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In an eagerly anticipated move, Valve announced the imminent release of Gameplay Patch 7.34e for Dota 2. The patch will be rolled out on Monday, 20th November. Dota 2 enthusiasts received a forewarning on 17th November, via a notification that surfaced in-game, proclaiming that this will be the last weekend for players to revel in the heroes and strategies that dominated The International 2023.
The announcement was met with a collective sigh of relief from the Dota 2 community, signaling a possible end to the prevalent Blademail meta and the omnipresence of Bristleback in virtually every game. Some of the few annoying strategies in this meta include Bristleback’s Aghanim’s Scepter Rush, Spirit Breaker’s insanely low cooldown movement around the map, Dazzle core, and more.
Dota 2 Patch 7.34e: A Breath of Fresh Air
Valve
Bristleback's strategy involved withholding skill points on his third skill ‘Bristleback’, keeping it at level one, resulting in increased damage taken from enemies and subsequently unleashing more quill sprays. Combining this tactic with the Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade, which allows for a rapid barrage of quill sprays, proved devastating and often fatal for opponents lacking the substantial health pool to withstand the onslaught.
Valve
One of the most notorious heroes in the current patch is unquestionably Spirit Breaker. The meta required Spirit Breaker to rush Hand of Midas into Octarine Core to reduce the hero’s skills and items followed by an Aghanim’s Scepter Upgrade. This would boost the hero’s map presence immensely and could be at any part of the map but still join the team fights at any given time. According to Dotabuff.com, the hero boasts a mighty 51.02% win rate.
With the new patch update, we can most likely see an end to this stampede caused by Dota’s space cow. Notably, to commemorate the victory of Team Spirit at the International 2023, Valve also renamed the hero Team Spirit Breaker.
A potential shift in the meta may also include adjustments to Blademail and Heart of Tarrasque. According to Dotabuff.com, Blademail boasts a win rate of 50.31% and Heart of Tarrasque has a formidable 65.93% win rate. This is a prevailing trend among mid-laners involved in prioritizing Blademail before swiftly progressing to Heart of Tarrasque. This strategy rendered heroes nearly indestructible while dealing significant damage through the reflective mechanics of Blademail. Dota 2 professional Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk endorsed this tactic, advising his viewers during a recent stream to adopt the Blademail-Heart of Tarrasque combination for a surefire path to victory.
The diverse landscape of Patch 7.34d also witnessed the emergence of Dazzle as a formidable core hero, a revelation masterfully introduced to the world by Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen. Armed with Aghanim’s Scepter, Dazzle transformed into a potent damage dealer, utilizing his Shadow Wave skill to unleash devastating auto attacks on all affected enemy targets.
Anticipated changes in Patch 7.34e extend beyond individual hero strategies, with expected adjustments to popular pub stompers like Witch Doctor, Chaos Knight, Wraith King, and Warlock. As the Dota 2 community braces for the transformative impact of the impending patch, many support players look forward to a potential end to the reign of one-button kill strategies, particularly against the notorious Bristleback.
Stay tuned to AFK Gaming for comprehensive updates on Patch 7.34e and its major changes in the Dota 2 meta.
