Dota 2 Update: 9 Changes in Patch 7.21 we think deserves some attention

Dota 2 recently got a gameplay update with its latest patch 7.21. The patch was huge and there were a significant amount of changes to heroes, items, general gameplay as well as Dota Plus and the new ranked season. We are not going to cover everything, but if you want to see the patch notes in detail, check out the Steam news page.

There were some impactful changes and additions that are worth looking into with the update. The Tier 2, Tier 3 towers and the Melee Barracks have gained some additional armor (no changes on Tier 1 and Ranged Barracks).

Heroes will also no longer get 25% bonus benefits for each of their primary attribute points. So you can no longer just stack Wraith Bands or Bracers in order to get an early advantage because of the primary attribute boost.

There were many more balance changes, but we will look into nine more of them that probably raised some eyebrows.

For the latest Dota 2 Updates, stick to Sportskeeda.

---

#9 Dota Plus Updates

New cosmetic sets were released for Monkey King, Medusa, Enchantress, and Centaur. Dota Plus also received a new set of seasonal quests as well as a very well aesthetically pleasing new interface.

Dota Plus players get exclusive cosmetic sets as well as quests and analytical data about their heroes and in-game assists. Players can purchase skins with shards that they accumulate through doing these quests and other objectives.

---

#8 Ranked Season Update

A new Ranked Season has started as of this patch. Now that the Chongqing major is over, there is a fresh new start in the Dota 2 ladder. The Ranked Season has been reset and players will now have a chance to recalibrate.

The Ranked Season now has seven-star tiers instead of five, making it longer to progress. Players will also get new emoticons based on their rank.

You can read more about it in Dota 2's blog post.

---

#7 The Legion Commander Level 25 Talent is pretty damn good

Legion Commander got a few changes such as getting +15 Movement Speed, the level 20 talent going from +40 movement speed to +35 and the Level 25 Talent changed from -10s Press The Attack Cooldown to 350 AoE Press The Attack.

A farmed and leveled up Legion can buff creeps and heroes around you with Press The Attack instead of it just affecting you. Check it out in action.

---

#6 Night Stalker loses Aghanim's Scepter but gets a better ultimate

Enter caption

Aghanim's Scepter will no longer upgrade Night Stalker's ultimate in patch 7.21. However, Balanar did get an upgrade to its movement speed from Hunter in the Night. Instead of fixed movement speed, Balanar gets a percentage increase.

Night Stalker's Ultimate now also provides unobstructed vision at night instead of 900 range. Additionally, Night Stalker's Level 15 talent has also changed from +150 cast range to +15% lifesteal.

---

#5 Lycan's Wolves lose their armor but gain HP

Lycan's wolves got a slight nerf with this patch, with their armor going from 1 to 0. They also have 70% magic resistance instead of 80. However, the wolves did get much higher HP to compensate gaining at least 70+ more HP. Farming Lycan will certainly be interesting.

---

#4 Slark Pounce No Longer Has Damage

This is a huge one. Slark's Pounce, which once did 300+ damage and then reduced to 120 at max, has been removed. The latching effect will still be there. But Slark's win rate has dipped since this patch, no longer making him a very powerful carry. The change is interesting because now it puts Slark in a delicate position, and he can probably even play as a support (much like Vengeful Spirit).

Slark can still carry well if you get the classic items such as Black King Bar, Eye of Skadi, Sange and Yasha. Removing the Pounce damage just makes him trickier to play.

---

#2 Crystal Maiden's Freezing Field Gives 10 Bonus Armor

Now, this is a balance change. Crystal Maiden has always been a good utility support hero and synergizes well with some heroes and is a great ganker (if you can get her movement speed up first).

Crystal Maiden is also very vulnerable and fragile if caught in between the crossfire or even soloed out. Crystal Maiden now gets 10 bonus armor when you channel the ultimate ability, Freezing Field.

Now put some Lich armor and Dazzle armor on her along with a Crimson Guard and see if you can kill her while she is using Freezing Field!

---

#3 Nature Prophet Gets Extra Health From Tango!

Enter caption

Nature's Prophet got some interesting changing with the patch. The Level 20 talent changed from -4s Sprout Cooldown to +25% Cooldown Reduction, which makes it much easier to generate sprouts because of the shorter cooldown.

The most interesting change is Nature's Prophet gaining double regeneration if you use Tango on your sprout tree. So you eat your baby to gain health! Talk about weird.

---

#1 Io has been changed and removed from Captain's Mode

Photo credit: Reddit

Io's change was a surprising one, but a welcome one. Due to the changes, Io has been temporarily removed from Captain's Mode, which has shaken up the competitive environment. Io's Tether will transfer Health and Mana to the tethered ally. Overcharge has been reworked, with the ability now costing mana instead of 6% health and having an 18-second cooldown with an 8-second duration. Overcharge could previously be toggled every 2 seconds.

Overcharge also gives better bonus attack speed and better damage reduction now. Relocate has a second longer delay but its cooldown has been reduced by 30+ seconds. The new level 25 talent has changed from -60 seconds to -30 seconds cooldown reduction as a result. Io has certainly become a lot stronger and that's why Io has been temporarily banned from Captain's Mode!

---