With the conclusion of the EPICENTER Major, it does not come as a surprise that Valve released a new update for Dota 2. Patch 7.22d brings balances to heroes and is seen by many as a balance made mainly for the qualifiers of The International 2019.
Many are asking if this is the last patch before TI9, but there remains a possibility that Valve could bring out another change before the tournament itself.
As mentioned, Patch 7.22d is all about heroes and makes no changes for items or gameplay.
One big change is on Templar Assassin, particularly her Refraction skill. The patch changes it so that the skill no longer provides bonus damage when attacking allied units. TA is known for dominating the lane, particularly the damage she inflicts to opponents when denying creep and Refraction is activated. This is likely not to affect her overall gameplay, but players may need to make some adjustments during the laning phase.
Grimstroke has been a favorite lately and once again receives a nerf. The slow effect of Soulbind is now at 10% and no longer scales. Most players who use this hero use this skill to slow down an opponent even if said opponent isn't bound to anyone. With this change, it's going to be interesting to see how players adjust to it.
In 7.22c, Enchantress received a rather interesting buff, and this time it appears she receives improvements as well. Her base armor has been increased by one, with the heal per wisp of her Nature's Attendants changed from 10 to 10/11/12/13.
Viper is getting some small love, as the hero's Poison Attack damage per missing health is now 0.5/0.75/1/1.25 from 0.25/0.5/0.75/1.
Another big change is on Warlock, particularly on his Fatal Bonds. For starters, cooldown has been increased and is now 36/30/24/18. The skill also no longer bounces on Roshan. In addition, Fatal Bonds now considers units with another Fatal Bonds as lower priority, though it continues to jump to them if no other unit is in range. These changes are sure to make Warlock players take a second look if they can make the hero be more useful in other ways.
Good news to players though, IO's Level 20 Talent is now +15 Armor rather than Tether Grants Scepter Bonus. This particular Talent has been a bane for some players, and this change hopefully balances things out for the better.
A full list of the changes under Patch 7.22d can be viewed here.
