b3 changelog

A preliminary b3 changelog, which will be released in the next few days.

TERRAIN CHANGES:

Minor adjustments in the locations of neutral creep camps. Numerous miscellaneous terrain tweaks and optimizations.

ITEM CHANGES:

The item pricing has undergone major renovation. We feel the new prices better reflect the strength of the items, and better allow for more flexible item builds.

For more information, please consult the updated item list FAQ (not posted yet, but will be shortly).

The most notable changes:

Ring of the Sun - This recipe is now Magician's Staff + Lunar Pendant
Houdini's Charm - Is now a recipe; Monk's Necklace is the level 2 agility item
Luna - Now gives a chance to reduce armor on attack instead of previous effects
Moonblade - Now gives significant armor reduction capabilities instead of previous effects

Duriel's Shell, Rune Sword, Luna and Mask of the Lunatic have had their prices (and stats, in some cases) significantly reduced. Other items have had their prices and stats tweaked as well for better game balance.

Phoenix Talon - This item no longer exists
NEW ITEM - Pyrestone

NEW RECIPE - Lightning Orb
NEW RECIPE - Solstice Orb
NEW RECIPE - Bloodfeather's Heart
NEW ELITE RECIPE - Fist of Kil'Jaedan

HERO CHANGES:

Alchemist - Chemical Rage now lasts 6 seconds (used to be 8 seconds) but gives more offensive bonuses.
Angry Ogre - No longer has Bloodlust or Devotion Aura. Now has new abilities Enrage and Bash.
Banshee - No longer has Aura of Suffering. Now has new ability Ghostwalk.
Big Game Hunter - Significantly improved the damage effects of U-238 Shells; however, it no longer increases his attack range.
Blademaster - No changes
Blood Knight - No longer has Demon Blood. Now has new ability Blood Thirst.
Ceraunomancer - No changes
Chaos Demon - Small decrease in Triple Stomp's damage. Changed the way Chaos Whip levels. No longer has Howl of Terror. Now has new ability Blood Hunt.
Demoness - Changed the way Fatality works a bit. No longer has Vampiric Touch. Now has new ability Refraction.
Disruptor - COMPLETE HERO REMAKE. Now has Planeswalk, Feedback, Spell Reflect and Phantom.
Earth Panda - Reduced damage on Rock the House.
Feral Predator - Increased AoE on Ferocity. Small buff to Sylvan Instincts' stacking damage. Improved animation on Lunge.
Fire Panda - Changed the "really awesome" effect on Really Awesome Breath of Fire. It's still awesome, don't worry. No longer has Drunken Brawler. Now has new ability Pandavasion.
Grove Guardian - COMPLETE HERO REMAKE. Now has Ancient Spirits, Entangle, Rejuvenation and Nature's Fury.
Lich - COMPLETE HERO REMAKE. Now has Dark Arts, Soulstorm, Touch of Shadow and Unholy Attraction.
Magnataur - COMPLETE HERO REMAKE. Now has Chilling Field, Chilling Blow, Ice Storm and Shatter (sounds similar, but the effects have certainly changed on some of these spells).
Minotaur - Small reduction in damage on Whirlwind Strike and Reverse Polarity.
Moonkin - Now has Barkskin / Frenzy, Cyclone, Supernova and Elune's Touch.
Nether Stalker - Nether Strike now has a graphic to show when it is being cast; however, the AoE is increased slightly. Dark Binding now has a small AoE slowing effect when the target is teleported -- if the target is an ally, it is a small AoE speed increase instead.
Paladin - Vindication has been reworked. Small tweaks to various other numbers for balance.
Phoenix Knight - Small buff to Flame Shield. New ultimate - Flame Dash.
Pit Fighter - Small number tweaks. Pit Fight now has a short channeling time before the teleportation to the pit occurs.
Raider - No longer has Punisher. Now has new ability Leap (can leap multiple times in a row!). Effects of Punisher incorporated into Liquid Fire.
Royal Guard - No longer has Swat or Icy Blade. Now has new abilities Crushing Wave and Resilient Scales.
Satyr - PARTIAL HERO REMAKE. Now has Backstab, Enveloping Shadows, Shadow Volley and Nightwalk.
Sea Witch - Frost Nova cooldown reduced, damage decreased slightly.
Shadow Archer - Small cooldown increases to Poison Arrow and Sigil of Sleep. Hero renamed Elven Ranger.
Shadow Hunter - Reduced Serpent Spear damage and eliminated armor reduction. Reduced Hex cast range.
Shadow Sorceror - Death and Decay does not require channeling. Deathbringer Ward AoE reduced slightly, damage increased slightly, now gives slightly more gold if killed. Hero renamed Sorceror.
Sharpshooter - No longer has Flare. Now has new ability Giant Net. Power Slide's distance slid is now constant (550 instead of 450/550/650/750); damage levels as before.
Shinobi - No changes
Snake Charmer - Fork now has no cast time. Spirit Shift now has a slightly longer cast time. Tweaked Ward damage a bit, decreased Ward hit points slightly.
Soul Troll - No changes.
Spirit of Vengeance - Silent Finale is now a regular ability. New ultimate: Silhouette.
Thunder Viking - Belt of Giant Strength is now a regular ability. Viking Edge and Thunderclap are now one ability (with both effects). New ultimate: Endurance.
Vizier - Burst of Light is now an AoE heal (no damage). Inner Fire replaced with Chain Lightning.
Warchief - Leader of the Pack has been given a leap in addition to the other effects; ability renamed Leaper of the Pack accordingly. Wolf damage and hit points rebalanced.
Water Wizard - New ultimate: Still called Aerial Monsoon but totally different.
Wind Panda - Gone with the Wind is now a regular Wind Walk. Reduced cooldown on Twisted Fury and improved the way the ability's damage levels.

NEW HERO - Warlock
NEW HERO - Dahaka