Dota 2 patch 7.29 brings an updated map, balance changes for a majority of the roster, and a new hero named Dawnbreaker. This gargantuan, strength-attribute hero seems simple at a glance, but her abilities have many situational uses that could give her the tools to hammer her way to the top of the roster.
Dota 2's 7.29 update is the first patch after the premiere of the DOTA: Dragon's Blood anime, and it has shaken the game up in a major way. Nearly every character and item has seen some sort of change. The meta will see some change as a result, and Dawnbreaker just might spearhead that shift.
Dawnbreaker is a tonally different follow-up to the spunky support hero Hoodwink. Named Valora in-universe, the celestial bringer of light is designed to be in the middle of every skirmish. She excels in the hard carry or offlaner role, due to her incredibly high stat gains and self-sustain. She also has a few tricks stored in that righteous hammer.
Dota 2: Breaking Down The Dawnbreaker Hero's Abilities
Valora is a brawler at heart. Her first ability, Starbreaker, is an area-of-effect spin that scales off her total attack damage. The first two spins deal bonus damage, and the ability concludes with a final smash that stuns enemies. Starbreaker is a slow ability, so using it as a follow-up to other forms of crowd control is the best way to go.
Her second ability, Celestial Hammer, is a gap-closer with a slowing field. The first activation throws her hammer at the targeted location. Reactivating the ability causes Dawnbreaker and the hammer to meet each other halfway, giving her a way to catch up to slippery enemies. This leaves a slowing fire field behind that damages enemies stuck in it.
Her third ability is a passive called Luminosity. After three auto attacks, the next attack becomes a critical hit. This critical scales off her attack damage and heals allies in a small area of effect. Luminosity heals both Dawnbreaker and allies, giving her a bit of supporting power.
All of Dawnbreaker's abilities pair well with her ultimate, Solar Guardian. Valora summons a large circle on top of an allied hero that damages enemies and heals allies. After a few seconds, Dawnbreaker is teleported to the ally's location and stuns nearby enemies on impact. A global ultimate and strong AOE abilities give Dawnbreaker the tools she needs to carry a game on her shoulders.
A new hero is only one of the major changes in 7.29. New balance changes, combined with the Dota 2's revised tutorial, make this a great time to hop into the eternal conflict between the Radiant and the Dire, as new and veteran players alike have new things to learn in Dota 2.