

Lich

• Level 20 Talent increased from +120 Gold/Min to +180

Lycan

• Summon Wolves health increased from 200/240/280/320 to 230/260/290/320
• Summon Wolves damage increased from 17/28/37/46 to 26/34/42/50

Mirana

• Leap speed buff duration increased from 2 to 2.5
• Leap attack speed rescaled from 25/50/75/100 to 40/60/80/100
• Moonlight Shadow now grants 15% movement speed bonus while invisible

Monkey King

• Primal Spring manacost reduced from 130/120/110/100 to 100

Morphling

• Adaptive Strike Talent now has a 300 cast range buffer for the secondary targets
• Level 10 Talent from +300 Waveform Range to +350
• Level 25 Talent from +2 Multishot Adaptive Strike to +3

Necrophos

• Reaper’s Scythe respawn time penalty increased from 10/20/30 to 15/30/45

Omniknight

• Purification cooldown increased from 11 to 14/13/12/11
• Base armor reduced by 1

Outworld Devourer

• Fixed Arcane Orb not using mana if it misses on the target
• Arcane Orb manacost increased from 100/120/140/160 to 110/140/170/200

Ogre Magi

• Bloodlust on self now grants you 30/50/70/90 Attack Speed (default is 30/40/50/60)

Pangolier

• Rolling Thunder no longer gets canceled when rooted or disabled (rolls in place instead)
• Rolling Thunder cooldown increased from 70/65/60 to 70
• Swashbuckle manacost increased from 70/80/90/100 to 80/90/100/110
• Shield Crash cooldown increased from 13 to 19/17/15/13
• Fixed Shield Crash counting Spell Immune heroes
• Level 10 Talent reduced from +2 Mana Regen to +1.5

Pudge

• Base damage increased by 7
• Rot slow reduced from 17/22/27/32 to 11/18/25/32

Pugna

• Base armor increased by 1
• Level 15 Talent increased from +2 Nether Ward Health to +3

Puck

• Level 20 Talent from -5s Waning Rift Cooldown to -8s

Queen of Pain

• Sonic Wave damage increased from 290/380/470 to 320/410/500
• Sonic Wave Scepter damage increased from 325/440/555 to 370/480/590

Riki

• Tricks of the Trade now attacks at a slower pace, nerfed from 0.5/0.45/0.4 to 0.6/0.55/0.5

Rubick

• Telekinesis lift duration rescaled from 1.5/1.75/2/2.25 to 1.1/1.5/1.9/2.3

Sand King

• Caustic Finale no longer triggers when a unit is denied

Shadow Demon

• Strength growth increased from 2.2 to 2.4

Shadow Fiend

• Level 10 Talent reduced from 10% Spell Amplification to 8%
• Level 15 Talent reduced from +40 Movement Speed to +35

Shadow Shaman

• Fixed Ether Shock effective area covered not scaling properly with cast range bonuses

Silencer

• Glaives of Wisdom from 15/30/45/60% to 25/40/55/70%
• Global Silence duration increased from 4/5/6 to 4.5/5.25/6
• Level 15 Talent increased from +90 Gold/Min to +120

Slark

• Base HP regen increased from 2.75 to 3.25
• Shadow Dance move speed bonus increased from 30/35/40% to 30/40/50%

Spectre

• Spectral Dagger manacost rescaled from 130/140/150/160 to 100/120/140/160
• Haunt illusion damage increased from 40 to 40/50/60%

Spirit Breaker

• Greater Bash movespeed bonus increased from 15% to 17%
• Netherstrike’s knockback now pushes the enemy twice the distance

Storm Spirit

• Level 15 Talent increased from +300 Health to +400

Sven

• Cleave distance increased from 570 to 625 (same as Battle Fury)
• Cleave end radius increased from 300 to 330 (same as Battle Fury)

Terrorblade

• Base HP regen reduced from 3 to 1.5
• Reflection illusion now disappears when the reflection slow debuff is removed
• Sunder minimum HP rescaled from 25% to 35/30/25%
• Sunder cast range reduced from 550 to 475

Timbersaw

• Whirling Death attribute reduction now considers bonus attributes (instead of only base)
• Whirling Death attribute reduction lowered from 15% to 13%

Tiny

• Tree Grab area damage reduced from 100% to 30/40/50/60%

Treant Protector

• Leech Seed duration increased from 4.5 to 5.25 (1 extra pulse)

Tusk

• Ice Shards duration reduced from 7 to 4/5/6/7
• Snowball Speed reduced from 675 to 600/625/650/675
• Frozen Sigil no longer provides flying vision (ground only now)

Underlord

• Firestorm overtime percentage based damage no longer affects Roshan/Ancients
• Dark Rift manacost from 75/150/225 to 100/200/300

Undying

• Tombstone spawn interval improved from 4.5/4/3.5/3 to 4/3.5/3/2.5
• Level 15 Talent increased from +30 Decay Duration to +50
• Level 20 Talent increased from +4 Tombestone Attacks to +6

Ursa

• Base armor increased by 2

Venomancer

• Poison Nova duration increased from 16 to 18 seconds

Visage

• Grave Chill duration reduced from 3.25/4 .5/5.75/7 to 3/4/5/6

Warlock

• Chaotic Offering Golem health increased from 1000/1500/2000 to 1000/2000/3000
• Chaotic Offering Golem Permnaent Immolation DPS increased from 30/40/50 to 30/50/70

Weaver

• Health regen increased from 1.5 to 2.5
• The Swarm attack damage from 14/16/18/20 to 18/20/22/24

Windranger

• Powershot damage increased from 180/260/340/420 to 180/270/360/450
• Focus Fire attack speed increased from 350 to 400
• Focus Fire now always fires on the target unless you are attacking another target, or pressed stop and are not moving.

Winter Wyvern

• Winter’s Curse duration increased from 3.25/4/4.75 to 4/4.75/5.5 seconds
• Winter’s Curse attack speed bonus reduced from 85 to 55

Wraith King

• Wraithfire Blast manacost rescaled from 140 to 95/110/125/140
• Wraithfire Blast cooldown rescaled from 8 to 11/10/9/8
• Level 10 Talent changed from +40 Wraithfire DPS to +1.5s Wraithfire Blast Slow Duration

Witch Doctor

• Maledict cooldown increased from 20 to 50/40/30/20

Zeus

• Level 15 Talent increased from +1% Static Field to +1.5%