Valve released the Dota 2 patch 7.38, known as Free Water, and it brings a wide sweep of changes to the map, neutral objectives, and core game systems. The goal is to refresh pacing, adjust balance, and open up new strategic paths for both teams and individual players. The patch notes published on Steam and by the Dota 2 official site lay out the major shifts and what they mean for everyday play and high level competition alike.
A standout change is the river, which has been expanded to create faster routes and new angles for ganks and pushes. The river’s altered course nudges heroes toward the center of the map in different ways, changing when teams contest Roshan and where danger lurks. Roshan himself now shifts toward the map center, with its location influenced by the time of day. Alongside these riverwork tweaks, new amphibian mobs roam certain lanes and river edges, capable of slowing heroes and adding a new layer of risk to river skirmishes.
The rune system gets a full revamp as Wisdom Runes are swapped for the altar of wisdom, which no longer grants experience. In parallel, Lotus ponds are replaced by the altar of the lotus, a mechanic that requires the enemy to claim a lotus before its power activates. These changes push players to rethink rune control and the timing of power spikes, especially during early skirmishes and midgame fights.
On the map a single neutral camp appears at a time, with its position shifting according to the day night cycle. Along with this, a new in game currency appears when neutral camps are cleared, adding a fresh resource layer that can influence decision making around when to farm, contest, or rotate. The introduction of a portable resource encourages teams to balance gold income with map control and tempo as they plan their next moves.
User interface improvements include the Roshan Renaissance and the option for automatic item sales when returning to base or the shop. These quality of life changes streamline post skirmish sequences and help players keep their inventories clean for the next push. Visual effects have been refreshed and lighting has been enhanced, giving arenas a crisper, more legible look during tense moments and long engagements.
Balance adjustments center on generalist or universal heroes, whose damage scaling has been tuned. The patch applies a lower damage multiplier around 0.45 while increasing some base damages, creating a new balance between burst potential and sustained output. In another change, the bottle can no longer be refilled from an allied fountain, changing how teams manage sustain during clashes and siege phases.
A broad set of item tweaks reshapes core builds. Gleipnir no longer carries a lightning effect, Khanda now delivers fixed magic damage, and Bloodthorn focuses on restricting enemy escapes for its owner. Brooch adds magic critical hits, and Abyssal Blade has been reworked to be built through a different item path. These adjustments ripple through many mid to late game item queues and shift how teams approach fights and survivability.
For those who want a comprehensive list of every alteration, the patch notes from Steam and the official Dota 2 site provide full detail. The notes give a precise accounting of changes across heroes, items, and map mechanics and serve as a reference for players preparing to jump into ranked and unranked matches alike. Players should consult those sources to stay current and plan their next training sessions accordingly.
In the run up to the patch, players can expect a period of adaptation as teams experiment with new timings and lineups. The changes touch nearly every facet of play, from early farming routes to late game decision making, and they invite a variety of new tactics that reward awareness, coordination, and quick adaptation to evolving map dynamics.