Dota 2’s Patch 7.40 seemed to drop from out of nowhere, merely two weeks before the year ends. Still, the third numbered patch of the year has brought many much-needed changes to heroes and items to shake up the meta.

More than another cosmetic update, Patch 7.40 is a huge balance update that reworks several heroes, cycles out items, and even adds a brand new hero to the mix. Here are the biggest changes in Dota 2 so you can get ahead of the meta.

New Dota 2 Hero: Largo Debuts In Patch 7.40

Just as Dota 2 was about to end the year without a new hero, Largo and his froglings entered the game. The shamanic bard frog is a tanky support who empowers allies and disables foes, all while playing tunes in the middle of the fight.

Early impressions suggest that Largo’s natural habitat is in the position four or five role, stacking healing items like Holy Locket to double down on protection. Although there is a reality where Largo exists as an offlaner in Dota 2, his primary focus is on building auras and teamfighting.

Here’s a quick look at Largo’s abilities:

• Catchy Lick: Lashes his tongue at a target to pull them in, applying a basic dispel and dealing damage to enemies.
• Frogstomp: Tosses out froglings to periodically deal damage and ministun in the area.
• Croak of Genius: Strums his musical instrument to buff a nearby ally. This buff reduces the mana cost of their abilities and items. Additionally, a percentage of their damage reverberates on the enemy.
• Amphibian Rhapsody: Largo’s ultimate replaces his standard abilities with three melodies that amplify damage, increase movement speed, or heal allies. Players will also have to play these songs to the beat of a rhythm mini-game.

All Hero Reworks In Dota 2 Patch 7.40

Besides the arrival of Largo, several heroes in Dota 2 Patch 7.40 received long-awaited reworks to keep up with the meta. Additionally, many Facets were outright removed or disabled from the game.

• Brewmaster was streamlined into a sturdier frontline with his new Innate, Liquid Courage, which gives him more status resistance and movement speed at lower HP. He also gains a new effect called Brewed Up on casting abilities, giving him stance bonuses. His Aghanim’s Scepter grants it to his Brewlings, too.
• Clinkz receives a new Innate where he and his skeletons apply a stacking debuff, piercing up to 20% of their enemy’s armor. Searing Arrows returns as a base ability, giving his arrows fire damage, and Skeleton Walk’s Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade is now baseline.
• Earth Spirit gains more attack damage for each unused Stone Remnant, further amplifying the damage after using an ability on a Remnant. Geomagnetic Grip’s pull effect is now baseline.
• Kez has much-needed buffs to Kazurai Katana’s damage, and Falcon Rush’s echoes now have a reduced chance to proc random effects like Maelstrom.

• Lone Druid received a massive rework targeting him and his Spirit Bear. He also gains a new ability called Entangle that roots enemies once they gain five stacks. Spirit Link ditches attack speed but grants more movement speed and allows him to heal the bear with his attacks.
  • Spirit Bear is now considered a melee Universal hero and everything that comes with it. This means that abilities like Axe’s Culling Blade can target the bear. It can also use TPs and will get a copy of Lone Druid’s Neutral item. Spirit Bear also comes with their own Talent Tree.
• Phantom Lancer received a minor rework to his trademark illusions. His illusions can’t have less than 18% of his damage, increasing by 2% every three level-ups. The hero also received a touch-up on his Talent Tree to synergize with the new core mechanic.
• Riki’s Backstab no longer scales with Cloak and Dagger, but has better scaling with each level up. Blink Strike has a lower cooldown, but it loses its charges, while Cloak and Dagger grants bonus experience with hero kills and assists.

• Slark’s Essence Shift is now baseline, improving with every level. He has a new ability called Saltwater Shiv, an attack modifier that steals movement speed, health regen, and health restoration with each attack.
• Spectre is now an Agility hero once again. Desolate has been turned into an Innate ability, and Shadow Step becomes her basic ability. Haunt was also promoted as her ultimate, which can be upgraded with Aghanim’s Scepter.
• Treant Protector’s Nature’s Guise is now baseline, allowing Tree to become invisible every 50 seconds. Leech Seed was reworked to become an attack modifier with extra heal, root, and damage, while Living Armor was changed to block damage on top of the heal.

All Heroes Buffed And Nerfed In Dota 2 Patch 7.40

The following major and minor reworks are the highlights of the patch, but several heroes also received substantial buffs and nerfs that can either bring them back or shift them out of the public eye.

Keep in mind that some of these heroes received both nerfs and buffs to different parts of their kit.

Biggest Item Changes In Dota 2 Patch 7.40

Dota 2 Patch 7.40 also went over items with scrutiny, adjusting costs and values across almost everything in the shop. 

• Clarity and Iron Branch had their costs increased.
• Smoke of Deceit can now be used directly from the backpack.
• Diffusal Blade and Disperser’s Manabreak are no longer applied by illusions.
• Hand of Midas no longer grants bonus experience with its active effect.
• Holy Locket received substantial buffs, increasing its max charges and buffing the target’s incoming heals.
• Silver Edge’s Shadow Walk debuff now limits the target’s movement speed to 200.
• Urn of Shadows Soul Release charges can now be gained by all copies of the item. While the effect doesn’t apply to Spirit Vessel, both Urn and Vessel can gain charges from the same hero death.

Neutral Item Updates in Patch 7.40

Neutral items and artifacts were also given a pass in Dota 2’s latest update, removing some particularly annoying ones and swapping in new artifacts.

• Ripper’s Lash, Sister’s Shroud, Spark of Courage, Brigand’s Blade, Gale Guard, Magnifying Monocle, Outworld Staff, Pyrrhic Cloak, and Helm of the Undying are all cycled out of the game.
• Ash Legion Shield, Duelist Gloves, Weighted Dice, Defiant Shell, Flayer’s Bota, Idol of Scree’auk, Metamorphic Mandible, Rattlecage, and Riftshadow Prism are all new and returning items for everyone to play with.

In addition to these changes, Dota 2 Patch 7.40 also updated the terrain and objectives. The most noticeable one is that both Wisdom Shrines connect to new areas of the low ground, providing easier access to both teams.

Expect players to rotate more as the Twin Gate’s mana cost has significantly decreased and is refunded if players decide to stop the channel.

FAQs

What are the major gameplay changes in Dota 2 7.40 Patch?

Dota 2 Patch 7.40 introduces a new hero, major hero reworks, item and neutral changes, reduced illusion power, and map updates that encourage faster rotations and more skirmishes.

When is Dota 2 7.40 patch release date?

Dota 2 Patch 7.40 was released on December 16, 2025.

Which heroes received the biggest reworks in Patch 7.40?

Treant Protector, Lone Druid, Slark, and Spectre received the most impactful reworks in Dota 2 Patch 7.40, significantly changing their abilities, scaling, and roles.

Who is Largo in Dota 2 7.40?

Largo is a new tanky support hero in Dota 2, focused on ally buffs, crowd control, and teamfight utility.