The biggest changes in Dota 2 patch 7.34c

Dota 2 patch 7.34c is out and it is a heavy balance patch. With The International 12 (TI12) right around the corner, Valve is doing all it can to ensure each hero is a viable pick on the big stage.

There's a lot to unpack in the latest update, so let's get into the biggest changes of the patch.

Dota 2 patch 7.34c nerfs the strongest neutral items in the first two tiers

You're gonna want to pick these up whenever you can.

In our previous articles, we listed the most popular neutral items in Dota 2, with Occult Bracelet and Vambrace the clear winners for the first two tiers.

The two items were picked up 15% of the time, more than any other in their tier. All that popularity didn't go unnoticed, and IceFrog handed out nerfs to both items.

Occult Bracelet's mana regeneration now lasts half the duration, while Vambrace provides only two secondary stats.

Two other neutral items received nerfs as well. Arcane Ring provides one less intelligence, which isn't a big deal.

Spark of Courage deals two less damage now, again, a small nerf overall, especially considering the buff the item received last time.

Sand King is the big winner of Dota 2 patch 7.34b

The king is dead! Long live the king! (Credit: Valve)

While it's hard to predict which buffs are enough to push a hero into competitive play, at least on paper, some heroes received significant changes.

At the top of the list is Sand King, who gained an extra 100 cast range to his stun at max level. The hero is also a little more durable, with one starting armor.

Some other offlaners also received noticeable buffs. Lone Druid gained two armor, that's twice what Sand King got. In the meantime, Centaur has truly become half horse, with an additional 10 movement speed and a cooldown buff to Stampede.

A few supports are contenders for the biggest patch winners. Shadow Shaman's ultimate will see a lot more play in this update, as will Winter Wyvern's Arctic Burn.

Personally, I am glad to see Spirit Breaker get a buff to his Charge, which felt incredibly slow in the previous patch.

I'm also glad to see Bounty Hunter's buff to Shuriken Toss, which is pretty bonkers. Dealing 350 damage every five seconds to several tracked targets is pretty obscene.

Ember Spirit has been gutted in the latest patch

Being most picked doesn't mean being the best though. (Credit: Valve)

Sometimes it seems Valve develops a vendetta against a specific hero and they receive nerf after nerf despite being practically unplayable.

Lately, it's Ember Spirit.

This is the fifth patch in a row where Ember has received a nerf. Compared to how he was in 7.32, Flame Guard blocks less magic damage, Sleight of Fist is slower, Fire Remnants have a smaller damage radius, and the list goes on.

And guess what? Valve is not done yet, as further slaps are handed out. Ember Spirit lost nearly one health regeneration a second, and his Sleight of Fist costs 10 mana more.

The vendetta extends to Ember's entire family, as Earth Spirit also took a nerf, with substantially weaker Rolling Boulder talents.

The big meta nerfs are towards Nature's Prophet, who no longer forces opponents to buy Quelling Blade to escape Sprout, and Gyrocopter, who lost his level 15 power spike.

Last on the list of notable nerfs is Treant Protector.  While none of the changes are back-breaking, they are deserved for the highest win-rate hero in the patch.

Dota 2 patch 7.34c fixes several game-breaking bugs

Besides the gameplay update, the latest patch also fixes certain bugs that have been plaguing Dota 2 recently.

Armlet no longer awards killers with a double-death bounty, an issue that causes certain heroes to be unplayable.

https://www.reddit.com/r/DotA2/comments/168u2pk/how_did_i_die/

Several visual bugs also got fixed, such as Flagbearers being invisible, along with Ion Shell and Shield runes being invisible.

There are plenty of other bug fixes and Dota 2 fans can find the full list of changes here.

Overall, I like those changes, though I do think Vambrace has been getting too many nerfs in a row and may get cycled out soon.

Nature's Prophet deserved a nerf, as did Gyrocopter. I am surprised Phantom Assassin didn't get a bop on the head but ah well.

How about you? do you like the changes? hate them? either way, let us know in the comment section.

READ MORE: Dota 2 troll holds a game hostage for three hours

Image source provided by: Valve