Patch 7.39e finally sees Kez enter the Dota 2 competitive pool after nearly a year after release.
Valve has released the post-The International (TI) 2025 Dota 2 update, launching patch 7.39e which contained some notable buffs, nerfs, and changes–including the highly anticipated arrival of Kez in Captain's Mode. The balance patch serves to adjust the dominant heroes, or in this case, items, that conquered The International, which wrapped up three weeks ago.
The International 2025 meta heavily centered around the Helm of the Dominator throughout the event, though it ironically barely made an appearance during the grand finals. Patch 7.39e expectedly nerfed the notorious item, on top of laying several adjustments to heroes that were often contested. Another major nerf also hit the Ethereal or ghost-like status in the game, setting up a decline in magic-centric heroes and items.
Kez enters Captain's Mode
Since its release in November 2024, Kez has been a hard-to-read hero and it's evident that Valve felt the same way in regards to its stability in the game. Often dubbed the “bird Invoker” by the community, the hero poses a complex playstyle with two interchangeable set of abilities. While heroes often get hard launched in competitive Dota 2 after a few months, Kez isn't introduced to Captain's Mode until today–11 months after release.
In Patch 7.39e, Kez received plenty of balancing tweaks and several bug removals. The hero now has better Base Mana Regeneration, a stronger Falcon Rush ability, lower damage for the Raptor Dance, and weaker Shodo Sai in the early game. Overall the changes to Kez seem proportional but only time will tell if this hero is ready for Captain's Mode.
Biggest item changes in Patch 7.39e
It's not often that items take the major highlight in patches, but this edition is one of them.
The Helm of the Dominator (and its upgraded version) receive a barrage of nerfs including a 50 mana cost to the Dominate ability–which makes it highly punishing as heroes that often purchase the item have a low mana pool. The ability also can't be used to the currently-dominated creep if it takes any damage from heroes. Lastly, dominated creeps now have a lower movement speed from 380 to 370.
Major nerfs also hit the Refresher Orb, which has been one of the most popular late-game item choices at TI. The item now has an increasing cooldown with a subsequential increase of +10 seconds after every use, maxed at 210 seconds. Additionally, using the Refresher also requires more mana, taking 400 instead of 350 mana.
The Ghost Scepter and Ethereal Blade also receive a significant nerf with its ghost/ethereal form no longer affecting those with Debuff Immunity. This not only applies to the item but also game-wide ghost/ethereal forms including Necrophos' Ghost Shroud, Pugna's Decrepify, and Leshrac's Nihilism.
While there are a bunch of neutral item changes, the biggest highlight goes to the Outworld Staff. The item drew attention following its game-winning usage throughout TI, prompting even pro players to call it “broken”. Now the Self-Exile ability no longer vanishes the user, but simply makes them invulnerable and immobile.
Biggest hero changes in Patch 7.39e
As anticipated, a handful of nerfs land the meta's most successful picks. The Beastmaster has been handed nerfs mainly to his overall damage. Centaur Warrunner's Work Horse now has a shorter cast range. Disruptor's Thunderstorm Facet sees a slow duration decrease and its ultimate cooldown increased for the early levels.
The Earthshaker also received nerfs on the Aftershock damage and AoE. Magnus' Skewer and Monkey King's Tree Dance can now be interrupted with stuns or hexes. The formidable Naga Siren, which was the most banned hero at TI, is given a damage reduction to the Deluge Facet plus a nerf to her Shard. Mars, the go-to offlane hero during TI, sees a major duration nerf to its Arena of Blood. On top of that, Marci's Unleash attack speed has been decreased, Bane's Enfeeble cast range is reduced, and Sand King's Sandblast Facet no longer applies Blind debuff to buildings.
Alongside the nerfs, Valve also buffed the lesser popular heroes. Razor's Static Link has a lower cooldown, Storm Spirit's Shard has a lower mana cost, and Techies' Tazer plus Mines are buffed. Uncontested heroes at TI also received decent buffs with the Phantom Assassin gaining better evasion, Jakiro's Liquid Frost having improved damage and duration, plus Omniknight's Purification getting increased cast range.
The patch dealt pretty mild changes across the board with its main goal to adjust any overpowered factors in the game. But the patch will likely shake the field a little, giving a clean experimental slate for teams competing in upcoming tournaments of the new Dota 2 season.
Read the full Dota 2 Patch 7.39e here.
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