Dota 2 Patch 7.39: The Spring Forward Gameplay Update - Hero changes, item updates, meta and new skins

Get ready for Dota 2 Patch 7.39. The massive Spring Forward gameplay update packs a punch, introducing hero and map terrain changes, new neutral items and setting the stage for the rise of a new meta, including “quality of life” upgrades.

Let’s spring forward into action and look at all the important gameplay updates, including hero buffs and nerfs.

You can also surf through heroes in BLAST's new section.

Nature’s Prophet and Morphling “nerfed” in Dota 2 Patch 7.39 gameplay update

Three heroes have received major tweaks in the Spring Forward gameplay update, especially the once broken hero, Nature’s Prophet. Let’s look at the most important hero changes in Dota 2 Patch 7.39:

• Nature’s Prophet:
  • The broken hero has undergone a major tweak in the latest patch. Firstly, the Ironwood Treant Facet got removed, and is replaced with a new Facet – Nature’s Profit.
  • In the new facet, a money tree spawns 2 seconds after an enemy hero is killed by or within 750 range of Nature's Prophet, lasting 3 seconds and dropping two gold bags per second, each granting gold equal to 1.5 times the killed hero's level to any hero who picks them up.
  • Removing the Ironwood Treant facet significantly affects his ability to pressure towers and secure objectives early on. Additionally, his attack range, sprout damage, and teleportation barrier have decreased in the Dota 2 patch 7.39.
• Clockwerk:
  • Clockwerk has a new facet – Chainmeal. With this new facet, he can self-cast an in-game item, Chainmail, and consume it. Each consumed chainmail provides +4 armour, and interestingly, there’s no limit to stack’em up.
  • We might see more of offlane or support Clockwerk in future games. Buffed and Tanky.
• Monkey King:
  • Monkey King’s old facet, Wukong’s Faithful, got removed. It’s been replaced by the Changing of the Guard facet.
  • In the new facet, while Wukong's Command is active, Monkey King can swap himself with a soldier for 1.5s, becoming invulnerable and indistinguishable, but cannot issue commands.
  • Primal Spring and Jingu Mastery’s cast range and counter duration have decreased, respectively.
  • In hindsight, Monkey King hasn’t received extra buffs or nerfs, despite the change in facet. The hero change is moderate in the new gameplay update.
• Axe:
  • Axe has received buffs in the new spring forward update. His bonus armour is increased during the Berserker’s Call (under the Call Out facet).
  • The Battle Hunger movement slow, and the Level 20 talent Counter Helix damage has also been increased.
  • But are these changes enough for Axe to rule the meta in the 7.39 patch update?

• Beastmaster:
  • We are in for a change because Beastmaster, one of the most popular meta heroes in the previous patch, might have been nerfed.
  • Base agility is decreased from 22 to 19.
  • Damage at level 1 is also decreased by 1.
  • Drums of Slom: Stacks granted upon using Primal Roar are decreased by half to 10.
• Doom:
  • The Lucifer is back… not that he was gone either.
  • The item sell-back percentage from the Devil’s Bargain facet is decreased from 90% to 85%
  • Doom’s mana cost is decreased, while the Aghanim’s Scepter radius for the spell is increased.
• Earthshaker:
  • Spirit Cairn innate ability got removed and is replaced by Slugger.
  • Has a new facet – Resonating Ridge. Enemy heroes stunned by Fissure echo 60% of Echo Slam's current echo damage to nearby units within 400 range. It can combine well with the level 20 talent, getting an additional 30 damage.
  • Aftershock radius and Echo Slam damage got decreased.
  • Is it a buff or a nerf for Earthshaker?
• Morphling:
  • Morphling has been nerfed in the 7.39 patch Spring Forward update, completely changing his gameplay.
  • Morphling’s strength gain and base mana regen have been significantly nerfed.
  • The shift rate for both attribute shift, strength gain and agility gain was decreased.
  • Morph replicate sub-ability cooldown got increased, while level 20 talent agility got decreased.
  • Is Morphling in troubled waters in the new update? We think so.
• Ringmaster:
  • Ringmaster has received quite a few changes, and it’ll be interesting to see if he remains a popular pick in the new Dota 2 patch.
  • Ringmaster’s spell, Escape Act, which was quite popular in the previous patch, has received some changes. Its mana cost got increased, while the bonus movement speed got rescaled.
  • Impalement Arts' impact damage got reduced.
  • Spotlight’s illusion max health loss per second is decreased.
• Sand King:
  • Both Sandshroud and Dust Devil Facets were removed.
  • The two new facets are Sandblast and Final Sting.
  • Sandblast:
    • Sand Storm: When Sand King attacks enemies in Sand Storm, he applies a debuff that blinds the target by 20/30/40/50%. Blind duration: 5s
  • Final Sting:
    • Stinger: Each enemy hero hit by Stinger in the innermost radius instantly emits a Caustic Finale explosion, dealing 50% less damage. Doesn't apply to Stinger strikes created by Aghanim's Scepter.
  • Caustic Finale’s base damage and Sandstorm’s radius have been increased. The latter grants invisibility once again after an initial fade time.
  • Stinger’s radius has been rescaled down.

There are plenty of hero changes, and you can find the complete list here.

New Neutral Items and Quality of Life Upgrades

Besides the hero changes in patch 7.39, the Spring Forward gameplay update has brought in new neutral items, some being old returnees, and improved quality of life upgrades. Let’s look at these changes:

• New Neutral items:
  • Tier 1: Dormant Curio, Kobold Cup, Sister’s Shroud
  • Tier 3: Jidi Pollen Bag
  • Tier 4: Dezun Bloodrite, Giant’s Maul, Outworld Staff
  • Tier 5: Divine Regalia

All these neutral items breathe new life into the game and will lead to the rise of a new meta. But which item will be most sought after?

• Quality of Life upgrades:
  • Shopping for in-game items has become easier with a streamlined store and lots of automation
  • Communication has become easier with the introduction of new pings. Pings have been refreshed with new visual effects and new sounds to help improve communication.
  • The settings menu has become more accessible with a cleaner layout and improved UI.
  • The dead neutral creeps' visual glitch has been fixed.
  • Find improved post-game and spectator graphs.
  • The overall performance has been enhanced with faster load times and smoother in-game performance with higher FPS.
  • Improved voice quality in-game.

Ability Draft

The Ability Draft has received a game-changing update in the 7.39 Spring Forward patch. Here are the changes:

• Hero Drafting: Now, you don't just draft abilities, you draft the base hero to wield them. Heroes are picked at any time during the draft, so the choice between that OP ability or a strong base hero and their innate isn't just strategic, it's a gamble that could make all the difference.
• Facet Support: As you draft, your hero card will display available Facets based on your drafted abilities and hero. Choose which Facet to play with to give your build an extra edge.
• Other updates: In addition to the above changes, many bugs have been fixed, and the overall performance has been improved. The “under-the-hood” systems have been updated to make future gameplay updates smoother and less likely to break.

Jump right in and enjoy the new Ability Draft.

New Skins and other changes in Dota 2 Patch 7.39

Valve has also released the Heroes’ Hoard – the official Spring 2025 Treasure, boasting 16 new hero sets, including Immortal items, Personas, Taunts and more. In short, you’ve got more new Dota 2 skins in the spring forward gameplay update.

Anti-Mage and Invoker have personas included in the Spring Treasure, while Pudge and Invoker also have new taunts.

Besides the new skins, some general updates – bug fixes and improvements –have also been shipped in the new 7.39 patch, making Dota 2 more enjoyable to play.