DOTA 2 has been around for over a decade. It has had numerous additions, changes, and transformations. The latest patch 7.41 was released on March 25, 2026. This patch threw a large wrench into the machine, and depending on who you ask, it made things better or worse.
What was the biggest change in patch 7.41?
We’re not going to analyze everything, like the new items, removed items, and abilities. The biggest change was that Facets were removed from the game. While Innates and Talents remained, the big removal of the Facet feature was what made people go why?
What are Facets?
Facets were introduced in patch 7.36 back in May of 2024. The function of the Facet is that it gives players a way to customize their hero’s play style. Take a look at the hero Dragon Knight below.
Without the Facet, the Dragon Knight is a hero who is tanky and has good offensive power. It can also turn into a dragon with its ult. In the original version, without the Facet, the Dragon Knight had four forms. A poison dragon, a fire dragon, and an ice dragon. The fourth form was an upgraded form.
With the use of the Facets, the Dragon Knight could only choose to be either poison, fire, or ice. You had to choose a playstyle that you want. Now that Facets are gone, Dragon Knight is now able to access all three forms until he maxes his level out.
Is the removal of the Facets good?
The answer to this is more on a case-by-case basis. The Dragon Knight example is more on the positive end, since now you’re not locked into one form. Another case where it is bad would be the Invoker hero. He was super strong with the Facets, but now that they’re removed, he’s less strong. That’s a loss for him and Invoker players.
Some people do like it since it’s going back to the older DOTA. You don’t have to worry about your builds, and at the same time, you don’t have to worry about what build the enemy has. You’re now more focused because you don’t have to think about a million things.
DOTA 2 always evolves and changes
Facets were introduced as a means to keep the game alive. Having the same game and style over the years would be boring and stale. Even before Facets were a thing, Talents were added. It isn’t as complex as Facets, but that added value and change to the game. Don’t forget about numerous hero changes in terms of their abilities.
Will Facets come back in the future? Maybe it will, give it another two years, and maybe they’ll put the game back up with these things. Maybe they’ll add something new and different. People will still play the game, and there has never been an instance where players left in mass numbers.
