The biggest winners and losers of Dota 2 Patch 7.40

Dota 2 Patch 7.40 is finally here, after over 200 days since the last major patch in May 2025. Every one shakes up the meta with new heroes popping up while the pick rates of popular heroes decline after significant nerfs. This patch is no different, with the Patch 7.40 meta looking a lot like the previous one: extremely skirmish-heavy.

Several heroes that were once considered mediocre are now outperforming expectations, causing them to see increased play. Some of these heroes are already defining the early Dota 2 Patch 7.40 meta, with pro players showcasing their prowess during the latest season of DreamLeague.

With that in mind, here are the top five winners and losers of Dota 2 Patch 7.40.

Broodmother has always been a specialty hero for most players. While pros like ATF and 33 have made the hero work on a professional level, Broodmother’s pub win rate was a different story. Now, with a stronger Insatiable Hunger lifesteal talent at level 10 and the Incapacitating Bite talent moved to level 20, Broodmother reaches her power spikes quicker.

In addition, Broodmother’s illusions now also benefit from her Spin Web bonuses, making the hero punish greedy drafts much better than she did before.

Tidehunter has often been a consistent pick in pro-level pubs and professional games. In recent patches, however, the hero has proven too slow for the fast pace of modern Dota 2. But with talent changes like his Blubber now triggering Anchor Smash as well as a host of buffs to his Gush and Anchor Smash spells, Tidehunter has become highly contested in the Dota 2 Patch 7.40 meta.

Drow Ranger is a staple pick in pubs and is now seeing a resurgence in the pro scene once again. While her late-game scaling has always been excellent, the slow increase on her Frost Arrows, along with improved manacost efficiency, has made her a great mid-game damage dealer as well. 

Her Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade also punishes healing-based lineups, especially teams centred around the new hero, Largo.

Juggernaut has always been the ultimate pub hero. However, due to his over-reliance on his Omnislash, his impact in pro games was mediocre at best. But the changes introduced in Patch 7.39 buffed him enough to propel Juggernaut into the pro scene, and his win rate has stayed above 50% despite the minor Dota 2 Patch 7.40 nerfs the hero received.

Windranger was already seeing more action as a carry towards the tail end of Patch 7.39. With the Dota 2 Patch 7.40 buffs to her Agility gain and damage gain per level, Windranger remains relevant in the Patch 7.40 meta. Killshot is perfect for support/mid Windranger players, while Tangled buffs the laning prowess and overall DPS for carry Windranger. 

Clinkz has struggled with his identity as a Dota 2 hero, with constant changes to his skill set in every major patch. With the recent Dota 2 Patch 7.40 nerfs to his base skills, including the removal of his Facets and his Tar Bomb skill being reverted to Searing Arrows, Clinkz’s win rate has dropped drastically.

Clinkz’s abysmal 44% win rate makes him one of the biggest losers of the Dota 2 Patch 7.40 meta.

Sometimes, reworks don’t always improve the hero; Spectre is a prime example of that in the Dota 2 Patch 7.40 meta. The changes to Shadow Step — making it a short-range cast ability instead of a global hunting ability — killed the hero’s early ganking potential. Even the return of Haunt as her ultimate ability did little to increase her win rate.

Spectre now stands at a meager 43% rate at the time of writing.

Lone Druid is another example of reworks not going as planned. Adding two separate skill and talent trees to the hero and his Spirit Bear sounds great on paper; however, the execution is a different story. He has become jankier to play, and even famous Lone Druid players like Max ‘qojqva’ Bröcker are faltering with the hero in its current state.

The 42% rate corroborates the story, making Lone Druid one of the three biggest losers of the Dota 2 Patch 7.40 meta.

New heroes rarely perform well upon release, and Largo follows that trend. The hero’s skill combinations, buffs, heals, and dispels cannot be disputed. However, the skill curve and complex mechanics of his Amphibian Rhapsody ultimate skill make him difficult to pick up for new players and professionals alike.

Largo’s 41% rate makes him the second biggest casualty of the Dota 2 Patch 7.40 meta.

Pangolier is undoubtedly the biggest victim of the Dota 2 Patch 7.40 meta. Not only did the hero get his Facets removed, but he also received major nerfs to his Shield Crash. The skill no longer slows enemies while receiving nerfs to its damage and barrier amount.

His Rolling Thunder’s duration has been reduced, while taking a while to ramp up in speed. It also doesn’t reduce the cooldown of Shield Crash anymore, making the skill combination even less threatening in teamfights. Without major buffs, Pangolier is doomed to languish at the bottom.

We’re still in the early stages of the Dota 2 Patch 7.40 meta, so the viability of each hero is not set in stone. As weeks pass, more heroes will inevitably resurface as counter-picks to the currently popular heroes, while heroes that might have been overtuned will receive nerfs in upcoming patches.

Stay tuned for updates arriving soon.