Save the date. This year <em>The International</em> moves to KeyArena, taking place July 18th through the 21st in Seattle.

<img class="alignnone" title="mad purps" alt="mad purps" src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/images/blogfiles/blog_tickets_ti4.jpg" width="576" height="340" />

For those interested in attending there are three types of tickets available:

- General Admission ($99)

- Floor Seats ($199)

- VIP package ($499) that includes:
<ul>
<li>Access to all 6 days of Playoffs (formerly Group Stage) taking place on July 8th, before the Championships Event</li>
<li>Floor Seating</li>
<li>Exclusive VIP Meet &amp; Greets</li>
<li>Access to the After Party</li></ul>
Every ticket includes access to all four days of the Championships Event at KeyArena. Tickets will be sold through Ticketmaster beginning this Friday April 4th at 3PM PDT, so check back later for more information.

This year there will be 11 teams invited directly as well as four Regional Qualifiers taking place May 12th through the 25th. The winner of each Qualifier will receive an invitation, with the four runner-ups competing in Seattle for the final spot.

Here's a handy list of times to help you get ready for the sale:
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">Seattle: 15:00 Friday</li>
<li>Rio de Janeiro: 19:00 Friday</li>
<li>London: 23:00 Friday</li>
<li>Moscow: 02:00 Saturday</li>
<li>Beijing: 06:00 Saturday</li>
<li>Singapore: 06:00 Saturday</li>
<li>Seoul: 07:00 Saturday</li>
<li>Sydney: 09:00 Saturday</li></ul>
Don't see your time listed? Here's a sweet <a href="http://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/">time zone converter.</a>

Save the date. This year The International moves to KeyArena, taking place July 18th through the 21st in Seattle.



For those interested in attending there are three types of tickets available:

- General Admission ($99)

- Floor Seats ($199)

- VIP package ($499) that includes:

• Access to all 6 days of Playoffs (formerly Group Stage) taking place on July 8th, before the Championships Event
• Floor Seating
• Exclusive VIP Meet &amp; Greets
• Access to the After Party

Every ticket includes access to all four days of the Championships Event at KeyArena. Tickets will be sold through Ticketmaster beginning this Friday April 4th at 3PM PDT, so check back later for more information.

This year there will be 11 teams invited directly as well as four Regional Qualifiers taking place May 12th through the 25th. The winner of each Qualifier will receive an invitation, with the four runner-ups competing in Seattle for the final spot.

Here's a handy list of times to help you get ready for the sale:

• Seattle: 15:00 Friday
• Rio de Janeiro: 19:00 Friday
• London: 23:00 Friday
• Moscow: 02:00 Saturday
• Beijing: 06:00 Saturday
• Singapore: 06:00 Saturday
• Seoul: 07:00 Saturday
• Sydney: 09:00 Saturday

Don't see your time listed? Here's a sweet time zone converter.

Release Notes for 3/26/2014

[UI]
- Scoreboard changes:
-- Added ability to use mouse cursor in scoreboard.
-- Cursor will be enabled on the scoreboard by default in halftime and endmatch.
-- When alive or spectating, if the scoreboard is visible, the cursor can be enabled by using secondary fire.
-- Players in scoreboards have left click context menus that allow you to commend, report, block communcation, etc.
-- Scoreboard will adjust to the size of the number of players in the match. Max is still 24 players.
-- Combined clan tag and name tag into one field.
- Fixed the CZ-75A icon not showing overhead during freetime.
- Added Commonwealth of Independent States flag, uses alpha 2 code "CC".
- Fixing aspect ratio of a few flags.
- On community servers after mp_swapteams or vote to swap teams the game will also swap team names and flags.


[GAMEPLAY]
- Adjusted the rules for dropping a grenade upon death: you now drop your most recently selected grenade. If you never selected a grenade, you will drop the most expensive one.
- Improved player hitbox alignment.
- Players shot in the head from the side will play a new left or right headshot flinch animation, instead of forward or backward.
- Defuse kit art has been adjusted to make them more visible.


