Dota 2 patch 7.41 removes Facets and adds nine new items

Facets have been a part of Dota 2 since the game mechanic was added in Patch 7.36, back in May 2024.

Valve has released a massive gameplay update for Dota 2 on Wednesday (25 March) in the form of the 7.41 patch, which outright removes the ‘Facet’ mechanic from the game, while also adding nine new items for players to buy. Facets were part of Dota 2 for just under two years, having been added in Patch 7.36 back in May 2024, and greatly shaped the metagame until their removal.

Patch 7.41 notably released during ESL One Birmingham 2026, the first major LAN tournament of the year, shortly after the conclusion of the event's third day of Group Stage competition. The sudden release of a massive update during a top-tier tournament should shake up the competition in Birmingham, as the teams there will have to quickly adjust to the removal of Facets and other sweeping gameplay changes.

Why did Valve remove Facets from Dota 2?

While Valve did not explicitly state the reason behind the removal of Facets from Dota 2, the developers have been struggling to balance the game since their addition in Patch 7.36. In the 22 months that Facets have been part of the game, adjustments to the Facets of certain heroes were a regular presence in periodical gameplay updates. New heroes were also released without any Facets–only getting them after quite some time–while some heroes would either have no Facets at all, or had existing ones removed entirely.

With the removal of Facets in 7.41, Valve also implemented sweeping changes to hero Innate abilities. Innate abilities no longer scale with other abilities' level, while all Innate abilities that used to scale with other abilities now either provide unchangeable bonuses or improve on a 'per level' basis.

Abilities that improve with hero level have base value and increment value, with some also having a certain amount of levels required for increment increases. A UI icon has been added that shows players which parameters increase with hero level and what is the current value, with some non-Innate abilities also having this per-level UI as well.

Dota 2 Patch 7.41 also adds nine new items

While the removal of Facets is undoubtedly the biggest change in Patch 7.41, the update also includes the addition of nine new items. Among the nine new items, five are basic-tier items that will be used to build stronger items. These include:

Chasm Stone: 800 gold, provides +40 Area of Effect
Shawl: 450 gold, provides 10% Magic Resistance
Splintmail: 950 gold, provides 7 armor
Wizard Hat: 250 gold, provides 125 mana

The addition of these new basic items also come with recipe adjustments for existing upgrades. For example, Arcane Boots now also require Wizard Hat, and Blade Mail now requires Splintmail instead of Chainmail, among others.

The remaining five new items in Patch 7.41 are being added as upgrades, with Specialist's Array notably returning to the game as a proper item instead of a neutral item. The five upgrade items added in Patch 7.41 are as follows:

Consecrated Wraps

Requires Vitality Booster (1000), Shawl (450), Crown (450), and a recipe (700). Total cost: 2600g
Provides +15% Magic Resistance, +250 Health, and +6 All Attributes
Passive: Hallowed. Gain a stack every 3s, up to a maximum of 3 stacks. Whenever the wearer takes damage from a player-controlled unit or Roshan, all stacks are removed to create an all-damage barrier for 7s that absorbs 120 damage per removed stack (up to 360). If the wearer reached a max amount of stacks at least once in a game, regaining a stack provides a non-stacking buff that increases movespeed by 20% for 7s
Has no damage threshold, but doesn't proc from Health Loss damage (like Heartstopper Aura)
Can't gain stacks for 3s after taking damage from Roshan or player-controlled sources

Crella's Crozier

Requires Ghost Scepter (1500), Soul Booster (3000), and a recipe (300). Total cost: 4800g
Provides +6 All Attributes, +450 Health, +450 Mana
Active: Rite of Rumusque. The wearer enters ghost form for 4 seconds, becoming immune to physical damage, but is unable to attack and 30% more vulnerable to magic damage. Steals 5% movement speed from enemy heroes in a 900 radius every second. Movement speed steal lasts 1.5s. Bonuses stack and have duration refreshed on gaining new stacks. No Mana Cost. Cooldown: 20s
The ghost form and stolen speed can be dispelled off the wearer, but the stealing debuff that provides new stacks can't
Passive: Putrefaction Aura. Reduces health restoration of nearby enemy heroes by 30%. While Rite of Rumusque is active, the effect is increased to 75% and all of the lost Health Restoration is redirected to the wearer every second. Radius: 900

Essence Distiller

Requires Urn of Shadows (825), Chainmail (500), Wizard Hat (250), and a recipe (200). Total cost: 1775g
Provides +1.75 Mana Regen, +3 All Attributes, +6 Armor, and +150 Mana
Active: Soul Release. When cast on an ally, provides 40 health regeneration. If the ally is attacked by an enemy hero or Roshan, the effect is lost. When cast on an enemy, deals 25 damage per second, provides True Sight over them and shares their vision with the wearer's team. Both effects last 8 seconds. Can be cast on the ground to put a dormant effect that will latch to the first enemy hero that comes within 400 range from it. The effect waits for 15s and provides 400 vision until it disappears. Gains charges every time an enemy hero dies within 1500 units. Cast Range: 1000. No Mana Cost. Cooldown: 10s
Gains one charge if the wearer dies with an empty Essence Distiller
Gains two charges if Essence Distiller had no charges and an enemy hero dies within radius

Specialist's Array

Requires Blade of Alacrity (1000), Broadsword (1000), and a recipe (550). Total cost: 2550g
Provides +20 Damage and +12 Agility
Passive: Splitshot. Ranged Only. Ranged attacks have a 30% chance to fire additional projectiles at up to 2 nearby enemies that aren't the original attack target within 120 degree angle in front of the wearer and within attack range + 150. The additional projectiles deal 20 + 75% damage of a normal attack and do not trigger on hit effects. The primary attack deals 20 + full damage of a normal attack when the ability procs
Doesn't work with other sources of secondary projectiles from hero abilities (Gyrocopter's Flak Cannon, Medusa's Split Shot, Muerta's Gunslinger)

Hydra's Breath

Requires Specialist's Array (2550), Dragon Lance (1900), Orb of Venom (350) and a recipe (1100). Total cost: 5900g
Provides +25 Damage, +30 Agility, +15 Strength, and +150 Attack Range (Ranged Only)
Passive: Miasma. Attacks poison the target for 3 seconds, dealing magical damage equal to 2.5% of the target's max health every second. If the debuff is reapplied, the duration is refreshed. Can't be applied by illusions or to Roshan
Passive: Polycephaly. Ranged attacks have a 30% chance to fire at up to 3 nearby enemies that aren't the original attack target within 120 degree angle in front of the wearer and within attack range + 150. The additional projectiles deal 20 + 75% damage of a normal attack and do not trigger on hit effects except for Miasma. The primary attack deals 20 + full damage of a normal attack when the ability procs
Similarly to Specialist's Array, doesn't work with other sources of secondary projectiles from hero abilities

Shiva's Guard, Bloodstone, and Refresher Orb have also been reworked. Shiva's Guard now requires Splintmail and Chasm Stone instead of Veil of Discord, and increases the Area of Effect of its wielder's spells instead of reducing health restoration and incoming healing for nearby enemies.

Meanwhile, Bloodstone now requires Veil of Discord instead of Void Stone and Vodoo Mask, and now also provides a passive Spell Weakness aura. As for Refresher Orb, it can no longer refresh the cooldowns of items when used.

These are just some of the biggest changes being introduced to Dota 2 in Patch 7.41. For the full list of changes, check out the full 7.41 patch notes.