Dire side receives welcomed adjustments in Dota 2 Patch 7.38c

Among plenty of hero and item nerfs and buffs, the map has also been adjusted in the latest Dota 2 balance patch, to give Dire side a much needed improvement.

Dota 2 map received many changes in the big 7.38 gameplay update, but with it, the Radiant side seemed to be a bit too strong compared to Dire. Through the last two major tournaments held on the 7.38 gameplay update, Radiant held a significantly higher win rate compared to Dire. At DreamLeague Season 25, Radiant was above Dire with a 58% win rate in 195 games played.

After the tournament was over, Valve released the 7.38b balance patch, which was mainly focused on hero buffs and nerfs, but brought minor changes for the Dire side too. However, the map adjustments were solely focused on pathing, readjusting several trees around Neutral Camps. That alone was enough to increase Dire’s win rate in the next tournament. At PGL Wallachia Season 3, it went up from 42% to 47.79%.

With ten days to go before ESL One Raleigh 2025, Valve is making another attempt at improving the map for the Dire side.

7.38c Dire side map changes

• The Dire Safe Lane Tier 1 tower has been moved forward, away from the Dire base and closer to where the creeps initially meet
• The Top Lane creep paths have been slightly adjusted so the creeps meet closer to the Dire tower
• The Dire Safe Lane hard camp has been moved away from the Dire Safe Lane Tier 1 tower, and had its tree line reduced and rotated to face the river
• The cliff above the Dire Safe Lane small camp has been extended slightly towards the Dire Safe Lane Tier 1 tower, and the small camp has been moved and had its tree line adjusted
• The ramp leading to the river and the Roshan Pit from the Dire Safe Lane pull area has been moved towards the Pit slightly
• Several additional tree and visual adjustments have been made to this area

Top Roshan Pit

• Fixed a spot at the north side of the pit that had incorrect vision rules
• Fixed some areas that visually looked pathable but were not

Along with the map adjustments, the 7.38c balance patch has also brought plenty of hero nerfs and buffs. Most notably, Ancient Apparition, who became a top pick at the currently ongoing FISSURE Universe: Episode 4 has been slightly nerfed. Dazzle, who is now terrorizing not only the public matchmaking but also the competitive scene, as he is played in core roles, has been greatly nerfed.

Ancient Apparition

Ice Vortex

• Mana cost increased from 40/50/60/70 to 40/55/70/85

Chilling Touch

• Attack range bonus decreased from 80/120/160/200 to 60/90/120/150

Dazzle

Shadow Wave

• No longer has increased healing and damage when bouncing on enemies with Aghanim's Scepter

Nothl Projection

• Cast Range decreased from 600 to 450
• Leash pull strength growth increased from 0.5 to 1.5
• Max Duration decreased from 15s to 12s

Talents

• Level 10 Talent Poison Touch attack range decreased from +300 to +200
• Level 15 Talent +90 attack speed replaced with +5s Nothl Projection Duration

Additionally, the nerfs on Abaddon and Lifestealer continue to pour in.

Abaddon

Mephitic Shroud Facet

• Aphotic Shield cooldown increased from 14/12/10/8 to 15/13/11/9 seconds

Curse of Avernus

• No longer deals damage to buildings

Talents

• Level 15 Talent Curse of Avernus DPS decreased from +50 to +40
• Level 25 Talent Curse of Avernus Attack Speed Bonus decreased from +80 to +65

Lifestealer

Fleshfeast (Facet)

• Feast max HP per hero kill decreased from 20/25/30/35 to 15/20/25/30.

Open Wounds

• Mana Cost increased from 75 to 100

There are plenty of heroes touched by the nerf hammer, including Nature’s Prophet, Magnus, Muerta, and Night Stalker. Additionally, some of the key items for many of the heroes have been tinkered with, so make sure you check the full patch log before jumping into your next game.