Dota 2's newest hero Muerta has been released alongside 7.32e update

Dota 2's latest hero, Muerta, has finally been released alongside the 7.32e update, titled the Dead Reckoning Update, on Tuesday (7 March).

Muerta is an intelligence carry hero that can deal damage to multiple enemies through trickshots, summoned spirits, and gunplay. She can then use her ultimate and transform into a fearsome revenant of death that deals magic damage and is immune to physical damage.

Muerta was first teased in the final day of The International 11 (TI11), last year's iteration of Dota 2's annual world championship tournament that was held last October in Singapore. She is now the 124th hero in Dota 2's expansive roster of unique playable characters. Primal Beast, the game's 123rd hero, was released in the 7.31 update back in February 2022.

Accompanying Muerta's release will be the Dead Reckoning minigame, which will be active in the game from 6 March to 4 April. Players will get an assigned target at the start of every game and will score points for kills and assists on their targets. Those points can then be traded for the new Dead Reckoning Chests, which includes new event-themed cosmetic item sets.

While new heroes are often released alongside major updates, Muerta came with the 7.32e letter patch that only tweaked the numbers for certain heroes.

Dota 2 developer Valve Software said in a blog post that players who were looking forward to huge changes will have to wait until late April for "an ambitious gameplay patch" in the 7.33 patch.

"The Dead Reckoning Update has a lot of features we’re really proud of — a new hero, item sets, a mini-game. But we get it. Many of you were hoping for Patch 7.33," said Valve.

"We’ve been working on an ambitious gameplay patch for a while, and we were hoping to get it done in time for this update. We’re currently aiming to release it in late April. So in the meantime, while we put the finishing touches on it, enjoy the Dead Reckoning Update and Patch 7.32e."

How do you play as Muerta?

While the prolonged wait for a long overdue overhaul update in 7.33 is sure to be agonizing, at least we have a new hero in Muerta to help tide us over. Here's a breakdown of how the new hero works:

Muerta's first skill, Dead Shot, lets her fire a ghostly trickshot at an enemy unit or tree. When the bullet strikes, it damages and briefly slows before ricocheting in the targeted direction.

The ricochet damages all units that it passes through, stopping when it hits a hero. Heroes hit by the ricochet are feared away from the impact.

At max level, Dead Shot deals 300 damage and inflicts fear on the target hit for 2 seconds. The skill starts with a 16-second cooldown and 100 manacost that scales to a 10-second cooldown and 160 manacost at max level.

Muerta's second skill, The Calling, summons a group of 4 revenants that slowly circle a targeted location. Enemies within the area are slowed and have reduced attack speed. The revenants deal damage and silence enemies as they pass through them.

The circle summoned by this skill lasts for 10 seconds, enemies within will have their movement speed slowed by 30% and attack speed by 60 at max level. Enemies hit by the revenants will be dealt 180 damage and get silenced for 3.5 seconds.

The Calling has a constant 30-second cooldown and a starting manacost of 150 that scales up to 225.

Muerta's third skill, Gunslinger, is a passive ability that gives her attacks a 50% chance at max level to fire a second shot at another target, prioritizing heroes.

Muerta's ultimate, Pierce the Veil, lets her transform into a revenant of death that is immune to physical damage. While in this state, all of her attack damage is dealt as magical damage. She also gains bonus attack damage and phased movement.

Muerta can attack ethereal units during her ultimate but deals no damage to Magic Immune targets.

At max level, Pierce the Veil lasts for 8 seconds and gives Muerta 100 bonus attack damage. It starts with a 75-second cooldown and 150 manacost that scales to a 45-second cooldown and 350 manacost.

Here is Muerta's talent tree:

• Level 10: +8 Strength or +100 Dead Shot damage

• Level 15: +25 damage or +250 Dead Shot cast range

• Level 20: The Calling summons 2 additional revenants or 2 Dead Shot charges

• Level 25: +25% magic resistance or +20% Gunslinger chance

How to build Muerta

Your skill build for Muerta should prioritize Dead Shot and Gunslinger with one value point in The Calling. The choice between maxing out Dead Shot or Gunslinger first will depend on your lane situation.

If you are playing in a lane with a lot of action, then Dead Shot should be maxed first. However, if your lane is relatively safe and you are free farming, then go with Gunslinger. Of course, level up Pierce the Veil whenever possible.

Your item build for Muerta should focus on building attack speed and survivability. Your boots of choice will be Power Treads for the attack speed and your go-to item will be Witch Blade for attack speed and a lot of damage.

If you're up against enemies with a lot of summons, then Maelstrom is also a good alternative. You can also build it up to Mjollnir or Gleipnir later on if you need even more attack speed or additional disables.

Black King Bar should be your biggest priority, as activating it during Pierce the Veil renders you immune to everything that does not pierce magic immunity. Of course, you will also need to be careful of enemies with BKB's of their own and wait for them to use it before popping your ultimate.

Building Hurricane Pike gives a lot of utility, giving you increased attack range while letting you escape from ganks or chase after fleeing enemies. If you need more survivability, get Shiva's Guard or Assault Cuirass, though the latter is the more aggressive option with its attack speed bonus and armor debuffs.

Satanic is another must-buy item in the late game to let you dispel debuffs and stand your ground against the enemy. Other luxury items you can get include Monkey King Bar, Bloodthorn, Scythe of Vyse, Revenant's Brooch, and Daedalus, among others.

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