[MISC]
- Reduced client virtual memory usage.
- Fixed an out of memory crash that could occur while downloading workshop maps.
- Fixed a hitch related to inventory icon loading.
- Players that fail to properly validate with VAC will no longer get the generic "Invalid STEAM UserID Ticket" message and instead see "An issue with your computer is blocking the VAC system. You cannot play on secure servers."
- Started a trial of official competitive matchmaking on servers in South Africa.


[MAPS]
- Overpass:
-- Added connector from T water to T tunnels
-- Opened up small concrete hut near Bombsite A
-- Made wood stack near door to A tunnels climbable
-- Made it possible to shoot through wood wall near Bombsite B
-- Made area near fountain in park slightly larger
-- Tweaked environment light

- Dust2:
-- Removed some small gaps between crates in Bombsite B

- Inferno:
-- Added wallbanging on low wall near barbecue (Thanks Spunj!)
-- Revised clipping on balcony near mid

Release Notes for 3/26/2014

[UI]
- Scoreboard changes:
-- Added ability to use mouse cursor in scoreboard.
-- Cursor will be enabled on the scoreboard by default in halftime and endmatch.
-- When alive or spectating, if the scoreboard is visible, the cursor can be enabled by using secondary fire.
-- Players in scoreboards have left click context menus that allow you to commend, report, block communcation, etc.
-- Scoreboard will adjust to the size of the number of players in the match. Max is still 24 players.
-- Combined clan tag and name tag into one field.
- Fixed the CZ-75A icon not showing overhead during freetime.
- Added Commonwealth of Independent States flag, uses alpha 2 code "CC".
- Fixing aspect ratio of a few flags.
- On community servers after mp_swapteams or vote to swap teams the game will also swap team names and flags.


[GAMEPLAY]
- Adjusted the rules for dropping a grenade upon death: you now drop your most recently selected grenade. If you never selected a grenade, you will drop the most expensive one.
- Improved player hitbox alignment.
- Players shot in the head from the side will play a new left or right headshot flinch animation, instead of forward or backward.
- Defuse kit art has been adjusted to make them more visible.


[MISC]
- Reduced client virtual memory usage.
- Fixed an out of memory crash that could occur while downloading workshop maps.
- Fixed a hitch related to inventory icon loading.
- Players that fail to properly validate with VAC will no longer get the generic "Invalid STEAM UserID Ticket" message and instead see "An issue with your computer is blocking the VAC system. You cannot play on secure servers."
- Started a trial of official competitive matchmaking on servers in South Africa.


[MAPS]
- Overpass:
-- Added connector from T water to T tunnels
-- Opened up small concrete hut near Bombsite A
-- Made wood stack near door to A tunnels climbable
-- Made it possible to shoot through wood wall near Bombsite B
-- Made area near fountain in park slightly larger
-- Tweaked environment light

- Dust2:
-- Removed some small gaps between crates in Bombsite B

- Inferno:
-- Added wallbanging on low wall near barbecue (Thanks Spunj!)
-- Revised clipping on balcony near mid

<a href="http://www.dota2.com/leaderboards"><img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/images/blogfiles/blog_leaderboards.jpg" width="100%"></a>

Today the Dota 2 team is introducing <a href="http://www.dota2.com/leaderboards">public leaderboards</a>. These leaderboards show the players with the highest solo MMR in four geographic divisions:

• Americas
  
• Europe and Africa
  
• China
  
• Southeast Asia

Here is an FAQ with some details. (We may need to change the requirements in the future. The latest information will always be on the Leaderboards website.)

<strong>Q. Who is eligible to appear on the leaderboard?</strong>
To qualify, a player must have all of the following:

• At least 300 lifetime matchmade games played. (Unranked or ranked PvP matches only.)
  
• At least 100 lifetime solo ranked games
  
• At least 15 solo ranked games in the last 21 days in the same division
  
• Official player info on file

<strong>Q. How do I know what division I'm in?</strong>
It's the division in which you have played the most solo ranked games in the past 21 days. (In case of a tie, we use the division that has the more recent match.)

<strong>Q. Does a match still qualify towards the recency requirement if somebody abandons, times out due to network problems, etc?</strong>
Yes, provided that MMRs are updated. If the match is thrown out for any reason, then it is not a qualifying match.

