The International DOTA 2 Championship 2019

Valve released this year's Battle Pass and Compendium on the 8th of May, 2019. The Battle Pass is released by Valve every year and contains goodies and quests for players up til The International, which is like the World Cup of DOTA 2 since it is the highest tier tournament of the game where players from all over the world compete for a hefty prize. Last year's prize pool was just a little over $25 million whereas this year the prize pool has already surpassed $10 million US dollars in just four days. 

This year, same as every year, the Battle Pass starts at $9.99 for the standard bundle. Valve has changed up their pricing and is now offering 50 levels for $29.35 and 100 levels for $44.99. 25% of all Battle Pass purchases go towards the prize pool. 

Once purchased, you unlock various perks of the game. These includes Treasures containing cosmetic items for Heroes, different taunts, quests, daily Hero challenges, wagering and voting for the Arcana. You need to level up your Battle Pass along the way by gaining battle points which are achieved by completing these various quests and by winning wagers. 

This Year's Battle Pass theme is purple. Valve is offering a Dark Willow announcer pack at level 75. A new terrain at level 160. A prestige item for Tiny at level 225. The most unique release with this Battle Pass is the new Hero Persona for Invoker which unlocks at level 305. This Persona effect turns Invoker into a child from his spell learning days and you get to play him as such. This is the first time Valve has introduced a Persona effect for heroes and Invoker was the best choice to start with since he is one of the most played Heroes in DOTA 2. Moreover, players can unlock an Earthshaker Arcana at level 365 and a completely reworked Axe set at level 425. 

It is expected that this year the total prize money for The International 2019 will reach $30 million. The goal seems likely to be achieved since this year's Battle Pass contains unique sets and goodies which most players will spend money on to achieve. Valve will give 10000 Battle Points if the total prize money exceeds last year's 25 million and will provide 10000 more Battle Points if it reaches $30 million, which will be the largest prize pool in E-gaming history.