Dota 2 has received the 7.38 update

On the night of February 19, Dota 2 received a major update 7.38, bringing significant changes to the map mechanics, neutral objectives, and the neutral item system.

Key Changes in Patch 7.38

1. Map and Neutral Objective Adjustments
   • Roshan’s lairs have been moved closer to the center of the map.
   • Tormentors no longer spawn in pairs—now there is only one, and it always appears on the opposite side of Roshan.
2. Rune Mechanics Overhaul
   • Wisdom Runes have been removed and replaced with Wisdom Pools.
   • To gain experience, a hero must stand within the pool’s radius for 3 seconds.
   • The pool will not activate if heroes from both teams are within its range.
3. Introduction of Wandering Waters
   • Along the safe lanes (from T1 to T3 towers), additional rivers have appeared, providing movement speed boosts away from the base.
   • These areas also serve as spawn points for new types of neutral creeps.
4. Neutral Item System Rework
   • Neutral item tokens have been removed from the game.
   • To obtain a neutral item, players must kill neutral camps and collect Emeralds.
   • Neutral items are now divided into Artifacts and Charms, and each hero can craft one of each upon collecting the required amount of Emeralds.

Community Expectations and Ranked System

Despite widespread speculation, no changes were made to the ranked system. This came as a surprise to players, as Valve has not updated matchmaking for a long time.

The full patch details are available in the official sources.