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For Dota 2 players, May is the month of the Battle Pass. For the past 5 years, Valve has released the annual Battle Pass in May and fans are eagerly anticipating it this year as well.
Initially known as the Interactive Compendium, Valve changed its name to Battle Pass in 2015. The primary objective of the Battle Pass is to crowdfund The International, Dota 2's flagship tournament.
The International tournaments accompanying these tournaments have broken the record for the highest esports prize pool several times thanks to the Battle Pass.
Since 2013, the release dates for the Dota 2 Compendium/Battle Passes (with final prize pools) are:
- 2013 - 6th May ($2.87 million)
- 2014 - 9th May ($10.93 million)
- 2015 - 1st May ($18.42 million)
- 2016 - 16th May ($20.77 million)
- 2017 - 4th May ($24.78 million)
- 2018 - 8th May ($25.53 million)
- 2019 - 7th May ($34.33 million)
- 2020 - 25th May ($40.01 million)
Valve has always released the Battle Pass in May with last year's release being the latest. Fans are expecting this year's release to be before the 25th.
A Greeveling event has also been potentially leaked for this year's Battle Pass. For more information about the Greeviling event, click here.
Also read: Dota 2 Battle Pass 2021: Expected release date, Greeviling event, and more
5 things to know before the 2021 Dota 2 Battle Pass
New Dota 2 players should be aware of a few things before the Battle Pass is released.
The Battle Pass is a tiered reward system. Players start at level 1 and can earn Battle Points by playing the game and completing objectives. By earning 1000 Battle Points, players can level up once. The higher levels have better rewards.
Where and how to purchase the Battle Pass?
The Dota 2 battle pass is available for purchase within the Dota 2 game client and in the Steam Store.
It can be purchased using the Steam Wallet, which in turn can be recharged using a variety of transaction methods.
Players are usually given 3 options while buying the Battle Pass.
- The base level 1 Battle Pass usually costs $9.99
- The level 50 Battle Pass usually costs $29.99
- The level 100 Battle Pass usually costs $44.99
The latter two options give players an early boost in levels.
The Battle Level Bundle
During every Battle Pass, Valve releases a Battle Level Bundle. The Bundle is a very lucrative special offer available to all Battle Pass holders.
Dota 2 players can buy a maximum of two Battle Level Bundles to unlock 120 Battle Pass Levels, 9 Immortal Treasure I, 6 Immortal Treasure II, and 3 Immortal Treasure III for $29.99.
Buying the Battle Level Bundle is the cheapest way to claim the rewards at higher levels of the Battle Pass.
Possible Arcanas/Prestige Items/Personas and other rewards
Last year, Valve shocked the Dota 2 community by releasing 3 Arcanas and 2 Personas with the 2020 Battle Pass.
The community is expecting a similar amount of cosmetics to accompany the 2021 Battle Pass as well. The Spectre Arcana should also accompany the Battle Pass as the community has been waiting for it since December of last year. A portion of the player base is also expecting a Faceless Void Arcana.
Another expectation of the community is a cosmetic based on Dota: Dragon's Blood. The anime was a hit amongst Dota 2 players. A cosmetic based on the anime will surely be appreciated.
There will also be special rewards for reaching levels 1000 and 2000. Players can claim a miniature replica of the Aegis of Champions by reaching level 1000 and a Collector's Baby Roshan by reaching level 2000.
Community Content Bundles
In late April, Valve added Dota 2 Team Profiles to the game. These profiles will play an integral part in the upcoming Fan Content Bundle release.
The Bundle is rumored to contain Voice Lines, Sprays, and other items. Certain pro players have revealed on their streams that they have submitted their own Voice Lines to Valve. It can be expected that in addition to the regular voice lines, there will be team-specific voice lines as well.
The timing of these bundles coincides perfectly with the probable release date of the Battle Pass.
Continuation of the 2020 Battle Pass
Amongst all the hype about the Battle Pass, the community is forgetting one important thing. There might not be a complete Battle Pass for 2021.
Last year's Battle Pass was named The International 10 Battle Pass. Previous iterations of the Battle Pass have always had the year of its release in its name.
Because The International 10 hasn't happened yet, this year's Battle Pass can be named The International 11 Battle Pass. That would mean that every Battle Pass from now on will be crowdfunding for next year's TI.
Also read: Top 5 Battle Pass Prestige items in Dota 2
