Valve adds optional 'Plus' paid subscription to free-to-play Dota 2

Valve’s free-to-play MOBA Dota 2 now offers its players a $3.99 paid Dota Plus subscription for access to additional in-game features and utilities.

Typically, Dota 2 has monetized through the sale of optional cosmetic skins, announcer voices, or new characters so the addition of an optional paid subscription to the longtime free-to-play game is a notable change.

And while a number of the new features offered to subscribers are also purely cosmetic, the plan includes access to an in-game digital advisor that gives paying players on-the-fly advice for character selection, item builds, and ability upgrades.

The Dota Plus system is an evolution of Valve's past, limited-time Majors Battle Pass and grants players access to new character-specific progression, challenges, and rewards for the duration of their subscription. Completing those new tasks rewards players with things like new voice line slots or the in-game currency needed to pick up Plus-exclusive items from the store.

But perhaps the most interesting new offering included with the monthly subscription is access to the Plus Assistant, an in-game utility that provides players with a more detailed record of their own past play statistics and data-driven suggestions for things like items and abilities mid-match. During Dota 2 matches, the tool uses data gathered from the whole of past Dota 2 games to indicate items that best suit a player’s current loadout and suggest ability upgrades based on current in-game situations.

The new subscription option rolls out today for $3.99 a month.