After an eventful and competitive wintertide season, Dota 2 welcomes the advance of spring's renewal as this week's patch brings the release of the 6.87 gameplay update. With changes to Ranked All Pick, the addition of a minimap Scan ability, new items, and a host of other balance adjustments, there's a lot to explore in the 6.87 change log.



After reading through the patch notes, head over to the Test client to try the changes out before it hits the main client in a day or two.

Along with the update, this week will also see the start of The Manila Major Qualifiers, with Chinese Open Qualifiers hosted by ESL and the Americas, Southeast Asia and Europe Open Qualifiers hosted by Faceit running April 29th - May 2nd and Regional Qualifiers following May 3rd - 6th.

After an eventful and competitive wintertide season, Dota 2 welcomes the advance of spring's renewal as this week's patch brings the release of the 6.87 gameplay update. With changes to Ranked All Pick, the addition of a minimap Scan ability, new items, and a host of other balance adjustments, there's a lot to explore in the 6.87 change log.



After reading through the patch notes, head over to the Test client to try the changes out before it hits the main client in a day or two.

Along with the update, this week will also see the start of The Manila Major Qualifiers, with Chinese Open Qualifiers hosted by ESL and the Americas, Southeast Asia and Europe Open Qualifiers hosted by Faceit running April 29th - May 2nd and Regional Qualifiers following May 3rd - 6th.

Returning to Seattle’s KeyArena, The International Dota 2 Championship once again brings the world’s top Dota teams together to battle for the Aegis of Champions, with the main event set to run for 6 days from Monday August 8th through Saturday August 13th.

Tickets will go on sale April 7th at 10:00 AM and 10:00 PM Seattle Time, and this year’s competition will offer two ticket options. The Midweek ticket—available for $75—will grant attendance to the first four days of the event August 8th – 11th, and includes access to the opening ceremony and the All-Star match. The Finals ticket—available for $100—will grant access to the last two days of the main event, August 12th and 13th. Both ticket options can be purchased in a single order.

As a special bonus to fans attending the event, we will be dropping unique in-game items to audience members inside of the arena. At First Blood in each individual game, 500 exclusive Attendee Treasures will drop, each containing visually-unique versions of this year’s Secret Shop Immortals. To be eligible, you must have a badge linked to a Steam account and be in the arena when First Blood occurs.

For fans with only the Midweek ticket, we’re also providing a free large outdoor viewing area on the KeyArena grounds where you’ll be able to watch the final two days.

You can check out the Ticketing FAQ here.

Tickets will be available via Ticketmaster. We recommend that you prepare your Ticketmaster account and log in before tickets go on sale to help ensure a smooth purchasing experience. If you are unsure when tickets will go on sale in your time zone, please use this handy time zone converter.

• Seattle: April 7th at 10AM and 10PM
  
• Rio de Janeiro: April 7th at 2PM and April 8th at 2AM
  
• London: April 7th at 6PM and April 8th at 6AM
  
• Berlin: April 7th at 7PM and April 8th at 7AM
  
• Moscow: April 7th at 8PM and April 8th at 8AM
  
• Beijing: April 8th at 1AM and 1PM
  
• Singapore: April 8th at 1AM and 1PM
  
• Seoul: April 8th at 2AM and 2PM
  
• Sydney: April 8th at 3AM and 3PM

The International Qualifiers will be held after completion of The Manila Major, with Open Qualifiers kicking off June 21st and the Regional Qualifiers following on June 25th.

Returning to Seattle’s KeyArena, The International Dota 2 Championship once again brings the world’s top Dota teams together to battle for the Aegis of Champions, with the main event set to run for 6 days from Monday August 8th through Saturday August 13th.

Tickets will go on sale April 7th at 10:00 AM and 10:00 PM Seattle Time, and this year’s competition will offer two ticket options. The Midweek ticket—available for $75—will grant attendance to the first four days of the event August 8th – 11th, and includes access to the opening ceremony and the All-Star match. The Finals ticket—available for $100—will grant access to the last two days of the main event, August 12th and 13th. Both ticket options can be purchased in a single order.

As a special bonus to fans attending the event, we will be dropping unique in-game items to audience members inside of the arena. At First Blood in each individual game, 500 exclusive Attendee Treasures will drop, each containing visually-unique versions of this year’s Secret Shop Immortals. To be eligible, you must have a badge linked to a Steam account and be in the arena when First Blood occurs.

For fans with only the Midweek ticket, we’re also providing a free large outdoor viewing area on the KeyArena grounds where you’ll be able to watch the final two days.

You can check out the Ticketing FAQ here.

Tickets will be available via Ticketmaster. We recommend that you prepare your Ticketmaster account and log in before tickets go on sale to help ensure a smooth purchasing experience. If you are unsure when tickets will go on sale in your time zone, please use this handy time zone converter.

