The 7.20 update reworked, buffed, and nerfed several items. We will study them and review the most impactful changes. Find out how to use the new boots!

All the analyses, articles, and statistics on the 7.20 update:

In the following days and weeks, I will publish several articles on the 7.20 update. Stay tuned as I will cover most aspects of the game, general and specific game changes, new and old items, most popular heroes in pub and pro games, and more.

Item Changes

All item-based movement speed bonuses are now rebalanced around being a percentage rather than a constant addition.
- Boots of Speed: 15%
- Power Treads: 15%
- Phase Boots: 15%
- Arcane Boots: 15%
- Guardian Greaves: 17%
- Tranquil Boots Active: 28%
- Tranquil Boots Inactive: 20%
- Boots of Travel: 32%
- Drum of Endurance: 6%
- Eul’s Scepter: 6%
- Spirit Vessel: 6%
- Wind Lace: 6%

The change is very simple: the higher your base movement speed, the better the benefits you have from items. Simultaneously, slow heroes will earn less flat movement speed bonus.

With 28% and 32% bonus respectively, the Tranquil Boots and the Boots of Travel now boost your movement speed even more than in the past if compared to the other options.

Phase Boots

Reworked to no longer have an active. Now passively gives you movement speed bonus, collision phasing and turn rate anytime you issue an attack to a target. Buff dispels whenever you move elsewhere and cancel your attack. Maximum range of 900 for attack orders. This has no cooldown. Buff lingers for 0.5 seconds
Phase movement speed bonus on ranged heroes reduced from 13% to 10%
Reworked Phase Boots Recipe

Cost: 1,550 gold.

Requires:

Boots (500)
Chainmail (550)
Gloves of Haste (500)
Total: 1550

Bonus:

+15% Movement Speed
+5 Armor
+25 Attack Speed

Thanks to the new passive, the Phase Boots are amazing on melee heroes. They can be used to quickly close the gap between you and the target, and as long as you are chasing and right-clicking the opponent the buff will proc and linger.

The passive also works with creeps and neutrals, so it is helpful to speed up your movements in the jungle.
They can’t be used anymore as an escape item.

The armor makes them a suitable item on strength-based heroes, enhancing their survivability versus physical damage. Also, any hero with passive abilities that proc an effect on hit can exploit the attack speed. For example, the Phase Boots fit Slardar particularly well, and the extra attack speed is helpful to proc Bash of the Deep.

Notes:

All the items required for the Phase Boots are available in the Side Lane Shops.
The new passive does not work on illusions.

Spirit of the Emeraldine Rider loading screen for Luna - Valve

Power Treads

Now requires a Blades of Attack instead of a Gloves of Haste. Grants +16 damage instead of attack speed
Attribute bonus increased from 10 to 12

Cost: 1,380 gold.

Bonus:

+16 Attack damage
+15% Movement speed

Active ability: Switch Attribute

Switches between +12 Strength, +12 Agility, or +12 Intelligence.

The Power Treads are extremely powerful on agility-based carries because switching the active ability to agility grants a total of 28 attack damage, 15 attack speed, 2.4 armor, and 15.7% movement speed. Considering these stats, for pure damage-dealing purposes they might become the preferable choice even on melee agility heroes.

Of course, also STR and INT heroes can use them with their respective attribute if their main priority is maximizing the attack damage.

Tranquil Boots

No longer gets disabled by attacking creeps

A very useful change for all the heroes using the Tranquil Boots as before you were forced to avoid the creeps while regenerating. It is a very underrated buff, and I am sure that now more heroes will build them.

Sange, Kaya, and Yasha

I have talked about all the changes that affected Sange, Kaya, Yasha, Heaven’s Halberd, and all the sword combinations in the article about the new items introduced by 7.20.

Solar Crest

Reworked recipe and bonuses

Cost: 3,875

Requires:

Medallion (1175)
Ultimate Orb (2150)
Wind Lace (250)
Recipe (300)
Total: 3875

Bonus:

+10 Strength
+10 Agility
+10 Intelligence
+12 Armor
+1.5 Mana regeneration
+6% Movement speed

Active Ability: Shine

Can be cast on allies or enemies, removing your own +12 Armor bonus. Grants allies +70 Attack Speed, +10% Movement Speed, +12 Armor. On enemies it applies -70 Attack Speed, -10% Movement Speed, -12 Armor

The new Solar Crest is a bit expensive, but became an excellent supportive item that can be used either to reduce the armor of the target ganked by your team or to boost the attack speed of your carry in a team fight.

It is immensely more useful than the past version, but it is still a niche item. Maybe experienced supports in pub games will start buying it more to boost the damage of their poor cores :P.

Ring of Aquila

Removed Ring of Aquila from the game
Bracer, Wraith Band and Null Talisman can no longer be upgraded into other items
Bracer/Null/Wraith recipe increased from 165 to 210
Bracer/Null/Wraith Primary stat from +7 to +8

This was expected. The Ring of Aquila was over-picked both in pub and pro games, and unfortunately the best (and easier) way to deal with an ultra-popular early game item is removing it from the game.

