The previous patch lasted for over a week. Now, 7.26b comes to slow the pace of the game even further.
Back when the last update came on April 21, we thought that the game is already much slower. Apparently, we were wrong as 7.26b brings the tempo down with more general changes to experience, gold, and more. While it may be one of the shorter patches in recent times, 7.26b will certainly have an impact on the meta. Here’s also the full patch and our thoughts on some of the changes.
General
- Denies no longer grant gold.
- Deny XP given to enemies increased from 40% to 50%.
- Melee Creeps base bounty increased by +5.
- Neutral Creeps base bounty values increased back 10%.
- All talents are now about 20% weaker.
- Towers now grant +1 HP Regen Aura for Tier 1 Towers, and +3 for Tier2/3/4 Towers.
- XP required to reach level 9/10/11/12/13 increased from 780/810/840/870/900 to 890/930/970/1010/1050.
- Reliable gold is now given only for passive income.
- AoE Gold increased from 45 + 0.027*NW to 45 + 0.033*NW.
- Neutral item drop times for T1-4 changed from 7/15/25/40 to 7/17/27/37.
- Tier 2+ towers health increased by 500 and damage by 25.
Denying was a good way to earn some extra gold and prevent your opponent from getting decent experience. Now, it’ll only be good for the latter, just like before 7.20, when the gold part was introduced. Patch 7.26a reduced the overall gold on the map by 10%. Now, melee creeps get a base bounty increase and neutrals are reverted to their original numbers. Reliable gold now only comes from the passive income instead of also including hero kills, Roshan kills and gold from towers. Assists will now grant slightly more gold and that’s just about all regarding the economy.Towers now grant regeneration and higher tiers have increased health and damage. The experience required to reach levels 9-13 is about 15% higher. This will make flash-farming heroes even better as they’ll get a significant advantage in the only thing that matters – levels.
Items
Healing Salve
- Duration increased from 8 to 10 seconds (same overall heal)
Gloves of Haste
- Cost increased from 400 to 450
Blades of Attack
- Cost increased from 430 to 450
Ring of Basilius
- Recipe cost increased from 175 to 200
Hood of Defiance
- Now has a 200 gold recipe
In the item department, we see further gold increases for some of the most basic items. Healing Salve’s healing remains unchanged, but the duration has been increased by 2 seconds.
No heroes were changed directly in the current patch but many may fall out of grace due to the general changes. As we’ve already mentioned, the game is definitely getting slower up to a point where some of the changes are getting reverted (like the 10% gold for neutrals). As a result, jungling may be viable in certain scenarios, but certainly not in every game. Stay tuned for more Dota 2 news.