<strong>Q. How do I give you my official player info?</strong>
If your solo MMR puts you within reach of a leaderboard, and you meet the eligibility requirements but have not provided your official information, we'll send you a notification in game that will make it possible to provide this information.

<strong>Q. Which server regions are assigned to which divisions?</strong>

• Americas: US West, US East, South America
  
• Europe: Europe West, Europe East, Russia, South Africa
  
• China: Perfect World Telecom, Perfect World Unicom
  
• Southeast Asia: South Korea, SE Asia, Australia

<strong>Q. When are leaderboards updated?</strong>
Daily at 22:00 GMT.

<strong>Q. Where's the global leaderboard?</strong>
The MMR of each division is on a different scale, and comparing MMRs across divisions is not currently meaningful.

<strong>Q. I’m on the leaderboard and I want to change my official information. Is it too late?</strong>
We’ve unlocked everyone’s official information, giving all players one more chance to make edits. Once you enter the information again, it will be locked for a period of time and you will not be able to change it! Please note that there may be a delay of up to one day between the time you change your information and the time the new information shows up on the leaderboard.

Today the Dota 2 team is introducing public leaderboards. These leaderboards show the players with the highest solo MMR in four geographic divisions:

• Americas
  
• Europe and Africa
  
• China
  
• Southeast Asia

Here is an FAQ with some details. (We may need to change the requirements in the future. The latest information will always be on the Leaderboards website.)

Q. Who is eligible to appear on the leaderboard?
To qualify, a player must have all of the following:

• At least 300 lifetime matchmade games played. (Unranked or ranked PvP matches only.)
  
• At least 100 lifetime solo ranked games
  
• At least 15 solo ranked games in the last 21 days in the same division
  
• Official player info on file

Q. How do I know what division I'm in?
It's the division in which you have played the most solo ranked games in the past 21 days. (In case of a tie, we use the division that has the more recent match.)

Q. Does a match still qualify towards the recency requirement if somebody abandons, times out due to network problems, etc?
Yes, provided that MMRs are updated. If the match is thrown out for any reason, then it is not a qualifying match.

Q. How do I give you my official player info?
If your solo MMR puts you within reach of a leaderboard, and you meet the eligibility requirements but have not provided your official information, we'll send you a notification in game that will make it possible to provide this information.

Q. Which server regions are assigned to which divisions?

• Americas: US West, US East, South America
  
• Europe: Europe West, Europe East, Russia, South Africa
  
• China: Perfect World Telecom, Perfect World Unicom
  
• Southeast Asia: South Korea, SE Asia, Australia

Q. When are leaderboards updated?
Daily at 22:00 GMT.

Q. Where's the global leaderboard?
The MMR of each division is on a different scale, and comparing MMRs across divisions is not currently meaningful.

Q. I’m on the leaderboard and I want to change my official information. Is it too late?
We’ve unlocked everyone’s official information, giving all players one more chance to make edits. Once you enter the information again, it will be locked for a period of time and you will not be able to change it! Please note that there may be a delay of up to one day between the time you change your information and the time the new information shows up on the leaderboard.

<a href="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/images/blogfiles/blog_noduplicates_full.jpg"><img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/images/blogfiles/blog_noduplicatesl.jpg" width="100%"></a>

Peek inside any treasure and you'll notice a few changes.

From now on, you will no longer have a chance to receive a duplicate item from opening a treasure multiple times; each time you unseal a treasure, you will find a different item.

In addition to ensuring you won't receive the same item twice, each time you unlock a treasure you will also have a chance to obtain bonus rewards. Bonus rewards are granted in addition to an item found inside a treasure, and some treasures feature multiple bonuses. This means you could gain two or more items each time you open a treasure!

After you have unlocked all items within a treasure, the list of items that can be obtained from opening that treasure is reset and the items can be earned again in a new random order.

Every treasure past and present now ensures that you will not receive duplicates, and has a selection of bonus items. If you've ever hesitated to unseal a treasure, take another look at what they have to offer!

