Dota 2 Patch 7.22 Changes Affect The Meta

With the EPICENTER Major in just under a month, it comes as no surprise that Valve released an update for Dota 2. Similar to previous updates, patch 7.22 brings with it a number of big changes that are sure to affect the meta.

The biggest change of course is that the remaining 24 Dota 2 heroes that did not have an upgrade now have Scepter upgrades. This has resulted in some of the heroes getting a decent boost.

Keeper of the Light, for example, has his Illuminate require channeling. However, once equipped with the Scepter, channeling is no longer required. The heal bonus is retained as well. This gives the team that has this hero a better sustain, especially when pushing for high ground.

Another big change is related to Roshan. Most of Roshan’s characteristics have been improved. Base armor, for instance, is increased by two with attack per minute now at sex. What is interesting is the new drop. Killing Roshan a third time results in a random drop of either a consumable Scepter item or a Refresher Shard. Killing Roshan a fourth time gives both. In addition, players can now select Roshan and see his inventory to know what items are expected to drop. With this change, it is possible that for long games, the Roshan pit fights now have higher stakes.

There are also two small changes that might have some big ramifications. The first is that the patch made a slight adjustment to the Radiant safelane hard camp position and the nearby terrain. This somewhat gives a small balance between Radiant and Dire.

The second is that the Tier 2 and above towers now perform a multi-shot attack once the glyph is activated. The towers are now able to attack up to two extra targets, prioritizing the closest units. This makes defense a bit easier.

That said, the patch also has hero changes which you can read here.

So how large will the impact be on the meta? For some, the joke is that players may disregard normal builds and go immediately for the scepter. However, some in the Dota 2 community are looking to Team Secret to see how they are going to make the most out of these changes, as they have been known to consistantly be ahead of the meta.

The good news is that Dota 2 fans around the world no longer need to wait for the EPICENTER Major. New strategies from the different teams are likely to be put on display during the ESL One Birmingham, which begins today.