TL;DR
- Dragon Knight leads with 9% winrate increase due to splash damage and facet changes
- Universal hero buffs and new item system significantly impact mid and offlane performance
- Support heroes received meaningful reworks that enhance their laning and teamfight impact
- Neutral item overhaul reduces RNG and creates more predictable power spikes
- Hero facets now dramatically alter talent trees and playstyle optimization
Games and Esports Articles Dota 2
The comprehensive 7.38 update has fundamentally transformed Dota 2’s competitive landscape through extensive mechanical overhauls and hero rebalancing. Developers implemented significant nerfs to ultimate damage scaling while completely revamping skill point allocation systems. These foundational adjustments have created ripple effects across every position and playstyle. Current statistical analysis reflects data captured within the first 24 hours post-update, providing crucial early meta insights.
Key System Changes: The elimination of random neutral item drops marks one of the most impactful shifts, replacing RNG with strategic choice. Universal heroes received substantial stat gains that enhance their item flexibility and scaling potential. Facet mechanics now interact more deeply with talent trees, creating distinct hero builds that require careful consideration during draft and gameplay phases.
Best carries of patch 7.38 in Dota 2
Dragon Knight
Emerging as the undisputed winrate champion immediately following the patch deployment, Dragon Knight experienced the most dramatic performance improvement across the entire hero pool. His remarkable 9% winrate surge stems from newly acquired splash damage capabilities in dragon form across all facets. The Fire Dragon facet specifically underwent substantial reworking, transforming Dragon Tail into an area-of-effect stun while amplifying his other core abilities. This combination of enhanced farming speed and teamfight control explains his meteoric rise in competitive viability.

Lifestealer
Maintaining his position as a premier carry selection from the previous meta, Lifestealer demonstrates remarkable adaptability to the new patch environment. His complete facet overhaul triggered an immediate winrate acceleration, maintaining his relevance despite the sweeping systemic changes.

Wraith King
Experiencing dynamic talent tree modifications that now adapt based on selected facet, Wraith King benefits from strategic pruning of underutilized talents. This optimization has propelled his victory rate beyond the 55% threshold, establishing him as one of the most reliable late-game insurance picks available.

Known bugs and exploits of Dota 2 patch 7.38
Big patch, big bugs?
Best mid heroes of patch 7.38 in Dota 2
Storm Spirit
Retaining his status as a dependable mid lane selection despite receiving no direct hero-specific adjustments, Storm Spirit capitalizes brilliantly on the revamped itemization framework. The updated system delivers substantial mana regeneration benefits that facilitate more consistent early-game farming patterns and harassment capability. Consequently, he achieved a measurable 1.5% winrate improvement through enhanced resource management.

Outworld Destroyer
Experiencing significant amplification of his preferred facet configuration, Outworld Destroyer benefits from strengthened passive ability performance. Complementary talent tree rebalancing further elevates his combat effectiveness and scaling potential throughout match progression.

Void Spirit
The sweeping universal hero modifications provide substantial advantages for Void Spirit’s versatile toolkit. Beyond these foundational buffs, the restructured Neutral Items framework enables more reliable snowballing mechanics and timing advantages.

Best hardlaners of patch 7.38
Abaddon
Establishing himself among the most potent heroes in the current update, Abaddon ranks as the second-highest winrate performer in public matchmaking environments. His remarkable flexibility allows successful deployment in either the offlane position or support role, adapting to team composition needs while maintaining consistent impact throughout all game phases.

Tidehunter
Another durable character maintaining strong performance while gaining additional benefits from the update, Tidehunter’s Kraken Shell now features activatable functionality that doubles damage block effectiveness. This crucial enhancement dramatically improves his teamfight sustainability and initiation reliability.

Legion Commander
Remaining a favored selection among offlane specialists from the previous patch cycle, she continues demonstrating sufficient strength to accumulate approximately 52.5% victory rate despite the meta transformations.

Best support heroes of patch 7,38 in Dota 2
Witch Doctor
This versatile support maintains enduring popularity across multiple significant patch iterations due to reliable crowd control and damage output. The introduction of a new level 25 talent extends Maledict’s duration from 12 to an impressive 20 seconds, though most competitive players will likely continue prioritizing the enhanced Death Ward damage alternative for maximum teamfight impact.

Warlock
Another consistently selected support character across skill brackets, Warlock received minor nerfs in 7.38 but retains substantial teamfight presence through his ultimate ability and healing capabilities.

Jakiro
Experiencing comprehensive facet reworks, Jakiro’s Ice Breaker configuration proves exceptionally well-suited for support responsibilities. His effectiveness in this role has noticeably improved while preserving previous facet functionalities through integration into core ability mechanics.

Ancient Apparition
Receiving moderate ability reworks that strengthen his primary skills, Ancient Apparition gains additional utility through the ability to cast the second component of Ice Blast while silenced. Already maintaining positive winrate performance, these enhancements further solidify his competitive standing.

All new Neutral Items and Enchantments of Patch 7.38 in Dota 2
The RNG era is behind.
Strategic Itemization Adjustments: The new item system demands careful reassessment of early-game purchases, particularly for mana-dependent heroes. Storm Spirit and similar characters benefit tremendously from adjusted starting item builds that prioritize sustainability over pure damage output. Understanding these shifts separates successful players from those struggling to adapt.
Timing Windows and Power Spikes: Dragon Knight’s enhanced splash damage creates earlier farming acceleration, while Tidehunter’s activatable Kraken Shell transforms engagement timing calculations.
Avoidable Mistakes: Many players incorrectly assume previous facet preferences remain optimal, failing to recognize how talent tree interactions now dramatically alter build paths and playstyle optimization.
For comprehensive guidance on mastering these new mechanics, explore our Complete Guide to understanding the full scope of changes.
Action Checklist
- Practice Dragon Knight’s new splash damage mechanics in dragon form to maximize farming efficiency
- Experiment with facet-talent tree interactions on Wraith King and Jakiro
- Adjust starting item builds for mana-dependent mids like Storm Spirit
- Master Tidehunter’s activatable Kraken Shell for optimal teamfight engagement
- Study the new neutral item system to eliminate RNG dependencies
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