Looking for the perfect treasure to pillage for non-duplicate riches? Try the new Treasures of <a href="http://www.dota2.com/store/itemdetails/15650">Radiant Arms</a> and <a href="http://www.dota2.com/store/itemdetails/15648">Dire Arms</a>. Each unseals to reveal an entire hero set, which include the first sets made available for Lifestealer and Puck. Opening either treasure also gives you a chance to find the Vestments of the Fallen Princess, the first set for Vengeful Spirit, as a bonus reward!

Peek inside any treasure and you'll notice a few changes.

From now on, you will no longer have a chance to receive a duplicate item from opening a treasure multiple times; each time you unseal a treasure, you will find a different item.

In addition to ensuring you won't receive the same item twice, each time you unlock a treasure you will also have a chance to obtain bonus rewards. Bonus rewards are granted in addition to an item found inside a treasure, and some treasures feature multiple bonuses. This means you could gain two or more items each time you open a treasure!

After you have unlocked all items within a treasure, the list of items that can be obtained from opening that treasure is reset and the items can be earned again in a new random order.

Every treasure past and present now ensures that you will not receive duplicates, and has a selection of bonus items. If you've ever hesitated to unseal a treasure, take another look at what they have to offer!

Looking for the perfect treasure to pillage for non-duplicate riches? Try the new Treasures of Radiant Arms and Dire Arms. Each unseals to reveal an entire hero set, which include the first sets made available for Lifestealer and Puck. Opening either treasure also gives you a chance to find the Vestments of the Fallen Princess, the first set for Vengeful Spirit, as a bonus reward!

<a href="http://www.dota2.com/store/itemdetails/20404"><img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/images/blogfiles/blog_image_f2ppack.jpg" width="100%"></a>

Free to Play is almost here, so get your <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/245550/">pre-load started</a> and be ready the moment it’s out.

To commemorate the impending release of our much-anticipated Dota 2 documentary, special items are now available in the Dota store. These items were forged in creative partnership with several pro players and include:

• The “<a href="http://www.dota2.com/store/itemdetails/20402">Forge of the Iron Will</a>” set for Sven, created in partnership with Fear.
  
• The “<a href="http://www.dota2.com/store/itemdetails/20401">Crown of Hell</a>” set for Doom</a>, created in partnership with Hyhy.
  
• The “<a href="http://www.dota2.com/store/itemdetails/20403">Murder of Crows</a>” set for Pudge, created in partnership with Dendi.

Each hero set is available individually, or as part of “<a href="http://www.dota2.com/store/itemdetails/20404">The Free to Play Collector’s Pack</a>” which includes all three item sets in addition to the following bundle exclusives:

• The “Wide Angle” Ward
  
• The “Filmtail” Courier
  
• The “Depth of Field” HUD skin

The hero sets will include custom loading screens, custom particles and custom animations. Each item will be available in Genuine quality for a limited time, so purchase and add these items to your Dota armory soon. A portion of each purchase will go toward the players featured in the documentary.

Visit the <a href="http://www.freetoplaythemovie.com/">Free to Play Website</a> to watch the trailer and learn more about the film.

Free to Play is almost here, so get your pre-load started and be ready the moment it’s out.

To commemorate the impending release of our much-anticipated Dota 2 documentary, special items are now available in the Dota store. These items were forged in creative partnership with several pro players and include:

• The “Forge of the Iron Will” set for Sven, created in partnership with Fear.
  
• The “Crown of Hell” set for Doom

[/url], created in partnership with Hyhy.

The “Murder of Crows” set for Pudge, created in partnership with Dendi.

[/list]
Each hero set is available individually, or as part of “The Free to Play Collector’s Pack” which includes all three item sets in addition to the following bundle exclusives:

• The “Wide Angle” Ward
  
• The “Filmtail” Courier
  
• The “Depth of Field” HUD skin

The hero sets will include custom loading screens, custom particles and custom animations. Each item will be available in Genuine quality for a limited time, so purchase and add these items to your Dota armory soon. A portion of each purchase will go toward the players featured in the documentary.

Visit the Free to Play Website to watch the trailer and learn more about the film.