V1lat stream dota 2 international 2016

How to watch Dota 2’s The International, the biggest esports event of the year

Nearly $25 million is on the line at this year’s tournament.

Even though Fortnite streams and Overwatch leagues seem to be grabbing all the headlines these days, the great grandparent of modern esports competitions, The International, is still the biggest esports event of the year. Since 2011, the world’s biggest Dota 2 tournament has drawn huge audiences. One of the biggest reasons: It has, by far, the biggest prize pool of any esports tournament, currently sitting at roughly $24.5 million — and that sum is likely to go up before the main event begins Monday, Aug. 20.

The International starts with a prize pool of $1.6 million, but Valve offers a Battle Pass for $10 to all players that lets them earn rewards by playing while the competition is going on. Players can earn things like new character skins, new in-game announcer voices, item skins and more. Twenty-five percent of the cost of each Battle Pass is then added to the prize pool over the course of the event. As it stands now, the winning team would take home over $10 million.

The International has already gone through several early rounds, but next week we move into the main event, which runs from August 20 to Friday, August 25.

Fortnite didn’t invent the battle pass, after all.

What is Dota 2?

For those who are unfamiliar with the game, Dota 2 is a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game where two teams of five players square off on a large map, each with a home base (called an Ancient). The two teams go to battle to try to ultimately destroy the other team’s Ancient and win the game.

Though it might sound easy, it’s an extremely complex game that’s difficult to learn and extremely hard to master. There are more than 100 heroes to choose from, each with a suite of unique special abilities. As you play, you earn gold you can use to buy items over the course of the game that will add to your stats and abilities. Knowing which items to buy and combine to maximize your hero’s powers takes time to learn, and that’s before you even talk about the strategy of controlling battle lanes, how to engage in battles with your specific hero against different heroes and how to work with a team to control the playing field and finally destroy your opponents’ Ancient.

With all that said, when a team knows what it’s doing, a match can turn on a dime making a tournament between pro teams especially exciting. And since The International is the biggest Dota 2 tournament of the year, there’s a good chance you’ll be watching the best of the best.

How to watch the International

There are a few different ways to get in on the action. You can watch live through Steam Broadcasting, get on Twitch (no login required) or go to a place near where you live that hosts Pubstomp events. But the best way to watch, especially if you already play the game, is to watch from within the Dota 2 client itself.

By watching from within the game, you can change cameras at will, follow specific players if you have favorites, and you can listen to a multicast in English, Chinese or Russian that offers up highlights of matches as they’re being played.

Or, if you happen to be lucky enough to find yourself in the possession of a ticket to the in-person event, The International will be held at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada. V1lat stream dota 2 international 2016

Every game starts off slowly, but once it gets going it can get crazy.

The International 2016: How, when and where to stream the ‘Dota 2’ world championships

Dota 2 The International 2014.jpg

In this photo from the “Dota 2” International tournament in 2014, players cluster around the big cheese, one of the prizes in the final round.

(Image courtesy of The International via Flickr)

While much of the world has its eyes on Rio and the 2016 Olympic games, another high-stakes competition is wrapping up in Seattle Friday and Saturday.

This contest also features representatives from all over the world. Nobody goes home with medals, but the winning team does split nearly $9 million in prize money.

It’s The International — the world championship tournament for the video game, “Dota 2.”

That’s right: esports are big enough business that professional video game players are competing for a slice of a $20 million prize. Even ESPN is getting involved. The sports network is carrying the tournament exclusively among cable providers.

Tickets to the actual event at Key Arena in Seattle have long since been sold out, but there are plenty of ways to stream the action online.

The easiest way to watch is probably through the “Dota 2” channel on Twitch. Fortunately, there’s no subscription required. It’s also streamable on YouTube. (We’ve embedded a live feed at the bottom of this post.)

ESPN is also streaming matches through its web client — you won’t be able to catch the “Dota 2” championships on TV. And in order to watch the final matches unfold on ESPN’s servers, you’ll need to punch in your subscription information.

For those feeling particularly adventurous, the game has enabled VR spectatorship through Steam. Polygon’s Ben Kuchera has a guide on how to download the patch to do so with a few of his impressions.

So, what’s “Dota 2?” In the simplest sense, it’s a video game where players try strive to destroy an opponent’s home base. Players choose one of about a hundred playable heroes to either attack or support others on the field until they’re victorious.

If you’ve ever played a “Diablo” game, it’s much like that only faster and with more human enemies gunning you down.

There’s a bit more to it than that, which this YouTube video does a decent job of explaining. Fort those interested in trying the game out and playing with other people online, Polygon’s Arthur Gies has a great guide for that.

It’s also completely free to play, with certain downloadable content and cosmetic items available for a fee. “Dota 2” is exclusively available on Steam.

This is who’s still in the running for the $9 million jackpot and the rounds they’re playing:

Lower Bracket Round 4
Fnatic — Malaysia [?] [?]
MVP Phoenix — South Korea [?] [?]

Lower Bracket Round 5
Digital Chaos — USA [?] [?]
Winner of Round 4 between Fnatic and MVP Phoenix

Upper Bracket finals
Wings Gaming — China [?] [?]
Evil Geniuses — USA [?] [?]

The winner of the Lower Bracket’s fifth round and Upper Bracket finals moves on to Saturday’s big game.