Dota 2's massive 7.33 update expands map, adds new hero attribute, and more

Dota 2's long-awaited 7.33 gameplay update, titled 'New Frontiers', was finally released on Friday (21 April), but to call it just another update is a massive understatement.

7.33 makes Dota 2 feel like an all-new game as it expanded the map by 40% while adding new objectives, added the new 'Universal' hero attribute, reworked a bunch of heroes and items, introduced a new 'Token' system for neutral items, and so much more.

Here are all the biggest changes you should know about:

Expanded map and new objectives

No doubt the biggest change in 7.33 is the expanded Dota 2 map complete with new and reworked objectives. Don't worry too much about getting lost though, as the map's core geography remains largely the same as the expanded areas were contained in the corners.

With that said, there's plenty of new things to be found in these new locations, such as two new pits for Roshan, more Outposts, and new objectives like Twin Gates, Lotus Pools, Tormentors, Watchers, and more.

Roshan has left behind his pit in the river and now has two new lairs in the northwest (Dire) and southeast (Radiant) corners of the map. He alternates between the two pits depending on the game's day-night cycle, using the new Twin Gates (more on them later) to travel from one pit to the other.

Roshan also no longer drops an Aghanim's Shard on his second death, instead dropping the Cheese. On his third death onwards, he drops an Aghanim's Scepter when killed on the Radiant side and a Refresher Shard when killed on the Dire side. Be warned though, as Roshan is now much stronger than before.

Two portals, called Twin Gates, now connect the corners of the map near the safe lane towers, allowing any player to teleport instantly from one edge of the map to the other after channeling for three seconds.

Lotus Pools act like the Shrines of old, providing a source of HP and mana regeneration. Watchers are like stationary Observer Wards that can be activated to grant vision over a huge area. Tormentors spawn powerful neutral creeps that can be defeated to gain Aghanim's Shards.

Wisdom Runes located at either edge of the center of the map grant XP while a new Shield Rune type was added to the Power Runes. Finally, Defender's Gates provide either teams with a safe backdoor to leave their bases that are inaccessible to the opposing team.

New hero attribute: Universal

Another major addition in 7.33 is the new 'Universal' hero attribute type. Universal heroes don't have a primary attribute, but get 0.6 damage per point of each attribute, making them the new generalist hero type that scale better than other types with stats.

Here's the list of the game's new Universal heroes:

• Abaddon

• Bane

• Batrider

• Beastmaster

• Brewmaster

• Broodmother

• Chen

• Clockwerk

• Dark Seer

• Dark Willow

• Dazzle

• Enigma

• Io

• Lone Druid

• Lycan

• Marci

• Magnus

• Mirana

• Nyx Assassin

• Pangolier

• Phoenix

• Sand King

• Snapfire

• Techies

• Timbersaw

• Vengeful Spirit

• Venomancer

• Visage

• Void Spirit

• Windranger

• Winter Wyvern

Reworked heroes

Aside from the addition of the new Universal hero type, 7.33 also reworked a bunch of heroes while handing out the appropriate buffs and nerfs to (most of) the rest of the roster.

Muerta, the game's newest hero added in the 7.32e update in early March, has now been added to Captain's Mode and made eligible for pro games. She has also received Aghanim's Shard and Scepter upgrades.

Meanwhile, Clinkz, Arc Warden, Ogre Magi, Medusa, and Alchemist received huge reworks. The most eye-catching ones are definitely for Ogre Magi and Medusa, who now have 0 base intelligence and strength, respectively.

Ogre Magi has been turned into a strength hero who gets mana from strength while Medusa's Mana Shield has been made into an innate ability that absorbs 98% of the damage in exchange for mana.

Magic immunity reworked to debuff immunity

7.33 has also reduced the power of stuns and slows by weakening disable abilities across the board while reworking Spell Immunity into Debuff Immunity.

When a hero uses an item like Black King Bar, they are no longer immune from most spells but will instead receive some degree of immunity from debuffs like stuns and slows. The most noticable change from this can be seen when Debuff Immunity expires, the previously-immune hero will be affected by any debuffs that they received while they were immune.

Neutral item tokens

The new update also brings sweeping changes to the neutral item system by introducing neutral tokens. Instead of randomly dropping neutral items when killed, neutral creeps will instead drop neutral tokens of different tiers.

Players can click on their neutral tokens to choose one of five random neutral items of the token's tier to permanently turn it into one of those. While neutral tokens are fully shareable between teammates, they can no longer be shared once they have been turned into neutral items.

In addition, new neutral items have been introduced, previously shelved ones were returned, some existing ones were cycled out, while a couple others were removed from the game altogether.

The new neutral items include:

• Duelist Gloves (tier 1)

• Spark of Courage (tier 1)

• Gossamer Cape (tier 2)

• Defiant Shell (tier 3)

• Vindicator's Axe (tier 3)

• Dandelion Amulet (tier 3)

• Martyr's Plate (tier 4)

Meanwhile, Faded Broach, Orb of Destruction, and Vampire Fangs have been re-added to the game. Cycled out were Possessed Mask, Brigand's Blade, and Dagger of Ristul while Nether Shawl, Blast Rig, Flicker, and Witchbane have been removed from the game.

New items

7.33 also adds seven new items to the game: Blood Grenade, Diadem, Cornucopia, Pavise, Phylactery, Harpoon, and Disperser.

Blood Grenade is a new consumable item perfect for early engagements, as it damages and slows enemy units in an area. Pavise is a new support item that grants allies a protective barrier against physical damage.

The Harpoon is like the melee counterpart of the Hurricane Pike, which lets melee carries get up close and personal with their targets. Meanwhile, the Disperser is the long-awaited upgrade to the Diffusal Blade that can either slow enemies or boost the movement speed of allies.

But while new items are now up for purchase, three others can no longer be bought. The Tome of Knowledge, Hood of Defiance, and Wraith Pact have all been removed from the game.

Dota 2's 7.33 update is truly massive and the changes we've listed above are only a fraction of what the update contains. You can check out all of the changes in 7.33 here.

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