Best Dota Heroes In Patch 7.39

Though the Dota patch 7.38 has only been out for a few days, the community, as always, is quick to figure things out. After watching some professional matches in the ongoing DreamLeague Season 25 and doing some playtesting myself, here are the clear winners of the newly released Dota 2 update. 

Dragon Knight

I don’t really know what IceFrog was cooking with this one, but Dragon Knight, one of the strongest heroes in 7.37, managed to find himself with even more buffs in 7.38. He is once again the most contested hero in pubs. 

Dragon Knight’s changes in 7.38:

Dragon Tail has always been a solid and unreactable stun, but it is now even stronger as it applies an AoE stun when in dragon form. I have no clue why this is a thing, but here we are. 

Another super neat change to Dragon Knight is his passive, Wyrm’s Wrath, which gives him additional attack damage. One thing to keep in mind is that this damage works on creeps and, for some reason, includes denies, making it nearly impossible to contest for last hits against him. It’s also convenient that Sange and Yasha, one of the strongest items in the previous patch in the DreamLeague Season 25 meta, is still a potent item for Dragon Knight. 

Some great items to pick up on Dragon Knight include:

• Sange and Yasha
• Hurricane Pike
• Mage Slayer

Ember Spirit

We haven’t seen too many Ember Spirit picks in the professional scene, but I’m pretty sure we’ll see him a little more often. 

Ember Spirit’s changes in 7.38:

Overall, the buffs applied on Ember Spirit are nice but aren’t too significant. However, he was one of the heroes who greatly benefited from item changes. 

Orb of Corrosion is now an insane item that gives heroes +8 Agility and applies a bunch of slows and healing reduction. With Ember Spirit naturally buying Orb of Corrosion even in previous patches, this item becomes even better. This improved version of Ember Spirit makes him an absolute menace in the early-game. The new Mage Slayer isn’t too shabby, either, helping Ember Spirit transition into the mid-game.

Some great items to pick up on Ember Spirit include:

• Orb of Corrosion
• Mage Slayer
• Sange and Yasha

Pudge

Pudge is a hero featuring one of the most intriguing changes in the patch as his play style shifts entirely. 

Pudge’s changes in 7.38:

This facet means Pudge can turn into a right-clicker once Rot is active, as he gains an insane amount of bonus attack damage. This revives the idea of Pudge in the Carry role, but instead of walking around while farting, he’s also able to click on enemy heroes. 

We’ve seen some Carry Pudges from the best teams at DreamLeague Season 25 already. I’ve noticed many players have gone for Mask of Madness, but I think going for something like a Harpoon and Sange and Yasha or Black King Bar works better.

There have been several arguments on whether Pudge should still purchase Aghanim’s Scepter as his first item. Traditionally, Agh’s helps Carry Pudge players farm and scale into the game. However, he now needs to turn on Rot to deal additional right-click damage, but having the Scepter upgrade means he’ll take even more damage from himself. I personally think he should skip Aghanim’s and transition into physical damage items such as an early Echo Sabre.

Some great items to pick up on Pudge include:

• Echo Sabre (Upgrade to a Harpoon)
• Aghanim’s Scepter
• Glimmer Cape

Jakiro

As a Jakiro enjoyer, the changes applied to this hero quickly put a smirk on my face. This support hero is easily one of the biggest winners in this patch. 

Jakiro’s changes in 7.38:

There are tons of changes to Jakiro, so let’s slowly break it down. First, Jakiro’s facets used to be Liquid Fire and Liquid Frost, which determines his auto-attack amplification. You could only select one. However, now that both facets have been removed and are now built-in, meaning you automatically get both. So, you are receiving two of his old facets for free now, and they share the same level. You can choose the Liquid Frost for harassing and fighting, while Liquid Fire works well for farming and pushing towers. 

Though the change discussed above sounds overpowered to me, his new Ice Breaker facet is where it’s at. Ice Path now lasts 6 seconds on the ground on a 9-second cooldown, which is absurd. When Ice Path explodes, it detonates, deals additional damage, and stuns enemies for a second time. Ice Path went from a decent ability to one of the most broken mid-game spells I’ve seen in a while. 

Some great items to pick up on Jakiro include:

• Glimmer Cape
• Eul’s Scepter of Divinity
• Aghanim’s Scepter

Best Dota Heroes in Patch 7.37e

This is one of the longest patches we’ve had in Dota for some time. We’ve been stuck on the 7.37 patch since July 2024, and all we’ve been given are letter patches, with the most recent one being 7.37e. If you’re looking to return to Dota for the new year, here are the best Dota heroes in patch 7.37e.

