When Dota 2 drops a major update, it’s sure to be a big one. That much is true with Update 7.28. It featured new content that included the introduction of the new hero, Hoodwink. There are also some new items, both in the shop and those dropped by neutral creeps.
There’s a load to unpack but we’ve managed to give the update a try over the weekend. Today, we give you a look at the top five item changes that we love in Update 7.28.
5. Double the Spell, Double the Fun
- Item: Refresher Orb
- Update 7.28 Changes:
- Mana cost reduced from 375 to 300
- Cooldown reduced from 180 to 160
Why it’s on the list:
Mages are often as good as their spells. In Dota 2, when they get the Ultimate skill, they’re something to be feared. Yet once it's used, the cooldown is quite a pain.
Take Zeus for example, his Thundergod’s Wrath at Level 3 can deal 500 damage to all heroes. However, the cooldown is 120 seconds, which sometimes lets enemies escape with a little bit of health. Having a Refresher Orb often ensures kills.
This item is also useful in the mid-game when most heroes are still trying to scale up. The mana cost nerf though, means that it’s difficult to do successive Ultimate casts.
Still, the item's new cooldown means an easier one-two cast.
4. Improved Versatility
- Item: Vanguard
- Update 7.28 Change:
- Can now be disassembled.
Why it’s on the list:
The Vanguard is an excellent choice, especially when it comes to the early game. The extra health and health regen coupled with the Passive Damage Block can ensure your hero's survivability.
Vanguard is also usable to upgrade two other items. Want to be defensive and help your teammates? Then go for the Crimson Guard. If you’re the type who wants to go for kills, then Abyssal Blade is the better option.
By being able to disassemble the item, the versatility goes up. Not sure about the two paths mentioned? Then disassemble and use it for other items. You can use the Ring of Health to Perseverance, which in turn usable for further items. What about Vitality Booster? The same thing. From having Vanguard, you can disassemble it later to complete your Heart of Tarrasque.
3. A Better Choice
- Item: Octarine Core
- Update 7.28 Change:
- No longer grants 10% Magic Resistance.
- No longer has a 900 gold recipe.
- Now requires Aether Lens instead of Voodoo Mask (with respective Aether Lens bonuses).
- No longer provides Spell Lifesteal.
Why it’s on the list:
Before the new update, one of the components of this item was Voodoo Mask, which offered a Passive Spell Lifesteal. This was good, particularly for aggressive players, and a good fit for Bristleback. Most Intelligence heroes though take on support roles and stay on the backlines. It didn't make sense for them to get Spell Lifesteal.
With the change, support heroes can do a lot more. With Aether Lens, they have the necessary mana regen along with the increase in the spell cast range. Having the cooldown reduction makes support heroes all the better.
2. Travel in Style
- Item: Boots of Travel
- Update 7.28 Change:
- Upon equipping, automatically sells TP scrolls that you have, and grants you 1 charge.
Why it’s on the list:
Yes, it’s a small change but the effect actually has a rather big impact, especially in pub games. In the early game, most players generally buy lots of Town Portal Scrolls. But when the time comes to buy this item, they sometimes have more than one scroll in their inventory.
With this small change, players no longer have to worry about how many TP scrolls they have. Everything is automatic so that’s one less thing to worry about.
1. Blink and you’ll Miss it!
- Item: Blink Dagger
- Update 7.28 Change:
- The item can now be upgraded into three different items, depending on which attribute you want.
Why it’s on the list:
The Blink Dagger is an excellent item to have in early-game to mid-game. Yet when a match goes to the late-game, sometimes it hinders other high-tier items. It looks like Update 7.28 answers that. While it technically doesn’t make any changes to Blink Dagger itself, it makes it a recipe for three new items.
Each of the new items has different effects based on what attribute a player focuses on. That’s right! You not only have the blink ability but also get the stat bonuses besides other effects. Take for instance the Swift Blink. It needs Eaglesong as one of the components. That means in addition to blink, you get +25 Agility. Not only that, when you land on a destination, you get 30% phased movement speed and +40 Damage, as well as +40 Attack Speed for six seconds.
Honorable Mention
There are several more good item changes but, of course, we had to cut it to five. It's worth mentioning Eul’s Scepter, which like Blink Dagger, is now upgradable to Wind Waker. The new item allows players to cast Cyclone on allies, instead of being solely on enemies.
We didn’t include this one because while the effect is indeed interesting, there are alternative ways when it comes to saving your allies.
What about you? What are your top five favorite item changes with Update 7.28?
