Dota 2 News

Today, we permanently banned over 40,000 accounts that were using third-party software to cheat in Dota over the last few weeks. This software was able to access information used internally by the Dota client that wasn't visible during normal gameplay, giving the cheater an unfair advantage.

While fixing the underlying issues that made these cheats possible was a priority, we have also decided to remove these bad actors from the active Dota playerbase.

With that goal in mind, we released a patch as soon as we understood the method these cheats were using. This patch created a honeypot: a section of data inside the game client that would never be read during normal gameplay, but that could be read by these exploits. Each of the accounts banned today read from this "secret" area in the client, giving us extremely high confidence that every ban was well-deserved.

The prevalence of this family of cheats means that today's ban wave is particularly large, but it's only the latest action in an ongoing campaign. While the battle against cheaters and cheat developers often takes place in the shadows, we wanted to make this example visible, and use it to make our position clear: If you are running any application that reads data from the Dota client as you're playing games, your account can be permanently banned from playing Dota. This includes professional players, who will be banned from all Valve competitive events.

Dota is a game best enjoyed when played on an even field, where victories are earned by skill and tenacity. We expect that some players will continue to develop and use new exploits, to continue to try to gain unfair advantages at the expense of other players. As before, we will continue to detect and remove these exploits as they come, and continue to ban users who cheat.

Lastly, we'd like to thank those who offered their time and energy to help us resolve this — from those who reported a player acting suspiciously in-game, to those who reviewed overwatch cases where this behavior was observed. Thank you for helping to make Dota a better experience for everyone.

The 2023 DPC Winter Tour regional showdowns have nearly concluded, and soon the top 18 teams in the world will converge on Peru to compete in the culminating event of the first tour: The Lima Major, presented by 4D Esports. As the first-ever South American DPC Major, we are excited to share the excitement of live Dota with an eager audience of long-standing fans.

Dota fans everywhere can catch all the action online as the Group Stage runs February 22 - 26, setting the stage for the Playoffs to follow February 28 - March 5. Dive into all of the tournament teams and standings throughout the event at www.dota2.com/esports.

[h2]Supporters Club Sale[/h2]
As the Major approaches, show your fan pride and unlock custom equippables by purchasing your favorite team's Supporters Club, now 75% off until the end of the Winter Tour. As always, 50% of every Supporters Club sale goes directly to the team.

[h2]Fantasy & Player Cards[/h2]
With the conclusion of the regional leagues and the start of the Major, Fantasy has been adjusted for the different format. As with the previous Majors, Player Card packs now contain only players from Major-qualified teams, and Fantasy will run daily instead of weekly. If you're new to Fantasy or just need a refresher, check out this Fantasy rundown from the start of the Tour.

[h2]Looking Ahead[/h2]
Once the Major Champions have been crowned and the Tour comes to a close, we look forward to unveiling our next update on March 6th.

As a frosty Diretide draws to a close, we welcome both a new year and the heralded return of competitive Dota.

Fans everywhere are invited to tune in as the 2023 DPC Season commences with the Winter Tour. The action kicks off today with the start of regional play in China, and the remaining five regions are set to follow on Sunday, January 8. Track the full schedule and standings throughout the season over at our esports hub.

Cheer on your favorite teams around the world as they fight to score crucial DPC points and coveted spots at three Major tournaments that await on the road to The International. Teams that excel in the Winter Tour will advance to the Lima Major, hosted by 4D Esports. The Spring Tour will provide further opportunity with the Berlin Major, hosted by ESL, and the Summer Tour will wrap play with the Bali Major, hosted by IO Esports.

While history has shown that unforeseen underdogs can certainly vie for the Aegis at The International, these DPC Tours offer the most reliable path for consistent teams to secure invitations to this year's crowning event.

[h2]Winter Tour Fandom[/h2]
To celebrate the fervor of fandom, today's update includes a fresh season of Supporters Club Bundles and Fantasy play for the Winter Tour.

[h3]Supporters Clubs[/h3]
Teams who submit content to feature in a Supporters Club bundle receive 50% of all of their team's bundle sales. Fans who choose to support teams will receive increasing amounts of content provided by their favorite team(s), depending on the tier purchased:

Bronze Tier
- A badge for your favorite team, which will appear in your friends list, player profile, Versus Screen, and in-game scoreboard (swappable if you purchase more than one team's bundle)
- 1 Team Fantasy Player Pack
- 1 Basic Fantasy Player Pack

Silver Tier
- All the perks of the Bronze Club
- Sprays to liven up your map and Loading Screens
- 2 additional Team Player Card Packs
- 6 additional Basic Player Card Packs

Gold Tier
- All of the perks of the Bronze and Silver Clubs
- A special in-game HP-bar badge, as well as Emoticons and Chat Wheel Lines to proclaim your allegiance in-game
- 3 additional Team Player Card Packs
- 7 additional Basic Player Card Packs

Note: Content is subject to availability based on a team's content submission.


[h3]Fantasy Rules Recap[/h3]
If you're new to Fantasy or might like a refresher, peruse this recap before you unpack your cards and play. You can also check the How to Play breakdown in the FANTASY section of the client for full details.

The Basics
For each weeklong period, fans set a Fantasy roster made up of two Core Player Cards, one Mid Player Card, and two Support Player Cards. Player Cards on a roster score Fantasy points based on how well they perform in that period's matches. Silver & Gold Cards have stat bonuses that earn more points.

Player Card Packs
All players have been granted 10 starter packs claimable on the DPC menu under the Watch tab. Additional Player Card Packs can be earned daily by winning a game of Dota. Team Packs will be available for purchase directly from the PLAYER CARDS tab in the WATCH section as teams submit their Supporters Club bundles in the near future.

When you open a pack you'll receive player cards from the specific region you have selected.

Regional Fantasy
Each DPC region is its own Fantasy league with its own player cards and unique lineup. You may choose to participate in multiple regional leagues, and you will earn Fantasy Levels based on your best fantasy league performance for the period. For instance, if you place in the top 10% of one league and the top 50% of another, you will receive the points for the top 10% placement. Region rewards do not stack.

At the end of each period, you will earn levels based on the Fantasy points for that period. Rewards will be unlocked based on your current overall Fantasy Level.

Scoring Matches
All Division I matches during the Winter 2023 Tour are eligible for Fantasy play. The highest scoring two games of a best-of-three count towards a player's score. If a team plays more than one series during a period, only their highest-scoring series will count.

Players that score in the top 100%/50%/25%/10% will earn 1/2/3/4 Fantasy Levels. Each level grants 350 Shards, and every fourth level doubles the prize to 700 Shards.

Once your lineups are set, make sure to follow all of the upcoming action in the Watch section of the client or on the DPC homepage.