Dota 2: Valve launches 2022 Swag Bag to celebrate The International 11 Final
Valve celebrates the final of The International 11 tournament with the launch of The International 2022 Swag Bag. Dota 2 players can claim the Swag Bag and receive a free arcana, Battle Pass or Dota Plus subscription.
Players can get a Swag Bag for free by playing 10 matches in Dota 2. After redeeming the bag, players will receive 30 days of Dota Plus, which will allow players to access in-depth game stats. Players will also receive rare Arcanas, cosmetic items in Dota 2.
However, the Swag Bag does not offer Battle Pass Arcanas such as IO, Earthshaker, Queen of Pain, Wraith King and Windranger. Players also cannot trade or put their free Arcanas on the market.
Valve will also give a free Battle Pass for players who do not have it, but players who already bought a Battle Pass will receive 24 Battle Pass levels.
“As we announced in June with the Battle Report update, our goal is to harness the excitement of The International Grand Finals and ensure that the days and weeks following the event’s conclusion offer fans the very best time to play Dota,” Valve said.
“To that end, today we’re unveiling The International 2022 Swag Bag, a free giveaway for all Dota players.”
Players have encountered some difficulties when claiming their Swag Bags. Some reported that the option to claim a Swag Bag did not appear despite completing the requirements. This bug is also present on other claimable items like Fantasy Player Packs.
Other players encountered a pop-up for “Unknown error (error 7)” when trying to purchase the battle pass or other items. Valve said they were solving these issues.
Fans question Valve’s motive
While most players seem to appreciate Valve’s generous rewards, some cynical fans claim that Valve is trying to gain back some good opinions from the Dota community. The community and Valve have had a strained relationship in recent times due to the lowering quality of Battle Passes.
Unlike previous Battle Passes, the 2022 Battle Pass is divided into two parts. Part I has been released and will last until November 2, while Part II will start on November 3 and end on January 12.
Many players are unhappy with the new Battle Pass because they need to reach level 495 to obtain all major rewards. Players can only reach level 103 without dipping into their wallets. This means players have to purchase levels if they want to get Crystal Maiden’s Conduit of the Blue Heart Persona, which can be obtained on level 148.
Players expressed their dissatisfaction by not buying the 2022 Battle Pass. Battle Pass sales can be seen from the state of the TI11 prize pool, with 25 percent of the sales going into it. TI9 had $8 million, while TI10 got $8.7 million, but TI11 only has $7.6 million.
Fans have also shared their dissatisfaction with The International tournament. They are not impressed with the production quality of the early stages. They dislike the remote panels and poor casting, saying that the working crew does not put in their best work. Fans are also unhappy with the tournament for its betting sponsors.