The biggest winners of Dota 2 patch 7.34b

Dota 2 patch 7.34b is out and attempts to reel in some of the more outlandish changes in the previous gameplay update, as well as buff up a few underperforming heroes.

In this article, we will look at the five biggest winners of Dota 2 patch 7.34b and explain why these heroes have experienced an uptick in their win rates.

The five biggest winners of Dota 2 patch 7.34b

Alchemist

How can you kill him now? (Credit: Valve)

Changes in Dota 2 patch 7.34b

• Base Armor increased by 1
• Chemical Rage: Bonus Move Speed increased from 20/40/60 to 30/45/60

While still not the best carry to pick up in pubs, Alchemist is significantly harder to bring down in the latest update, thanks to his ability to avoid taking damage, as well as increased mobility.

Every one point in armor reduces incoming damage by around 6%, this is especially useful for melee cores who will take hits in the laning stage while trying to last hit. Alchemist only had 2.7 armor in previous patches, so this is a pretty hefty durability increase for the hero.

Chemical Rage provides more movement speed at early levels, which allows the hero to travel around camps faster to farm as well as handle team fights a little better. Chemical Rage has a lengthy uptime and the extra movement speed is noticeable.

With a little more durability and mobility, Alchemist wins 2% more games now, although he is still a relatively risky carry to pick, with only a 46% win rate overall.

Meepo

It's not much of a buff but every bit helps right now. (Credit: Valve)

Changes in Dota 2 patch 7.34b

• Earthbind: Projectile Speed increased from 900 to 1000

It's a little strange to find Meepo on this list, considering that the hero's buff isn't that impressive. Faster Earthbind is nice but most Meepo players will blink next to their target and land the spell point blank or simply wait for an ally to lock them down first.

The more likely reason the hero is doing well is due to players getting used to the nerfs he received in 7.34, which heavily hurt the hero. Since that patch came out, Meepo went from winning 55% of his matches to only winning 47% of the time.

Since then though, the hero has slowly recovered and now wins half the time. This buff is pretty negligible but there is no denying that Meepo gained a 2.25% win rate, making him one of the biggest winners in Dota 2 patch 7.34b.

Vengeful Spirit

Vengeful Spirit is more stunning than ever. (Credit: Valve)

Changes in Dota 2 patch 7.34b

• Magic Missle: Stun Duration increased from 1.1/1.2/1.3/1.4s to 1.4/1.5/1.6/1.7s

Dota 2 patch 7.33 aimed to nerf all stuns in the game and reduced stun duration on all spells by 20%. However, that nerf no longer applies to Vengeful Spirit, who now has the same stun length as she did before 7.33.

An extra 0.3 seconds on all levels is no joke. It helps set up kills during the laning stage and early skirmishes, makes Vengeful Spirit a better trader early on, and when combined with an Aghanim's Shard, can stun two targets for a total of 3.4 seconds.

This is one of the biggest buffs in the patch and the data backs it up, Vengeful Spirit now wins a respectable 53% of her games, a massive jump from the 47% she had before.

Morphling

No more stealing half an enemy's stats for you water boy! (Credit: Valve)

Changes in Dota 2 patch 7.34b

• Strength gain increased from 3.0 to 3.2

Morphling has always been a high-risk high-reward hero, with players having to constantly pick between improving their farming speed with max agility or playing it a little safe by adding a bit more strength.

The hero is slightly easier to use now, thanks to having more stats overall. It's only 0.2 extra strength per level, which amounts to an extra five strength at level 25, so it's not a whole lot but it helps.

The bigger buff to the hero is the nerf to Invoker, who is the most common Spirit Vessel buyer in the game. While the item is now cheaper, its most common buyers such as Invoker and Witch Doctor are significantly weaker, opening the door for Morphling to make a comeback into the scene.

With a nearly 3% win rate gained, Morphling is one of the biggest winners in Dota 2 patch 7.34b.

Arc Warden

Arc Warden still hasn't recovered from the nerfs in 7.34. (Credit: Valve)

Changes in Dota 2 patch 7.34b

• Base Armor increased by 1
• Magnetic Field: Cooldown decreased from 20s to 20/19/18/17s

Similar to Alchemist, Arc Warden is now immune to physical damage, thanks to the extra armor he got in 7.34b.

The reduced cooldown on Magnetic Field is interesting, as the hero lost a one-second cooldown reduction from his talents in 7.34, then gets three seconds removed naturally by upgrading the spell.

Arc Warden is still in a tough spot due to the nerfs he received in the previous gameplay update but he is slowly making a comeback in the pub scene. With a near 4% win rate increase, Arc Warden is currently the biggest winner of Dota 2 patch 7.34b.

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Featured image source: Valve