What you need to know about Dota 2 Patch 7.25b: Experience bonus changes, Lycan and Weaver nerfed

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Dota 2’s 7.25b update has been dropped by Valve, greatly nerfing two of the strongest heroes in the previous patch, Lycan and Weaver.

A few other general changes have been released as well, including nerfs to some of the most powerful early-game pickups. Here’s everything you need to know about Patch 7.25b.

Killstreak experience bonus reduced

The general changes in 7.25 simplified and nerfed the comeback mechanics for gold rewards. But, in turn, it increased the advantages of taking a player’s killstreak.

Overall, the gold values have become more stable, but the experience bonuses have been thrown out of whack. It wasn’t uncommon to see a lane where one side is dominating, accruing levels far above their opponents before a fortuitous kill erased the experience advantage entirely. It made early aggression almost pointless since the threat of one little overextension means that you’ll be punished for one small mistake, ignoring the player’s good plays a few minutes earlier.

Patch 7.25b rescaled the experience to be based on hero levels as well, preventing the aforementioned experience swings in the laning stage. 

Items nerfed

Trusty Shovel

Trusty Shovel was the only neutral item hit, with the Town Portal Scrolls bundle reduced from two to one. The increase in cost for teleportation scrolls has made it incredibly valuable for support players, saving them gold for items such as Sentry Wards. Since it’s a neutral item that isn’t readily available to both teams, it definitely deserved the slight nerf to reduce its effectiveness.

Ring of Tarrasque

Ring of Tarrasque received a slight gold nerf from 600 to 650 to prevent it from being purchasable at the onset of the game. High-level players have experimented with foregoing regeneration consumables, such as Tangoes and Salves, to pick up regeneration items due to the value they provide. 

Ring of Tarrasque can be built into Heart of Tarrasque in the future, for example, while two Rings of Regeneration can be built into a Pipe of Insight, an essential teamfight item. Even if the player chooses not to build them, they can be sold to regain half the gold. Ring of Tarrasque was hit due to its high regeneration and increased health pool, which can make heroes like Sven and Centaur, who already have great base stats to last hit and lane, nearly unkillable.

Necronomicon

Necronomicon had its mana cost increased from 50 to 150. It’s always been a powerful pushing item, but it’s become a trendy first item pick due to its repeated buffs that make it a good farming and teamfight item.

Repeated nerfs to the cost and value of Hand of Midas have made it a worse farming item with a poor buildup. Necronomicon has been used somewhat as a substitute because the summons easily increase farming speed and open up the possibility of killing Ancients. Heroes such as Lycan have benefited greatly from the decrease in gold cost, while it’s seen purchases on unconventional carries such as Spectre. 

Pro players have elected to pick up Necronomicon on Spectre due to its high mana regeneration, allowing the carry to forego Soul Ring. In addition to the farming speed, it also gives Spectre the option to contribute to early teamfights with the Necronomicon units.

Hero nerfs

Lycan

Lycan was one of the strongest heroes in the previous patch, seeing a win rate increase of almost seven percent. While the hero only received a few slight buffs, it was the gold cost decrease of items such as Helm of the Dominator and Necronomicon that allowed the hero to serve as an uptempo pushing core.

Related: Weaver, Lycan, and Dark Seer are the big winners of Dota 2 Patch 7.25a

A few of his late-game talents have also been nerfed, but he would probably feel more hard done by the mana cost increase in Necronomicon and a big six base damage decrease that serves to neuter his robust laning stage.

Weaver

Weaver received nerfs to his agility gain and Shukuchi movement speed, reducing the hero’s prowess in the late game. Weaver has become a menacing threat throughout the game with his intelligence buffs in 7.25, alleviating the hero’s mana issues.

The nerfs serve to target the hero’s peskiness in the late game, but he’s probably still better off than before due to his strength in the laning stage.