Dota Plus: What the Subscription Officially Includes
Contents
Dota Plus is Valve’s paid subscription, and unlike most other topics in this series, there’s one clear, detailed official document for it — the dota2.com/plus page. That’s a rare case where a Valve marketing page contains genuinely specific numbers, so this article has noticeably more of them than usual.
Price and subscription terms
- Base price. A monthly subscription costs 173 hryvnias per month at the official price listed on the page.
- Discounts for longer terms. Signing up for 6 months gives a 6% discount off the base price, and 12 months gives a 12% discount.
- Flexible non-recurring periods. The page also mentions the option to buy a subscription for a set term without automatic renewal — an alternative to a standing monthly payment.
What’s specifically included in the subscription
Hero progress. Players earn XP per match on a specific hero, which unlocks badge levels. Every new level unlocks new hero chat wheel lines and awards shards.
Hero-Specific Challenges. Personal tasks tied to a specific hero, with three difficulty tiers — the higher the tier, the more XP it grants.
Hero Relics. The official description lists 14 relics — 10 Common and 4 Rare. They track battlefield achievements (kills, damage, control) and are activated with earned shards.
Plus Assistant. A real-time hint tool: item recommendations, ability build order, and matchup guidance against enemy heroes; separately described is “Death Summary” — a step-by-step timeline of your character’s death for reviewing mistakes, along with post-match comparative stats and a win-probability graph for spectators.
Battle Cup. Weekly weekend-format tournaments, officially described as free access for all Dota Plus subscribers.
Tipping. Lets you reward an ally within a match. The official limit: up to three tips of 50 shards per game, and no more than ten tips total per week.
Weekly reward. Winning three matches earns a subscriber an extra 1,000 shards toward their reward vault.
Welcome bonus. New subscribers are officially offered the chance to earn up to 20,000+ shards through Welcome Quests.
For how shards and items relate to the regular game economy without a subscription, see our piece on starting items and first purchases.
Why this matters to a newcomer
Formally, Dota Plus isn’t required to play: Steam separately confirms that everything needed to play is available for free from your first match. But the official description of Plus Assistant shows the subscription is specifically aimed at a learning function — real-time item and ability hints can be useful during the learning stage of the game just as much as for experienced players who’ve already settled on their own strategy.
What is officially not stated
- Whether the price varies by region. The page shows a price in hryvnias for this view; whether it’s the same across all countries isn’t clarified in the official text.
- The full list of all Welcome Quests. Only the total shard ceiling is given, not a list of specific tasks and their individual rewards.
- Relic duration and whether they can be lost. The official description explains that relics are activated with shards, but doesn’t detail their duration or whether they can be replaced.
- Whether the subscription can be canceled at any time. Cancellation and refund terms aren’t described on this page — for those questions, it’s worth checking Steam support.
What to check next
Since Dota Plus is a paid product, the most important thing is to check the price directly on the official page before paying, since marketing figures can change. The broader context of which heroes and mechanics are available for free without a subscription is covered in our piece on heroes for beginners.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Dota Plus cost?
Per the official dota2.com/plus page, a monthly subscription costs 173 hryvnias per month. Signing up for 6 months gives a 6% discount, and 12 months gives a 12% discount off the base monthly price.
What is Plus Assistant?
It's a set of real-time hints: item recommendations, ability build order, and guidance against enemy heroes, plus a Death Summary with a step-by-step timeline of a death. It's an officially described subscription feature, not a separate paid add-on.
What are Relics in Dota Plus?
The official description names 14 relics — 10 Common and 4 Rare. They track in-game achievements like kills or damage dealt and are activated using shards earned through hero progress.
Can you earn shards for free without a subscription?
The official page describes shard-earning mechanics specifically within the Dota Plus subscription — for example, a weekly reward of 1,000 shards for winning three matches. The official description doesn't mention free access to these same mechanics outside the subscription.
Is there a limit on the tipping feature?
Yes. The official limit is up to three tips of 50 shards per game, and no more than ten tips total per week.