Dota 2 Nov 12 Patch Notes
Dota 2's latest patch introduces adjustments aimed at rebalancing the new hero, Kez, following a notable increase in his win rate. Initially introduced as a challenging character for players to master, Kez soon began to demonstrate excessive power, prompting Valve to release updates to curtail his dominance in the game. The changes primarily affect his late-game capabilities, with the cooldowns for his signature abilities, Raptor Dance and Raven's Veil, seeing significant extensions. Early game adjustments were also made, including modifications to Falcon Rush, which now boasts an improved attack rate but reduced duration.
Additionally, Kez's Kazurai Katana passive ability was weakened by lowering its damage output across all levels. Abilities like Grappling Clap and Echo Slash, which previously bypassed enemy evasion, have also been addressed to balance interactions with evasion-reliant opponents. These changes aim to temper Kez’s rapid rise in popularity and effectiveness, with Valve monitoring the impact to determine if further adjustments will be necessary. Alongside these hero tweaks, the patch resolves several bugs related to new Crownfall minigames, enhancing overall gameplay experience.
Complete Dota 2 Nov. 12 Update Details
Hero Updates for Kez
Kazurai Katana Adjustments:
The damage per second delivered by Kazurai Katana has undergone a reduction, lowering the impact from a previous range of 7/8/9/10% to a new benchmark of 6/7/8/9%. This change is significant for balancing gameplay, as it maintains competitive integrity while addressing emerging issues.
Falcon Rush Modifications:
There have been changes to the katana's base attack rate during the Falcon Rush. The rates have been increased from an initial 1.3/1.2/1.1/1.0 to 1.4/1.3/1.2/1.1, resulting in a faster onslaught of attacks. Moreover, the duration has been decreased from seven seconds to a variable 3/4/5/6 seconds, requiring players to adapt their strategies swiftly.
Cooldown Increases:
Both Raptor Dance and Raven's Veil abilities have experienced increased cooldown durations. Raptor Dance now demands 40/35/30 seconds before reuse, and Raven's Veil mirrors this requirement, extending its cooldown from the former 40/32/24 seconds to the same intervals. This enhances the tactical engagement players must consider during battles.
Grappling Claw and Echo Slash Refinements:
Multiple fixes have been made to the weaponry and abilities, such as Grappling Claw, which now breaks the chain when exceeding the range of a target. Additionally, Grappling Claw and Echo Slash were updated to properly account for evasion, resolving past inconsistencies. The Echo Slash no longer unexpectedly defeats couriers and no longer permits Kez to dodge leashes and movement inhibitors like Disruptor's Kinetic Field.
Corrections for Technical Issues
General Gameplay Fixes:
Several corrections were applied to Crownfall to enhance stability and functionality. Initial fixes target critical client crashes involving the Moon Shard and server disruptions with Ogre Seal Totem and Lone Druid. Fixes address issues with Quick Buy, ensuring seamless in-game transactions and resolving hurdles with arcana style applications for Shen and Dragonus.
Crashes and Map Adjustments:
Act IV encountered various crash resolutions, ensuring a smooth player experience. Furthermore, Ability Draft victories now offer increased rewards — from two to eight scrap. The Spoon Man game now avoids crashes tied to premature actions during load times and ensures the cursor doesn't remain invisible. Also resolved were issues of players becoming trapped within blocks.
Spleen Sweeper and Castle Carnage Updates:
Spleen Sweeper received updates, adding scoring insights on the main menu and correcting missing score summaries post-completion of challenges. The final stage now rightly provides a 4,000-point bonus. Meanwhile, Castle Carnage dealt with missing particle models and phantom terrain barriers.
Miscellaneous Enhancements:
Additional fixes improved the overall gameplay, tackling broken elements in Queen's Guard encounters, faulty spray appearances in the chat wheel, and new trophy integrations on the Crownfall map. Navigational improvements help players efficiently open related encounters through token notifications.
