Dota 2 2016 compendium and Battle Pass revealed

Valve has announced details for the Dota 2 International Compendium and Battle Pass, and judging by their scale, the company hopes to dwarf the $18,429,613 raised last year for the International prize pool. The Battle Pass can be bought into at both level 1 and level 50 – for $9.99 and $26.99 respectively – and all purchasers get access to the compendium, three Immortal Treasures, an exclusive seasonal terrain, access to regular quests and… well, a ridiculous amount of other stuff.

Among the more important of that “stuff” are the Weekend Battle Cups, a series of tournaments which mirror the competitive edge found in professional play. “During scheduled, weekly events, participants can party up and battle through eight-team, single-elimination brackets,” the lengthy notes read. “Teams are placed in a skill tier against evenly-matched opponents competing in one of four geographic divisions.” Winning one of these tournaments – which kick off in June – rewards battle points and fancy proof of your victories.

No matter which of the many rewards excites you the most, there’s plenty of reasons to play Dota 2 during the event: raising battle level continues to unlock more and more awards such as a terrain, new taunts and more.

The full details are over on the Dota 2 website, and you’re well-advised to make a pot of tea before poring through the extensive documentation. Tickets for The International 2016 went on sale early last month. The main event kicks off at Seattle's KeyArena between August 8-13.

Shaun Prescott

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.