Valve’s TI10 Compendium completely FREE and arrives with new features

With The International 2021 just a few weeks away, Valve has released an update to the game client that includes a free TI10 Compendium.

The content patch itself dropped late in the afternoon on Thursday, immediately following the announcement of when tickets to the event would go on sale.

Just like the years past, the TI10 Compendium is a virtual companion of sorts. Think Survival Guide packed with nifty features any spectator of The International would want. Through the Compendium, users take on a series of challenges in order to earn Compendium Points. These points unlock cosmetic items, all of which take on the gold and black trim of this year's theme.

According the the Compendium's in-game description, the full lineup of cosmetics will be revealed closer to the group stage.

What sets this one apart from previous Compendiums, though, is that it's completely free, and doesn't require the purchase of a Battle Pass to access. The TI9 Battle Pass for example was priced at $9.99 for the base package. This change is likely due to the fact that the proceeds from the TI10 Battle Pass in 2021 are already locked in when it comes to the prize pool. It may also be a response to community opinion on the cosmetic rewards from Dota Plus this year, which were seen as recycled content.

Either way, the TI10 Compendium costing absolutely nothing to use is something the Dota 2 community will definitely appreciate. And besides, it's not like Valve haven't made enough money with TI10 — they raked in a whopping $120 million in sales with the Battle Pass last year.

The Fantasy Draft works the same way as in the last few iterations of the International. Users are given ten free player card packs to start with. For each day of TI10 itself, users can then assign player cards to each position in their Fantasy Draft team.

Any active player cards in a user's team will earn them fantasy points based on their performances throughout each day. This is done through tallying individual stats, such as First Bloods scored, Observer Wards planted, tower kills, and more. Teams may not, however, be changed in the middle of each day of competition. Users must lock in their choices before play starts each day as a result.

Players that participate in Fantasy Draft will earn Compendium Points, with more points in store for those with drafts that perform particularly well.

Predictions make their return in this year's Compendium, as is tradition. The game is simple: users forecast how the event will play out in terms of match results. Correct predictions earn Compendium Points. Both the Group Stage and Main Event are included in this challenge.

In line with the tournament's rapid approach, Valve has also implemented several new visual features to Dota 2. Players will find that the in-game interface now has more indicators, icons, and other useful marks. For example, the timer of Aegis of the Immortal and shared Tangoes now show in each hero's inventory. The same goes for Black King Bar and its current duration. Players can also now ping Aegis of the Immortal, in order to broadcast its remaining time to their allies.

Power Runes also indicate where they spawn now with a corresponding popup. Presumably, though, this requires vision of at least one of the two spawn locations, as normally the fog of war hides this information.

Other minor changes include improvements to the graphs in spectator mode and the post-game screen, additional camera options, and more. For a full rundown of the additions to the client, check out the full announcement post.

The International 10 will kick off on October 7th, at the Arena Națională in Bucharest, Romania.

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