• Seattle: April 7th at 10AM and 10PM
  
• Rio de Janeiro: April 7th at 2PM and April 8th at 2AM
  
• London: April 7th at 6PM and April 8th at 6AM
  
• Berlin: April 7th at 7PM and April 8th at 7AM
  
• Moscow: April 7th at 8PM and April 8th at 8AM
  
• Beijing: April 8th at 1AM and 1PM
  
• Singapore: April 8th at 1AM and 1PM
  
• Seoul: April 8th at 2AM and 2PM
  
• Sydney: April 8th at 3AM and 3PM

The International Qualifiers will be held after completion of The Manila Major, with Open Qualifiers kicking off June 21st and the Regional Qualifiers following on June 25th.

As the snows of winter recede and the river ice turns to slush, it's time to clear the lanes and climb the towers for Dota 2's vigorous yearly cleaning.

Featuring a variety of bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements, the Spring Cleaning 2016 update will arrive this week, bringing with it hero-specific ability bindings, camera control group hotkeys, Neutral Creep spawn box indicators, and much more.

Check out the update page for some highlights and a complete list of changes.

As the snows of winter recede and the river ice turns to slush, it's time to clear the lanes and climb the towers for Dota 2's vigorous yearly cleaning.

Featuring a variety of bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements, the Spring Cleaning 2016 update will arrive this week, bringing with it hero-specific ability bindings, camera control group hotkeys, Neutral Creep spawn box indicators, and much more.

Check out the update page for some highlights and a complete list of changes.

Tickets for The Manila Major—the third and final Major this season in advance of The International 2016—will go on sale Saturday, March 12 at 1PM SGT. This Major will be produced by PGL, with the main event to take place June 7 - 12 in the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines. With three seating tiers available, pricing for event tickets will be ₱200/100/50 per day for the weekdays, and ₱400/200/100 per day for the weekend days.

Watch the trailer

With an eye towards The Manila Major Qualifiers, running May 3 - 6 with Open Qualifiers on April 29 - May 2, all teams must finalize roster changes by March 27. Rosters will remain locked from that date through completion of play at The International, making this the final opportunity for players and teams to choose their squads for the remainder of the competitive season.

Looking ahead to The International 2016, Regional Qualifiers will be held in the second half of June, right after conclusion of The Manila Major, with the Main Event set for early August in Seattle to determine which team will carry the Aegis of Champions into the next year.

Tickets for The Manila Major—the third and final Major this season in advance of The International 2016—will go on sale Saturday, March 12 at 1PM SGT. This Major will be produced by PGL, with the main event to take place June 7 - 12 in the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines. With three seating tiers available, pricing for event tickets will be ₱200/100/50 per day for the weekdays, and ₱400/200/100 per day for the weekend days.

Watch the trailer

With an eye towards The Manila Major Qualifiers, running May 3 - 6 with Open Qualifiers on April 29 - May 2, all teams must finalize roster changes by March 27. Rosters will remain locked from that date through completion of play at The International, making this the final opportunity for players and teams to choose their squads for the remainder of the competitive season.

Looking ahead to The International 2016, Regional Qualifiers will be held in the second half of June, right after conclusion of The Manila Major, with the Main Event set for early August in Seattle to determine which team will carry the Aegis of Champions into the next year.

Congratulations to Team Secret, winners of the second Dota 2 Major Championship. Having now appeared in consecutive Major Grand Finals, Secret advanced through the Upper Bracket with wins over OG and EG—each recent champions themselves—and a determined Team Liquid. Liquid would later defeat EG in the Lower Bracket Finals to set up a thrilling rematch in the Grand Finals, where Secret turned in a convincing 3-1 series win to claim first prize. After this championship showing in Shanghai, Secret fans must have their hopes set on similar celebrations in the future.



While there were amazing performances by all of the teams participating in the Shanghai Major, we recognize that the viewing experience and the overall execution of the event were very disappointing. Dota fans and professional players alike have high expectations for a Major event—expectations that we share—and it is ultimately our responsibility to make sure those expectations are met and exceeded. A Dota Major should be a celebration of the amazing community that shepherded the game from humble origins to the global passion it has become. Disappointment should come from the elimination of a favorite team in a hard-fought match, not from the experience of just trying to watch a game you love. With that in mind, we will be increasing our involvement moving forward to ensure that future events deliver a high-quality experience.

Congratulations to Team Secret, winners of the second Dota 2 Major Championship. Having now appeared in consecutive Major Grand Finals, Secret advanced through the Upper Bracket with wins over OG and EG—each recent champions themselves—and a determined Team Liquid. Liquid would later defeat EG in the Lower Bracket Finals to set up a thrilling rematch in the Grand Finals, where Secret turned in a convincing 3-1 series win to claim first prize. After this championship showing in Shanghai, Secret fans must have their hopes set on similar celebrations in the future.



While there were amazing performances by all of the teams participating in the Shanghai Major, we recognize that the viewing experience and the overall execution of the event were very disappointing. Dota fans and professional players alike have high expectations for a Major event—expectations that we share—and it is ultimately our responsibility to make sure those expectations are met and exceeded. A Dota Major should be a celebration of the amazing community that shepherded the game from humble origins to the global passion it has become. Disappointment should come from the elimination of a favorite team in a hard-fought match, not from the experience of just trying to watch a game you love. With that in mind, we will be increasing our involvement moving forward to ensure that future events deliver a high-quality experience.