Dota 2's 7.31 update: Quick guide on the reworked Techies
Dota 2's long-awaited 7.31 update is finally here. While the new hero Primal Beast is taking much of the spotlight, the update also came with a rework to Techies — once the most divisive hero in all of Dota 2.
For better or worse, Techies now feel like an actual hero and are no longer just a unit that lays mines everywhere to make the game last over an hour and cause both teams to regret they ever thought about playing Dota 2.
Instead, the reworked Techies can actually function within a team while still maintaining a semblance of their former identity as a mine-laying weapon of mass frustration.
Techies' reworked abilities
Techies' rework gives them two new abilities: Sticky Bomb and Reactive Taser. They retain Blast Off! and Proximity Mines from their old toolkit, though Proximity Mines has been reworked a bit and turned to their ultimate ability.
Sticky Bomb (New)
Lobs a Sticky Bomb towards the target area. If it lands near an enemy unit within 250 units, the bomb will stick to it and slow its movement speed by 55% at max level. The Sticky Bomb will explode after two seconds, dealing 360 damage in a 300 radius around the detonation.
Cooldown: 12/10/8/6 seconds
Manacost: 100/115/130/145
Reactive Taser (New)
Reactive Taser allows Techies to trigger an electric charge and get 35% bonus movement speed at max level for 6 seconds. Enemies that attack the Techies while they have the Taser effect are disarmed for 3 seconds. At the end of the effect, the charge explodes and disarms all enemies within a 400 radius for anther 3 seconds.
Cooldown: 28/24/20/16 seconds
Manacost: 60
Can be upgraded with Aghanim's Scepter: Reactive Taser can now be cast on allies and deals 300 damage upon detonation.
Blast Off!
Techies hurtle themselves into the enemy's midst, detonating upon impact and dealing 500 damage while also silencing enemies for 7 seconds at max level in a 400 radius. Using this ability deals up to 35% of Techies' max health as non-lethal damage.
Cooldown: 45/40/35/30
Manacost: 100/125/150/175
Can be upgraded with Aghanim's Shard: Increases Blast Off! cast range by 300 units and applies a 1.75 second stun to affected enemies.
Ultimate: Proximity Mines (Reworked)
Techies' reworked Proximity Mine plants an invisible mine that cannot be detected by True Sight, but is visible if an enemy is within the active 500 area of the mine.
Mines detonate if an enemy is standing within the active AoE for 1 second, dealing 750 damage at max level and temporarily reducing the enemy's Magic Resistance by 20% for 5 seconds.
The explosion deals full damage if the target is within 150 radius of the mine and decreases up to 50% on the edge. The Proximity Mine also deals 30% of its damage to buildings.
Number of charges: 3
Manacost: 110/140/170
Here's Techies' reworked Talent Tree:
Level 10: -3 second Proximity Mines cooldown or +20% Magic Resistance
Level 15: +3 Mana Regen or +200 Blast Off! Damage
Level 20: -15 second Blast Off! cooldown or +100 Sticky Bomb damage
Level 25: -0.8 second Proximity Mines activation delay or +252 normal attack damage
How to play the reworked Techies
Instead of hiding away in the trees and planting mines everywhere, the reworked Techies have a much more active playstyle that is best suited for a support role.
Techies can help their team win the laning phase by zoning out the opposing core of their lane with Stick Bomb and auto attacks. If their laning partner can also participate in ganks early, then a stun or slow can help Techies deal a lot of damage with Sticky Bomb and Blast Off!
In teamfights, Techies can both disrupt the enemy team and deal a lot of damage. Pre-casting Reactive Taser then jumping in with Blast Off! will cause chaos in the enemy lines, either silencing and disarming affected enemies or forcing them out of position.
With the stun from a Aghanim's Shard-upgraded Blast Off!, Techies can even plant a Proximity Mine in the enemy's face and net some solo kills by themselves.
Of course, if Techies aren't participating in ganks or teamfights, then they should go back to their old ways and lay down Proximity Mines to either catch out unwitting enemies or zone them out of a contested area.
The reworked Proximity Mines are much harder to avoid and destroy, so the usual mining spots should now be even more effective. Of course, a Proximity Mine or two can also help bring down a tower when pushing.
The item build for reworked Techies shouldn't differ too much from their old iteration. Players will need a lot of mana to use their abilities, so Arcane Boots and Soul Ring are must-have items. Eul's Scepter of Divinity can also help Techies set up kills while also providing movement speed and mana regen.
Since they'll be played mostly as a support, Techies players should build support items like Force Staff or Veil of Discord.
Look out for our full guide on how to play the reworked Techies soon. You can also check out their hero page for more in-depth information.
Techies' rework is just one of the many additions coming to Dota 2 with the 7.31 update, you can check the patch notes for the game's new version here.
For more esports news updates, visit https://yhoo.it/YahooEsportsSEA and check out Yahoo Esports Southeast Asia’s Facebook page and Twitter, as well as our Gaming channel on YouTube.