Before we get into the list of the best heroes, here are some characteristics of the current patch and how games are playing out:

• Games are primarily determined by the laning stage, so meta heroes are strong or at least decent in lanes.
• The map is much larger, so heroes with great farming potential or mobility are prominent, especially those with a global presence.
• Most games last longer than other patches, so heroes with scaling potential work well coming into the late game, including supports. 

With these factors in mind, let’s dive into seven of the most popular heroes in this patch in pro-level pubs.

Alchemist

Our boy Alchemist has been one of the most contested carries in the professional scene, as shown in ESL One Bangkok, and he remains that way in pubs. He’s a dependable laner and has the potential to naturally bounce back from a problematic lane with Greevil’s Greed. 

Alchemist hits his mid-game timing much earlier than other cores, allowing him to be a considerable threat at the 30-minute mark. His late-game scaling isn’t too bad either, and he can always donate Aghanim’s Secpters to his teammates with excess funds. 

Spectre

Spectre is probably the most busted hero I’ve seen in this patch, at least in my pubs. Most players are instantly rushing an Orchid Malevolence straight after boots to contribute to early fights with a devastating global presence. Orchid also helps Spectre sustain herself in the jungle, as it provides decent mana regen, a primary tool she looks for when farming. 

As a support player myself, nothing is more frustrating than getting solo killed by a Spectre in the 20 to 25-minute mark once she picks up a Manta Style. Her pick-off potential is off the charts once she acquires her Bloodthorn and a Nullifier.

Lich

Though we might not see Lich too often in professional play, I can tell you that he’s the most-picked hero in pro-level pubs according to Dota2ProTracker. He’s an incredibly dominant laner, but what makes him so strong is his Aghanim’s Shard. 

Lich provides immense utility in fights. He can deal massive damage in fights with Chain Frost, has a disabling ability in the form of Sinister’s Gaze, and has a saving spell with Frost Shield.

Another reason for Lich’s prominence is his flexibility in item builds. You can go for a standard Solar Crest and Glimmer Cape to save your teammates or rush a Blink Dagger and initiate with Sinister’s Gaze. There are so many ways to make him work in any game situation.

Ogre Magi

Ogre Magi is not only one of the easiest heroes to play in Dota 2, but is also a very strong pick in 7.37e for sheer consistency, utility, and scaling potential. He becomes a very strong laner with his Dumb Luck facet, allowing him to have three level points at level 2, making his Ignite incredibly annoying.

However, Multicast enables Ogre Magi’s scaling potential, and picking up a Hand of Midas, even at the post-20-minute mark, is always a viable option. Picking up something like a Scythe of Vyse on Ogre Magi in late-game situations can be game-winning, and he’s always down to skirmish at any point in a game. 

Earthshaker

A flexible hero on the list is Earthshaker. Not only is he traditionally picked as a support hero, but he can now be played effectively in all three core roles. What enables this is his Slugger facet, allowing him to farm at respectable speeds.

Most players are focused on dealing magical damage, with items such as Kaya and Octarine Core being popular pickups. Still, we can’t underestimate the raw damage dealt by a normal Enchant Totem. Earthshaker is, overall, a super fun hero to play, and it’s a great time to be picking him in pubs. 

Nyx Assassin

In the most enormous Dota 2 map we’ve seen since the game’s inception, Nyx Assassin’s mobility makes him a significant threat on the map, considering he lurks around with invisibility. It’s impossible to keep the entire map sentried. 

Nyx Assassin has decent farming potential with Mind Flare one-shotting any neutral creep with mana, allowing him to pick up early levels and gold to buy his Dagon. He also has the potential to solo kill numerous Intelligence heroes, primarily supports. 

Nyx Assassin also pairs incredibly well with Spectre. He can go hunting and have the latter Shadow Step in for a quick pick-off. Remember kids, invisibility is invincibility. 

Dawnbreaker

Dawnbreaker is a strong offlane pick for her global utility and presence via Solar Guardian, something we’re looking for in this patch. She is also a solid laner with lots of kill potential with Celestial Hammer. 

Instead of going full-utility mode, most players have started purchasing scaling items on Dawnbreaker, namely Sange and Yasha and Assault Cuirass. These items help her tank up going into the late game, using Starbreaker, an ability with infinite scaling. Buying an Aghanim’s Scepter is often already enough utility for her. 

She’s pretty much a strong hero in all stages of the game, and scaling potential is another factor we’re looking for. Dawnbreaker checks almost all boxes.