Bracer

Now gives +6% Magic Resistance

Bonus:

+8 Strength
+3 Agility
+3 Intelligence
+6% Magic Resistance

Wraith Band

Now gives +8 Attack Speed

Bonus:

+8 Intelligence
+3 Strength
+3 Agility
+3% Spell Amp

Stacking a few Wraith Bands on agility-based heroes might become the new meta. For 510 gold you have 3 strength, 8 agility, 3 intelligence, and 7 attack speed.

8 agility is equal to 10 attack speed, so with three Wraith bands you have a total of 51 attack speed, 24 damage, and +9 int/str for 1,530 gold. Balanced.

Null Talisman

Null Talisman: Now gives +3% Spell Amp

Bonus:

+8 Intelligence
+3 Strength
+3 Agility
+3% Spell Amp

Recipe changes

The following recipes have been updated with the removal of Bracer, Wraith Band and Null Talisman as item components:

Hurricane Pike

Now has a 450 gold recipe instead of Wraith Band

Dagon, Veil of Discord, Drum of Endurance, and Rod of Atos

Recipes changed

I suggest checking them individually. Generally, the stats provided are all a bit better and the items are cheaper. In particular, the Rod of Atos now provides 12 agility instead of 6.

Basilius Ring

Mana regeneration increased from 0.5 to 0.65

Bloodstone

No longer has Pocket Deny
No longer reduces respawn times
Now passively doubles your mana regeneration
Starts with 12 charges, deaths remove 3 charges, kills provide 1 charge
Each charge provides 0.25 MP and HP regen
Can now be cast, transferring 60% of your current mana to health. Cooldown: 250 (regen is provided over 2 seconds)

Doubling the mana regeneration independently from the charges is an excellent perk as this item is usually bought by heroes that need a huge mana battery.

The new active ability is an amazing survivability tool. On heroes with a big mana pool, you can basically fully regenerate your HP bar during a team fight in only two seconds.

Aeon Disk

Health increased from 250 to 300
Mana increased from 250 to 300
No longer provides passive Status Resistance
Provides +50% Status Resistance during the 2.5s active buff duration

It is better versus disablers in general, but it is still a niche item.

Satanic

Passively provides 30% Status Resistance
Bonus damage reduced from 50 to 25

Usually, you buy the Satanic to increase your survivability, so the status resistance is a nice addition because it helps against crowd control.

Fractured Order loading screen for Meepo - Valve

Heart of Tarrasque

Now provides +50% Health Regen Amplification
Out-of-combat regen reduced from 7% to 5%
HP bonus reduced from 500 to 400
Now requires Reaver, Vitality Booster, Ring of Tarrasque and 400 gold recipe

The health regeneration amplification makes it a better item than in the past. You tankiness won’t really change for only 100 HP, and the regeneration out-of-combat is still more than adequate.

Spirit Vessel

No longer amplifies health regen nor provides current health percentage regen
Enemy damage per second increased from 20 to 25

Now, the Spirit Vessel deals as much damage as the Urn of Shadows, but its healing abilities have been nerfed.

Headdress

Headdress Recipe reduced from 300 to 175

It is a lot easier to rush the Headdress during the laning phase.

Mekansm

Recipe increased from 900 to 950

Arcane Boots

Mana restore increased from 135 to 160

Guardian Greaves

Heal increased from 275 to 300
Mana restore increased from 160 to 200

Pipe of Insight

Now gives the +2 Stats from its components

Skull Basher

Recipe cost reduced from 1000 to 900

Butterfly

No longer has an active ability

The Butterfly lost the active ability which increased the movement speed. It is a pity because it was very useful both while escaping and chasing opponents.

Crystalys

Bonus damage increased from +30 to +38

Desolator

Armor reduction increased from 6 to 7

Force Staff

Can now override Slark’s Pounce

A change that will be well-welcomed in pub games where Slark can drive people to madness at some ranks. Now you have an easy way to deal with his disabling skill (until he is able to buy the Skull Basher).

Hand of Midas

Attack Speed increased from 30 to 40

Sentry Ward

Range increased from 850 to 1000

The True Sight radius was increased from 800 to 850 in 6.82, and received no changes in the past years. 1,000 radius will help the supports to cover a wider area of the map.

Gem of True Sight

Grants 300 ground vision and truesight to the team that last held when it is dropped on the ground. Lasts until it is picked up

If your gem carrier dies in a team fight, you will still have the chance to deal with the invisible enemy hero in the area nearby. Also, it is handy in you die in the jungle as sometimes both teams are unable to find where the gem dropped, so now you can easily determine its location and retrieve it.

Morbid Mask

No longer provides +10 Damage
Cost reduced from 1100 to 900

Mask of Madness

Damage reduced from +20 to +10

Header image (Umizar Crawler loading screen for Slark) and patch notes: Valve