Chinese Dota fans just got a special real-life Dota 2 battle pass

Dota 2 fans in Europe and North America have been calling for an early release to The International 2020 Battle Pass for a while now.

With many locked up at home due to the spread of COVID-19, players want some sort of clear progression and reward system that doesn’t exist in Dota 2 outside the battle pass. Unfortunately, given the fact that The International 2020 is in limbo and Valve is currently dealing with the launch of Half-Life: Alyx, the publisher just doesn’t seem to be especially interested in helping out their fans in the west.

Dota 2 players in China, though? Well, they actually get a battle pass of their own.

Throughout March, Valve and its Chinese partner, Perfect World, have been running a special event for fans in the country. For the most part, it features all of the usual trimmings fans can expect of a battle pass, with missions, treasures, and a roulette wheel. This includes a mix of both in-game challenges, like winning games and scoring kills, to real-life things like adding money to game accounts and following Perfect World on Weibo.

The battle pass even has a theme, with a “Dota Dream World” board game based on the tournament calendar. Players can move around the board and land on squares that add or subtract points, with Dota Plus subscribers converting losses into gains.

The most interesting thing of all when it comes to this special Dota 2 battle pass? It actually has real physical rewards.

Players need to place in the top 200 of the event in order to qualify. All of the prizes are fun to some degree. One of the highlights is an adorable Slark neck pillow, though there is also a Gyrocopter fan alongside blind boxes and pins. Things get considerably better from there.

One of the top prizes is a Figma Lina statue, followed by a miniature Radiance sword. The most exclusive prize is a mahjong set themed after The International 2019, complete with a fancy purple box. The grand prize is a package of all the other prizes included, plus an additional donkey courier plush.

When will The International 2020 battle pass be released?

Regardless of where they live and whether they have other cool battle pass options to enjoy, Dota 2 fans are eagerly awaiting the release of The International 2020’s Battle Pass. Does that mean it’s coming out any sooner than normal?

Probably not.

Valve hasn’t given any indication that The International 2020 Battle Pass will come out any sooner than it ever does. Traditionally, each installment of The International Battle pass comes out in early May, but uncertainty regarding the state of The International 2020 leaves it up in the air whether the event will be delayed or even cancelled. If it is impacted, that could change Valve’s schedule for the next big battle pass.

Unlike in previous years, the next installment of The International Battle Pass won’t include a specific theme. Last year had an overgrown jungle theme, while the year before featured an underwater theme. Valve put out the call for Collector’s Cache skins in February, stating that there is no specific theme this time around.