Dota 2 Patch 7.40 reshapes the game: New hero, map, and core mechanics reworked

Dota 2 Patch 7.40 is finally here, and it has everything you hoped for!

Headlining the patch is the release of the long-anticipated new hero, Largo, accompanied by a Winter 2025 Collector’s Cache, significant map changes, and plenty of gameplay reworks aimed to redefine the meta.

Largo leaps into the fray

Dispelling earlier rumours of a "Bard Frog," Valve added Largo to the hero list, a sturdy Strength-based support frog with a musical arsenal. Armed with a mandolin, Largo’s kit focuses on buffing allies and disrupting enemies. His ultimate, Amphibian Rhapsody, features a unique rhythm-game mechanic where players strum to one of three songs, providing teammates with powerful auras of spell amplification, movement speed, or healing. With an innate ability that prolongs buff durations and dedicated Aghanim’s upgrades already available, Largo is set to make a symphony of an impact in the support role.

Winter 2025 Collector’s Cache

The Winter 2025 Collector’s Cache, features 16 new item sets. Standouts include the Stone Giant Stronghold for Tiny, Lord of the Sundered Souls for Shadow Fiend, and Harrow’s Harvest for the recently added Ringmaster. Each treasure costs 2.65 EUR, offering players fresh ways to customise their favourite heroes.

Gameplay reworks

Patch 7.40 overhauls several core systems. The most notable change is to the talent system; talents now no longer consume skill points. Instead, heroes earn dedicated talent points at specific levels, granting more flexible build paths.

Major hero reworks target three classic characters:

• Lone Druid: The Spirit Bear now possesses its own independent talent tree and a new Entangle ability to root enemies.
• Slark: Essence Shift has been moved to an innate ability, replaced by Saltwater Shiv, a skill that steals an enemy’s health regeneration and movement speed.
• Treant Protector: His ultimate, Overgrowth, has received a significant power increase, making it even a more powerful teamfight tool.

Neutral creep camps also see an update, with six new items entering the pool and eight older ones, including Sister’s Shroud and Helm of the Undying, being removed. New additions like the Idol of Scree’Auk (granting evasion and slow resistance) and the Riftshadow Prism (allowing health sacrifice for illusion creation) introduce fresh strategic options.

Map changes

The map itself has been adjusted. Key changes include:

• Wisdom Rune areas have been sunk into lower terrain, making them more dangerous to contest.
• Pathways in the sidelines and jungles have been narrowed by additional trees, creating tighter choke points.

Items and hero balance changes

A vast number of items and heroes have been adjusted. Key item changes include:

• Ethereal Blade: Recipe changed, now requires an Ultimate Orb instead of Aether Lens, reducing total cost.
• Guardian Greaves: No longer requires a Buckler, significantly lowering its overall price.
• Radiance: Now grants +25% evasion but loses its passive miss chance and bonus damage to illusions.

Significant hero balance changes span the roster. Axe’s Battle Hunger now deals pure damage but no longer slows creeps, Necrophos received adjusted numbers on Reaper’s Scythe and his Facet, and Batrider’s Arsonist Facet is tweaked. A universally impactful change is that illusions can no longer apply mana burn with Diffusal Blade, directly nerfing heroes like Phantom Lancer.

The meta

From the rhythm-based gameplay of Largo to the overhauled talent system and a reshaped map, Patch 7.40 is Dota 2’s most impactful update of 2025. With professional play already underway at DreamLeague Season 27, the race is on for teams and players to decode the new meta; however, don’t expect to see Largo in competitive play as he has not yet been added to the Captain’s Mode.

Read the full patch notes and explore Largo’s abilities on the official Dota 2 website, here.