Dota 2 Patch 7.29 arrived today, with a whole slew of changes. Hoodwink is finally in Captain's Mode, the map has been drastically changed, and a new hero debuts. However, there's still no Spectre Arcana. What are the most important changes in this patch? We take a quick look at Dota 2 Patch 7.29's biggest changes.

GENERAL CHANGES IN DOTA 2 PATCH 7.29

The map changed a lot, thanks to the shifting moods of the Ancients. Players will have to relearn their ganking routes, jungling patterns, and juke spots. The location of the bounty rune spots have changed – with one of them disappearing entirely. Finally, the Outposts have been placed in the middle of each side's jungles, making them harder to contest now.

Meanwhile, a new Power Rune called the Water Rune has been added. The Water Power Rune will only spawn at 2 minutes and 4 minutes. It instantly restores 100 health and 80 mana. This new run completely shakes up the midlane meta. Bounty Runes after the initial set are reduced by 10%, and will no longer spawn in the river. Instead, the GPM has been increased for both sides passively over time. They also now spawn every 3 minutes instead of 5, and will no longer disappear when a new one spawns.

Outposts now also give XP over time, instead of in large bursts at the 10-minute marks. However, they still don't give double XP when a team control both Outposts. This makes controlling Outposts more relevant any time of the match, and we can expect to see more fights revolve around these Outposts at all times.

New mechanics calculating assist gold also makes it more viable for teams to stage a comeback. Hero kill assists gold will now be based on the relative net worth difference between the two teams. This contrasts with the previous method of calculating the net worth difference between individual heroes.

Finally, everyone now starts the game with just one TP Scroll instead of 3. They also now cost more, from 90 to 100 gold. But worry not, because if you're someone who keeps on dying in Dota 2, Dota 2 Patch 7.29 will reward you one TP Scroll each time you die.

DAWNBREAKER IS YOUR NEW HERO; WELCOME HOODWINK IN CAPTAIN'S MODE

In spite of our speculations, Dawnbreaker turns out to be the new hero. She looks like a powerful core hero who can help her team sustain in team fights. Her ultimate, Solar Guardian, allows her to jump in the air and assist allied heroes anywhere on the map. While channeling, a pulsing effect within 350 units around the allied hero will damage enemies and heal allies. Once Dawnbreaker arrives, she deals damage and stuns enemies within the area. Powerful, but with a long cooldown.

“Dawnbreaker shines in the heart of battle, happily crushing enemies with her celestial hammer and using the energy released to heal nearby allies. At one with the mass of her weapon, she revels in hurling her hammer through multiple foes and then converging with it in a blazing wake. Created to rival ancient forces of chaos and darkness by descendants of the first light, Dawnbreaker only taps her true cosmic power to fly to the aid of her teammates — eager to rout her enemies on the battlefield no matter where they may be.”

Meanwhile, you can now pick Hoodwink in Dota 2 Patch 7.29 Captain's Mode. Hoodwink also receives Aghanim's bonuses. For her Shard Effect gives her a new ability called Decoy. This allows her to send a decoy illusion with Scurry to a target location. If an opponent targets the illusion, it is destroyed and plants a tree in its place, and applies Bushwhack to enemy heroes around the tree. Her Scepter upgrade also gives her a new ability called Hunter's Boomerang. hunter's Boomerang will deal 350 damage as it passes across an arc, applying Hunter's Mark to affected enemies that slows them and making them take more damage. Upcoming pro games will show us just how desirable these two skills will be.

BE WARY WHEN PICKING THESE REBALANCED HEROES IN DOTA 2 PATCH 7.29

Aside from Hoodwink, many other heroes drastically changed as well in this new patch. The biggest losers are Enigma, whose Demonic Conversion cooldown has been increased a lot; Puck whose cooldowns now make it harder for him to have a great early game along with weaker talents, and heroes who rely on Necronomicon, such as Lycan and Beastmaster.

Those picking Broodmother without reading the Dota 2 Patch 7.29 notes will be surprised to find out that her Spiderlings is now an ult. Valve removed Incapacitating Bite, moved Spiderlings to ult, and added her Silken Bolas as one of her spells. Anti-Mage's Shard Blink now has additional range and a faster cooldown. Bounty Hunter's Shard is reworked, granting Shadow Walk 40% reduced incoming damage while invisible, with a stun when attacking coming out of invisibility. Batrider's Shard Flamebreak now has two charges and also applies Sticky Napalm. Invoker's Shard now adds two Chaos Meteors to land alongside the first one at slight angles. Finally, Meepo can now Poof to allies within 2000 max range.

But perhaps the strongest buff came to Supports. With Bane's Shard and Scepter reworks. For Bane's Shard upgrade, his Brain Sap becomes a 550 target AoE spell. His Scepter Upgrade now spawns two illusions channeling Fiend's Grip and lowers its cooldown. Talk about nightmares. As for Crystal Maiden, with her Shard, she can now move, cast, and attack during Freezing Field. Your movement speed is lowered while using Freezing Field, but it also now follows you while walking. Death Prophet's Shard Spirit Siphon adds 1 charge and causes enemies to be feared after four seconds. Grimstroke's Shard Ink Swell deals 50% more damage and heals the unit by 50% of the damage that Ink Swell deals. Heck, Lion's Shard Mana Drain now affects three enemies and makes Lion Spell Immune during the duration.

SAY GOODBYE TO THESE ITEMS: NECRONOMICON, ROYAL JELLY, SHARED TANGOS

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To those who love playing zoo heroes such as Beastmaster, Enigma, and Lycan, you'll have to make new plans for your builds. Gone are the days when you can rush purchase a Necronomicon and steamroll through towers in the early game. With the removal of this item, stealth heroes such as Riki and Bounty Hunter get slight buffs in Dota 2 Patch 7.29. Techies will also have fewer problems in planting his bombs. For those looking for a replacement, you may consider getting the newly-renamed Helm Of the Overlord. This Helm of the Dominator upgrade allows you to dominate up to two units.

BIGGEST CHANGES WITH ITEMS IN DOTA 2 PATCH 7.29

Perhaps the most relevant item change in Dota 2 Patch 7.29 for carries is the removal of the blink effect in Abyssal Blade. Gone are the days that an AM will reach the back lines of any team with a Blink + Abyssal Blade combo. It's followed by the loss of the Divine Rapier's True Strike. Thankfully, DR's damage increased from 300 to 350, but many carries might just opt for a Monkey King Bar nowadays, which now has an increased proc rate from 75% to 80%. Meanwhile, mid Intelligence heroes such as Outworld Devourer might prefer using Witch Blade now, as its poison attack now has True Strike.

As for Neutral Items, Philosopher's Stone's GPM increased from 70 to 80, which is a big boon for support players everywhere. Spell Prism got nerfed, with stat boosts lowered from +12 to just +6. Flicker now also always teleports you forward for a random distance. The Leveller will also now grant +5 Armor but with reduced Attack speed, and finally, Trickster Cloak can now be casted while channeling. This is perfect for channeling heroes such as Enigma, Crystal Maiden, Bane, and Shadow Shaman.