All the features Valve removed from the TI11 Battle Pass

William Davis Published 04/09/2022

Dota 2 fans have had time to dig into the TI11 Battle Pass, but it’s hard not to notice that there are tons of features missing.

The battle pass for The International is when Valve is supposed to go all-out convincing Dota 2 players to spend some cash. In addition to supporting the game’s competitive scene, it also includes several time-limited arcanas, immortals, personas, and more. But despite the new cosmetics, many Dota 2 fans have voiced their displeasure at the perceived lack of content.

Are these complaints valid or just the moans of a greedy fan base? Let’s take a look back at the previous battle pass features and see if this year’s really is as barebones as fans claim.

All the old features missing from The International 2022 battle pass

The TI11 Battle Pass removed a number of features that have been staples from other recent battle passes. Some of these are small while others are big, but a recurring theme is things that gave players the chance to get battle pass levels without paying are now gone.

Rylai’s Battle Blessing

This recurring feature has been present in The International Battle Passes for several years, but it’s suspiciously absent from the current incarnation. Players could spin a wheel with a small chance to get an arcana. Most of the time the reward is an old set container or courier, but the small odds of arcana would make it a great way to make time-locked skins available again.

Effigies

Effigies are an old Dota 2 feature, but battle passes were originally the only way to get them. These items allow players to customize a base building with a hero and message of their choice. However, the only way to acquire them these days is on the Steam community market.

Match wagering

In previous battle passes, players could potentially earn extra battle pass levels by predicting victories in matchmaking. Later battle passes expanded on the concept with double-or-nothing tokens, upgradable wager amounts, and team bets. All of those extra features are absent for The International 2022 Battle Pass.

Terrain and creep skins

Of all the missing features, this one has upset fans the most. Recent battle passes included a new skin for the Dota 2 map itself, spicing things up in the style of that year’s tournament. This year’s volcanic theme would make an amazing Dota 2 map, but there’s no new terrain to be seen. Creep skins also seem to be out, though players can still turn their towers into giant crabs.

BP tipping

Traditionally, tipping has been done with battle pass points. That’s not the case anymore, though. Valve removed the ability to tip teammates and opponents with BP and instead only allows this with shards. It’s something, but its removal is suspicious given how many other means of getting free BP have been removed.

Third immortal treasure

The International is still the premier source of flashy immortals, but there will be considerably fewer this year. Valve has only unveiled two immortal treasures when there are usually three. The third treasure also traditionally had a fat bundle of battle pass levels as a potential reward. This will make grinding up to higher levels a much more difficult task compared to previous battle passes.

The Arcana Vote Challenge

For every The International starting in 2014, players got to vote for the next hero to get an arcana. This is how a ton of heroes from Zeus to Spectre got an arcana, but the vote is suspiciously absent this year. The arcana vote is usually a massive conversation starter in the community, but there won’t be any memes to rally around this year.

An extra mini-game

The Secret Shop frustrated some Dota 2 fans when it was first introduced due to a lack of familiarity with its auto battler origins. It was notable due to its ability to let whales take in a slew of extra arcana skins for characters outside the battle pass’ offering.

Daily missions and achievements

Weekly missions are a good addition to the battle but they come at the expense of a few other features. Daily and weekly challenges used to be the norm in Dota 2 battle passes and there were also season-long challenges. Now, all of those are gone with only the new weekly missions being available.

There are way more missing features including prestige items and more. There are also many features that have been locked to part two of The International 2022 battle pass. Only one of the four arcanas and personas are available at launch, and two are confirmed to be delayed. The alternate game mode Diretide is also reserved for part two.

It’s worth remembering that not every battle pass included all of these features, and it’s unreasonable to expect every single one of them to return each year. Still, it proves that fans may have a point when it comes to this year’s battle pass.

William Davis

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