Patch 7.40c introduced Largo to Captain’s Mode and delivered heavy nerfs to Clinkz and Broodmother.
Valve has released Dota 2’s latest update, Patch 7.40c, which aims to rebalance the current meta and notably introduces the new hero Largo into Captain’s Mode–just ahead of a packed competitive calendar.
Largo joins Captain’s Mode after over a month
Largo’s early inclusion in the competitive pool has caught the community off guard, arriving just over a month after the hero’s release last December. This is a stark contrast to Kez’s lengthy balancing period, as the avian hero required nearly a year of tweaks before Valve finally approved him for professional play.
However, Valve had plenty of reasons to fast-track Largo into Captain’s Mode. The hero currently boasts a slightly positive win rate and a healthy pick rate. His ability kit is stable and impactful without being overpowered. Before unleashing the amphibian into competitive play, Valve also applied light buffs–slightly increasing Frog Stomp’s damage and expanding the radius of Amphibian Rhapsody.
Patch 7.40c attempts to stop Clinkz’s dominance
While several heroes were adjusted in Patch 7.40c, the update clearly focused on curbing Clinkz’s overwhelming dominance. The Bone Fletcher–once considered dead and repeatedly reworked across multiple patches–had finally found his footing, but proved to be far too strong.
Clinkz’s reworked abilities allowed him to play more aggressively while dealing massive damage, propelling him to become the most contested and successful hero in high-ranked pubs by a wide margin. Before his reign could fully take hold, Valve delivered a series of nerfs to bring him back in line.
Skeleton Walk now applies a significantly higher damage penalty when attacking buildings, increased from 25% to 75%. Additionally, Clinkz’s Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade was nerfed, removing the scaling Skeleton Archer hits-to-kill passive.
Another hero hit with substantial nerfs was Broodmother. Although a niche pick, she had been posting an unusually high win rate. Her Necrotic Webs Facet now provides reduced health restoration reduction at later levels. Spin Web has fewer charges, Incapacitating Bite can no longer be applied by illusions, and several minor talent tree nerfs were also introduced.
Treant Protector, a once-forgotten support who recently surged in popularity also received adjustments. Valve has made clearing his Eyes in the Forest vision more rewarding by adding a 50-gold bounty per tree destroyed.
Patch 7.40c also delivered notable buffs to Terrorblade, a long-neglected carry who has often been a hit-or-miss pick. Conjure Image now costs less mana, Sunder has a shorter cooldown, and the Reflection talent now deals increased damage.
Other changes include minor nerfs to Ember Spirit’s Searing Chains and Jakiro’s early-game damage, along with a reduced Ice Path duration. Meanwhile, meaningful buffs were applied to Grimstroke, Largo, Monkey King, and Pangolier.
Notably, while no other items were touched, the recently-trending Phylactery has been slightly nerfed, with reduced attribute bonuses and mana regeneration.
You can read the full Patch 7.40c notes here.
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