New innate abilities and hero aspects explained in Dota 2 7.36

Innate abilities and aspects are now major mechanics in Dota 2, and the game hasn’t had this big of a a shakeup since Aghanim’s Shards.

7.36 is finally here, and it is a doozy. The new update makes two massive changes to the game that affect every hero in the roster. Valve played with the idea of innate abilities before with Medusa and Ogre Magi, but now every hero gets one. In addition, every hero now has a major decision to make before the match with aspects.

Players may find their heads spinning from all the major updates, so we’ve broken down how innate abilities and hero aspects work in Dota 2 7.36.

Innate abilities give every Dota 2 hero something new

Every Dota 2 hero has a free innate ability in 7.36, which vary from existing abilities to entire hero reworks. 

Innate abilities are already skilled when players spawn in. Some of them take existing passives, like Bristleback’s Warpath or Dragon Knight’s Dragon Blood, and give them a free level at the start of the game. Many of these can be upgraded further, though many exceptions exist. Monkey King’s Mischief and Morphling’s new Accumulation always stay at level one.

Many other 7.36 innates either introduce wacky new abilities or completely change how heroes function. Ancient Apparition’s Death Rime removes the slow and damage from his other abilities in exchange for a new stack mechanic. Nyx can now see invisible heroes that are close by. Oracle can now predict where runes will spawn and their type. There are too many crazy changes to list.

The good news about innates is that players don’t really need to play around them. Many of them are either familiar abilities or automatic buffs. Very few of them completely change the hero, but cute quirks like Oracle’s rune prediction or Dawnbreaker’s sunrise vision will come in handy.

Innate abilities technically already existed in Dota 2 before 7.36, but they were limited to just a few heroes. Alchemist had Greevil’s Greed, Medusa had Mana Shield, and Ogre Magi had Dumb Luck. Valve appears to enjoy the mechanic and has now given it to everyone.

Aspects explained for Dota 2 7.36

In 7.26, Dota 2 players will now select hero aspects during strategy time which provide unique bonuses throughout the game.

While innates can be somewhat ignored, hero aspects will completely change how Dota 2 is played in 7.36. After picking their hero, players will choose an aspect that changes the hero in some way. This decision is permanent, so it will be important to choose wisely depending on the drafts. All heroes have two aspects except for Dragon Knight, Techies, and Witch Doctor, who have three. Chen is a special exception with five.

Aspects range from simple buffs to complete ability reworks. For example, Mirana can pick Moonlight Shadow as her aspect, which keeps her normal mass invisibility ultimate. However, she can also pick Solar Flare, which instead provides a massive damage and vision buff. Monkey King can pick between leaving his ultimate range for three seconds or a zero-second cooldown for Tree Dance at full health.

Aspects will be a major part of the game, and they have far-reaching implications for the draft. Dragon Knight, for example, can opt for Corrosive as Dragon an offlaner, Frost Dragon as a mid, and Fire Dragon as a carry. Razor can become a serious tank with Thunderhead or a damage machine with Dynamo.

Just remember that they cannot be changed after the match starts. Consider both lineups and pick accordingly before spawning in.

Explore the new innate abilities introduced in Dota 2 7.36 and see how they compare to the Ringmaster’s release date, abilities, and more.