All hero changes in Wandering Waters

After weeks of speculation and online rumbling, Dota 2’s 7.38 update is finally here. The Wandering Waters update brings about new map changes, jungle camps, new ways to acquire neutral items, and a massive number of hero changes.

With every hero having a rework, change, or number balance, it can be hard to keep track of where your favorite hero stands. Fortunately, we have you covered.

Every major hero change in Dota 2 Patch 7.38

The Wandering Waters update shakes up the meta with various changes that will change how you think about approaching certain heroes. Some heroes have evolved to become Universal, while others have had their status reverted to their original concept. Read on to find out if your favorite heroes have been affected positively or negatively.

Arc Warden

Changes: Two new Facets, now a Universal hero

Get ready for Zet spammers once again because Arc Warden is officially back. He is now a Rune-focused hero who gains a variety of buffs for himself and his Tempest Double based on the Rune.

• Runed Replica: Tempest Double gains the power of multiple Runes upon spawning.
• Power Capture: Arc Warden gains permanent attributes from Runes. Magnetic Field also pulls in all nearby Runes to Arc Warden.

Chaos Knight

Changes: Two new Facets

Chaos Knight’s illusions are no longer Strong Illusions, but in exchange, he has two new Facets that further exacerbate his Casino Knight potential.

• Fundamental Forging: Neutral Items can be crafted with a higher Artifact tier.
• Cloven Chaos: Chaos Bolt splits upon impact, targeting two other nearby units.

Crystal Maiden

Changes: Two new Facets

Thankfully, Crystal Maiden has not been hit with another movement speed nerf. Both of her new Facets buff and empower her allies in different ways.

• Arcane Overflow: Arcane Aura can be activated to restore her allies’ mana when they cast a spell.
• Glacial Guard: Crystal Nova adds a physical damage barrier to affected allied heroes.

Dawnbreaker

Changes: Two new Facets

Dawnbreaker is all about speed now. Both of her Facets can either improve the movement speed of her allies or their attack speed. Depending on the team composition, either Facet will be able to shine.

• Starsurge: Starbreaker’s swipes and smash grant all nearby allies an attack speed boost.
• Trailblazer: Celestial Hammer’s trail increases the movement speed of allies that walk over it.

Invoker

Changes: Three new Facets, reverted to an Intelligence hero

Invoker has returned to the peak of his spellcasting prowess. Although the Universal nerf will hurt a little bit, these Facets more than make up for it.

• Scholar of Koryx: A Quas-focused Facet. Adds bonus levels to Quas-based spells. Ghost Walk is buffed by Aghanim’s Scepter while Ice Wall is buffed by Aghanim’s Shard.
• Mind of Tornarus: A Wex-focused Facet. Adds bonus levels to Wex-based spells. Tornado is buffed by Aghanim’s Scepter while EMP is buffed by Aghanim’s Shard.
• Agent of Gallaron: An Exort-focused Facet. Adds bonus levels to Exort-based spells. Sun Strike is buffed by Aghanim’s Scepter and Aghanim’s Shard.

Jakiro

Changes: Two new Facets

Jakiro can now cast Liquid Fire and Liquid Frost at the same time. This frees him up to two new Facets that improve his existing spells.

• Twin Terror: Double Trouble’s damage penalty is reduced and is buffed by Macropyre levels.
• Ice Breaker: Ice Path can be detonated to deal damage and stun twice.

Kez

Changes: Two new Facets

The Hero of the Flightless has finally acquired his Facets. Both of them improve his fighting prowess and increase his solo killing potential even further.

• Flutter: Kez deals bonus damage while switching to Katana and gains bonus movement speed while switching to Sai.
• Shadowhawk: Shodo Sai deals more critical strike damage when used from invisibility.

Lifestealer

Changes: Two new Facets

Naix no longer has to choose between Rage and Unfettered. Since his focus has now been reverted to his old spell, this opens him up to brand new Facets.

• Fleshfeast: Feast grants increased permanent health per hero kill. Open Wounds’ cooldown is reset every time an affected hero dies.
• Gorestorm: Infest’s Consume ability deals bonus damage to all enemies based on the consumed unit’s leftover health.

Magnus

Changes: Two new Facets

The Reverse Reverse Polarity meme is finally dead. Magnus now has two respectable Facets that emphasize two different playstyles.

• Diminishing Return: Shockwave now has five ability levels. The fifth level causes Shockwave to return, dealing 50 percent damage as it travels back.
• Eternal Empowerment: Empower is passively enabled on Magnus at all times. Every hit increases the damage and cleave effects of the spell.

Marci

Changes: Three new Facets

If you thought Marci was a bland hero before, now is the time to try her out. With three new Facets to choose from, this hero has become more active than ever before.

• Buddy System: Bodyguarded units share all of their healed health.
• Pick-Me-Up: Rebound can be alt-cast to launch the targeted unit to its destination along with Marci.
• Fleeting Fury: Rebound automatically casts a shorter Unleash combo upon landing.

Special Delivery can also be cast to teleport Marci’s courier to her once every four minutes.

Mirana

Changes: Two new Facets, reverted to an Agility hero

Mirana’s Agility reversion hurts her damage potential, but the two new Facets open up new ways to play the hero.

• Starstruck: Starstorm’s second meteor does full damage and blinds the target.
• Leaps and Bounds: Leap roots all units around Mirana’s landing location.

Ringmaster

Changes: Two new Facets

After six months of action, Ringmaster finally acquires his Facets. Both of them are designed to confuse his enemies in battle.

• Carny Classics: Dark Carnival Barker grants Funhouse Mirror, Strongman Tonic, and Whoopee Cushion.
• Sideshow Secrets: Dark Carnival Barker grants Crystal Ball, Unicycle, and Weighted Pie.

Windranger

Changes: Two new Facets

Gone are the days of Focus Fire and Whirlwind. Windranger can now kill her enemies in two different ways if she so chooses.

• Tangled: Shackleshot now binds all units and trees behind the target.
• Killshot: Powershot now executes targets that have fallen below a certain health threshold.

Winter Wyvern

Changes: Two new Facets, reverted to an Intelligence hero

Wyvern functions best as an Intelligence hero since the Universal stats were underutilized by the hero’s kit. These new Facets emphasize the hero’s strengths even more.

• Winterproof: Cold Embrace can be cast on towers, granting them physical damage immunity. Affected towers and heroes also gain increased damage after the effect expires.
• Recursive: Winter’s Curse is recast on the nearest enemy hero when the original target dies.

Apart from these notable changes, several other heroes have also had their primary attribute type changed, like the new Universal Spectre and the Nothl Projection Dazzle. However, with the buffs come the nerfs, and this has led to the glory days of some of the 7.37 meta heroes being behind them.

• Bloodseeker has had his Blood Mist removed.
• Bristleback will not recover instantly with his Aghanim’s Scepter and Bloodstone.
• Dragon Knight‘s power has now been more evenly split amongst his three Facets.
• Lina has lost a lot of her instant burst potential.
• Riki cannot clutch save allies with Smoke Screen anymore.
• Tiny can no longer burst enemies as well with the reworked Khanda and nerfed Crash Landing.

As is tradition with every big annual Dota 2 patch, the number of changes in this update will take you a few days to properly acclimate to. Stay tuned for more of our thoughts on the upcoming meta.