Dota 2 Patch 7 has come, and as expected, the sheer volume of changes that the latest edition of the game brought has drawn mixed emotions from the millions of its active followers in social media.
As always, some people find the changes coming too fast and too many, while some think of the updates as a welcome challenge and as a way to keep the game fresh.
But let’s leave the opinions later and first see what the fuss is all about.
MAKE WAY FOR THE KING
Following trends created by other MOBAs, Dota decided it was time to introduce “Wukong the Monkey King” as playable hero.
Dota lovers have enjoyed using the Monkey King Bar for years, so almost everyone have at least an inkling who Wukong is and what he might be as a hero.
Of course, as a martial arts expert with a divine staff as a favored weapon, Wukong is a melee fighter, whose skillset can make him either a Carry, an initiator, a disabler or an escape artist.
With the Boundless Strike, Wukong can slam his staff to the ground to stun his enemies and deal critical damage on his foes, perfect for initiating ganks or preventing opponents to TP out of battle.
His Tree Dance ability allows him to jump to tree tops, where Wukong will be invisible to enemies and be in the perfect position for a sneak attack. When he gets on the treetop, Wukong also has the Primal Spring, a technique where the Monkey King channels the Earth’s energy before lunging on his prey, slowing and damaging his victims.
The third skill, Jingu Mastery, allows Wukong to charge his staff with power after strikes, so he can deal bonus damage and get lifesteal effect for a limited number of attacks.
As the stories say, Wukong is a tricky character, and Dota 2 infused that trait into the hero with the skill Mischief, which will allow the Monkey King to transform into other objects that will help him disguise, for stealth attacks or for escaping.
Wukong’s Command is the Monkey King’s ultimate, and if used correctly, with the right items and with the right allies, will be a nightmare for opponents. With the last skill, Wukong summons a formation of illusions that will attack those who get in their range, making it a pit terrible for unprepared opponents.
He’s a fan favorite in other MOBAs, and it’s not unlikely he’ll be a fan favorite in Dota 2 too.
With the Tree Dance and Mischief alone, Wukong is already unique and will be fun to use, but add that instant gank ability for an ultimate, it’s a Carry’s dream!
Wukong will also be a support’s dream teammate.
Monkey King, along with his devastating skills, also have ways to scamper away from trouble, meaning supports can use their own skills to save themselves rather than concentrating on salvaging Wukong all the time.
He’ll probably be nerfed down in the future, because having 15 Wukongs (the ulti gives 14 illusions that inflict the same damage as the original Wukong) in a circle already make him an OP hero, and the Tree Dance and Mischief skills will make him hard to kill too.
But still, welcome, King of Monkeys!
WELCOME CHANGES
The change in HUD and the overall in-game interface improvements are among the easily accepted ones that Patch 7.00 and beyond will bring. For the complete lists of HUD changes, take a look at Dota 2’s own site.
Aside from the increased invisibility, adding options and improving hero and shopping controls will make the game easier, especially for beginners.
The top bar will now show your allies health status, mana status, ultimate status and buyback ability, and you can click on it to target your allies with skills.
The one-click level up is also a change long due, since leveling up skills should have been this easy since the beginning.
Overall, the rebuilt interface will make the game easier to play, and will help players concentrate on the game itself.
IMPROVED PRE-GAME
Like with the HUD improvements, the changes in pre-game mechanics are welcome updates.
The Hero Filters (carry, initiator, support etc.) in the Pick Phase will make choosing heroes easier, while the Team Composition window will help teams be more balanced.
Now, there is a 30-second Strategy Phase, where players can choose their respective lanes, predict enemy positioning and buy items before the game even starts! You can also set ward placement for advanced map controlling.
It eliminates much of the “who to pick, what to buy and where to play” stress that comes in the early parts of games, making it easier for casuals and beginners.
Stay tuned for the part 2 of this article, where we look into the talent trees, backpacks, map changes and many more!
