New material seems to be the trend nowadays. After the addition of 8 items in 6.84 and another 4 shortly afterwards in 6.86, one would think we were set to go for quite some time; we were pleasantly surprised however, with 7 new magical artifacts for our Heroes to wield.
: Bloodthorn
Requires:
Orchid (4075)
Crystalys (2120)
Recipe (1000)
Total: 7195
Provides:
+ 25 Intelligence
+ 30 Attack Speed
+ 60 Damage
+ 150% Mana Regeneration
Active: All attacks on the silenced target, including from allies, gain True Strike and a 1.35x critical hit
Cooldown: 11
Passive: Grants a chance to land a critical hit.
The most expensive item currently in the game. Orchid Malevolence is a useful and cheap item that can however be easily countered with any form of dispel, and can become not very useful quickly. An upgrade for it makes a lot of sense, giving a good reason for Heroes to get it without risking to waste 4k gold.
On the other hand, I’m not sure how I feel about the idea of having another True Strike source. Monkey King Bar plus Mute/Break skills seemed plenty to counter Evasion-type abilities, and Bloodthorn allows every single unit on the user’s team to completely ignore Evasion ALONG with a critical strike, plus the cooldown being a measly 11 seconds. Being expensive is a downside, but don’t let this deceive you, with the most expensive component being the Broadsword at 1200 gold, it’s not that hard to make.
: Echo Sabre
Requires:
Oblivion Staff (1650)
Ogre Club (1000)
Total: 2650
Provides:
+ 10 Strength
+ 10 Intelligence
+ 10 Attack Speed
+ 15 Damage
+ 75% Mana Regeneration
Passive: Causes melee attacks to attack twice in quick succession. Your double attack applies a 0.6 second 100% MS/AS slow. Has a 5 second cooldown.
Note: The passive only works on Melee Heroes.
Obviously, Heroes with certain passive skills can make the best of this sword; ones like Slark and Spiritbreaker come to mind, who roam around the map a lot looking for kills and benefit both from the stats and the passive. It’s very cheap,it provides exactly what a ganker needs, and it doesn’t seem to be very bad for late game, either.
: Blight Stone
Costs: 300 gold
Passive: Reduces armor by 2 on attack.
Available in the Side Shop.
Item is used in Desolator and Medallion of Courage.
This replaces the recipes from the above items with something actually useful. It’s practically a new item that also serves as a buff for Desolator and Medallion (better buildup).
While I like the possibility of getting one of these early, I think Desolator was already powerful enough and didn’t need the extra buff. Medallion had become a bit forgotten, but I believe it was still pretty good even without Blight Stone.
: Infused Raindrops
Costs: 225 gold
Provides:
+ 0.85 Mana Regeneration
Passive: Comes with 5 charges, the item is destroyed when it reaches 0 charges. When you receive over 50 Magic Damage it procs, consuming a charge and blocking 120 Magic Damage. The proc has a 4 second cooldown.
Becomes available for purchase at the 3 minute mark.
At first sight, this seems very cheap for what it does. The extra mana regen is nice, but the spell damage block is way too good for only 225 gold. Even if it saves a Hero from death only once, it’s still more than worth the money.
: Wind Lace
Costs: 225 gold
Provides:
+ 20 Movement Speed
Available in the Side Shop.
Item is used in Drums and Eul’s.
Multiple instances don’t stack.
Similar logic with Blight Stone, it provides better buildup for certain mid-tier items. We’re also going to see this purchased a lot on its own and not just as an ingredient. More movement speed around the map generally means more action, so we can welcome this one easily.
: Tome of Knowledge
Costs: 150 gold
Use: Grants you 425 experience.
Starts out of stock, increments stock every 10 minutes.
Not the most original addition (use Google for more info), but certainly the most unusual in terms of Dota.
Personally I don’t like the idea of trading gold for EXP directly. Even items such as Hand of Midas need to be used properly to be effective. Tome of Knowledge feels like a way for players who’ve fallen behind in a match to buy some cheap mercy.
: Hurricane Pike
Requires:
Force Staff (2225)
Dragon Lance (1900)
Recipe (250)
Total: 4375
Provides:
+ 20 Agility
+ 15 Strength
+ 10 Intelligence
+ 4 HP Regeneration
+ 130 Attack Range (ranged heroes only, does not stack)
Active: When used on an enemy, it pushes you both away from each other 450 units each, and allows you to attack that target without range restrictions for 4 attacks for a maximum of 5 seconds. Does not give vision over the enemy. Works normally like Force Staff when used on self or allies.
Cooldown: 14
Cast range: 400 when used on enemies, 800 on allies or self.
“Clowny” is the word that comes to mind.
Maybe the Echo Sabre counterpart, a new way to boost ranged Heroes and give them a fighting chance against those who like to get close and personal (Drow Ranger is very happy).
It certainly will make for some fun to watch situations, such as Enchantress teleporting back to base and attacking a poor fellow from her Fountain.
