What is Dota Plus?

If you're new to Dota 2 or just play the game casually, chances are you know little to nothing about Dota Plus. It’s a subscription service that offers extra information on various game mechanics and provides exclusive rewards.

With patch 7.39 introducing new perks to Dota Plus, we thought it was the perfect time to break down everything this service offers. Let’s explore the key features, how they can improve your gameplay, and how to subscribe.

Remember the golden years when we had Battle Passes almost all year round? – Credit: Dota 2

Dota Plus: An Evolution of the Battle Pass

If you've been around since the early days of the Dota Pro Circuit, you’ll remember when each Major had its own Battle Pass. These lasted about three months, with three Majors and The International per year, meaning players had a Battle Pass nearly year-round.

Even better, items earned from Battle Passes could be sold on the Community Market to fund your next one. Many players see this era as the golden age of Dota 2.

Instead of a Cavern Crawl, we now have quests. – Credit: Dota 2

Now, Valve positions Dota Plus as the spiritual successor to those Battle Passes. Instead of the traditional Cavern Crawl, Dota Plus offers a series of quests that reward you with Shards.

Shards and Perks

Shards are an in-game currency used to buy a variety of rewards: treasures, hero sets, hero relics, voice lines, kill streak effects, and cosmetic tools. You can access the Shard store by clicking the Dota Plus logo, located to the left of the quit button (top right of the home screen in-game).

Initially exclusive to subscribers, shards are now also available to free players — though subscribers receive additional quests, more shards, and extra perks.

The Dota Plus Shop features items ranging from 2,000 to 150,000 shards in value. – Credit: Dota 2

Sometimes, you’ll see a hero set in-game that isn’t available on the Community Market. More often than not, it comes from the Dota Plus Shard shop.

The Three Core Features of Dota Plus

The Dota Plus subscription is built around three main pillars:

• Hero Progression
• The Plus Assistant
• Rewards and Benefits

Hero Progression

• Hero Levels: Earn XP by playing matches with each hero. As heroes level up, you unlock badges and Shard rewards.
• Hero-Specific Challenges: Complete challenges unique to each hero to earn additional XP and sharpen your gameplay with that hero.
• Hero Relics: Each hero has 14 Relics (10 Common, 4 Rare) that track hero-specific achievements and stats, visible during matches and displayed on your profile.
• Hero Chat Wheel: Unlock exclusive voice lines for your favorite heroes and use them in-game via the chat wheel.

These challenges are designed to guide you toward playing your heroes more effectively. Rather than simply grinding for shards, paying attention to what the challenges teach can lead to meaningful improvement.

The Unstable Concoction relic encourages you to hit multiple targets. – Credit: Dota 2

The experience is akin to having a coach silently guiding your decisions and rewarding your learning curve.

Plus Assistant

The Dota Plus Assistant provides real-time recommendations powered by data from millions of recent games:

• Item Suggestions: Get in-game recommendations tailored to your lane and situation, helping you adapt builds dynamically.
• Skill Build Suggestions: See the best skill build paths based on matchups and current trends for your hero.
• Hero Suggestions: During draft, the Assistant suggests heroes that synergize with your team or counter the enemy lineup.
• Death Summary: Analyze how you died in detail — which spells hit you, how much damage you took, and from what sources.
• Post-Game Analytics: Compare your performance to others at your skill level, identify strengths and weaknesses, and track your growth.

Thanks to patch 7.39, the Plus Assistant now updates its suggestions in real-time. Even if you deviate from the initial build or make an unusual purchase, the Assistant adapts and recalculates your best path forward.

Don't be afraid to experiment with builds anymore. – Credit: Dota 2

Beyond that, the Dota Plus subscription also includes the Battle Report, a feature that gives you a comprehensive summary of your seasonal performance. It highlights both your strengths and areas where you can improve, making it an excellent tool for players looking to grow.

For instance, over the course of 81 matches played with just 5 different heroes, on the image below, the highest win streak was 5 games, and the lane win rate stood at a solid 61.7%.

This was probably the best thing Valve has ever added to Dota Plus. – Credit: Dota 2

With metrics like max hero damage (66,663 with Crystal Maiden), max assists (30 with Lich), and max GPM (510 with Crystal Maiden) all tracked, you can pinpoint which heroes and playstyles yield the best results — and which need refining.

This feature is especially useful for identifying which hero you should invest more time in. When combined with replay reviews, this kind of data insight is the next best thing to having a personal coach. With consistency and focus, it can significantly improve your gameplay over time.

Rewards and Benefits

• Weekly Reward: Win three matches per week to earn 1,000 Shards.
• Shard Store: Spend your Shards on exclusive Dota Plus rewards like hero sets, Relics, and seasonal treasures.
• Weekly Battle Cup: Play in competitive team tournaments every week for a chance to win up to 20,000 Shards. Dota Plus members can enter for free.
• Seasonal Terrains: Access and equip seasonal map terrains for visual variety during your games.
• Tipping: Show appreciation (or not) by tipping players (allies or enemies) for great plays. Tips cost you nothing but give others bonus Shards.
• Customization Tools: Use tools like the Artificer's Hammer to modify item sockets or Name Tags to personalize your gear.
• Live Match Spectating: Instantly jump into live games your friends are playing and spectate without delay from their team’s perspective.

These features ensure that your in-game progress and performance are consistently recognized and rewarded, whether you're grinding solo or playing with friends.

How Much Does It Cost?

Dota Plus is available as a monthly subscription service, offering flexible pricing based on how long you'd like to commit:

• $3.99 USD per month
• $22.99 USD for 6 months (saving you about 6%)
• $41.99 USD for 12 months (around 12% off the monthly price)

Subscriptions can be extended at any time, and gifting a subscription to a friend is just as easy.

You can gift or extend a subscription with ease. – Credit: Dota 2

Occasionally, Valve includes Dota Plus time as a reward in limited-time events, like Crownfall. Even if you don’t have an active subscription, you can still earn Shards and level up your heroes — although your hero levels will be capped at level 5 unless you subscribe.

If you're interested, you can subscribe directly through the in-game client by clicking the gold “Plus” button at the top right corner, or visit the official Dota Plus page for more information.

We’ll continue bringing you the latest news on mechanics, patches, roster changes, DreamLeague Season 26 and more — so keep checking the Strafe website for all things Dota 2!

Featured Image Source: Dota 2