Patch 7.41e, Supporter Bundles, Fantasy, and new rewards arrive in the pre-The International 2026 update.

Valve has finally dropped its pre-The International (TI) 2026 update two weeks before the championship takes place in Shanghai, bringing Patch 7.41e alongside Supporter Bundles, Fantasy, and Predictions for fans to indulge in.

Officially called The Summer Scrub 2026, Patch 7.41e packs not only gameplay changes but also sweeping bug fixes and quality-of-life (QOL) improvements. Meanwhile, Supporter Bundles are now available for purchase in-game for all sixteen TI 2026 competitors, talent across four languages, and a brand-new community broadcast category. Purchasing a Supporter Bundle also contributes to the TI 2026 prize pool!

Read more about the update below.

What are the changes in Patch 7.41e?

TI 2026 will indeed run on a–slightly–new patch that gives the sixteen teams some homework before the tournament begins in 14 days. It might be a letter patch, but the changes pack a punch, with significant tweaks to items and changes across 56 heroes.

As expected, some of the meta menaces have been toned down with nerfs targeting Bane, Clockwerk, Drow Ranger, Hoodwink, Lone Druid (and his Spirit Bear), Treant Protector, Snapfire, Necrophos, and more, though the nerfs seem less impactful on the rest. Buffs are much milder in this patch, with subtle improvements to less popular picks such as Troll Warlord, Dragon Knight, Ancient Apparition, and Outworld Devourer.

Items have also undergone numerous changes. The most eye-catching change prevents Divine Rapier's Spell Amplification from stacking–looking at you, Zeus work-from-home builders. Another generic tweak that could be game-changing is the ability to now cancel Twin Gate teleportation (and Underlord's gate) with root abilities.

Read Patch 7.41e in more detail here.

What are Supporter Bundles in Dota 2?

As with every recent TI, a selection of Supporter Bundles is now available for purchase, allowing fans to show their support for their favourite talent and teams. Purchasing these bundles contributes 50% to the creator and channels 30% to The International 2026's prize pool, which currently stands at the base amount of US$1.6 million.

The Supporter Bundles for teams, represented by gorgeous embroidered versions of the team logos, come in three tiers: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Each tier packs unique rewards, with team emoticons, sprays, loading screens, and chat wheel lines becoming permanent unlocks, while the rest expire at the end of September. The bundles also introduce a brand-new team logo effigy, which has an upgradable appearance and custom effects with the purchase of additional supporter levels.

A look at Nigma Galaxy's Supporter Bundle in Dota 2

Here's what you get with each Supporter Bundle tier:

  • Bronze: Bronze Team Badge (in-game flags), team logo badge next to your in-game name
     
  • Silver: Silver Team Badge (in-game flags), three unique sprays, two loading screens, plus Bronze-tier perks
     
  • Gold: Gold Team Badge (in-game flags), HP bar badge, three emoticons, three chat wheel lines, a brand-new team logo effigy, plus Bronze and Silver-tier perks

For the Talent category, which includes Community Bundles, players can obtain unique chat wheel lines. There are two chat wheel lines for every talent across the four official broadcast languages: English, Russian, Spanish, and Chinese. Meanwhile, the Community Bundles offer chat wheels created by NS_ART (Portuguese), WXC Co. (Filipino), and Maincast (Ukrainian). 

How Fantasy and Predictions work for TI 2026

This year, the Fantasy system for TI 2026 has received multiple new tweaks, including the addition of customisation points. As explained in Valve's blog: 

"You're the coach, and can now assign custom modifiers to yourself that influence your whole team. We've also updated prefixes, suffixes, and the player drafting rules. You'll draft your perfect team in (mostly) pairs: both supports from one team, the safelaner and offlaner from one team, and then your favourite midlaner."

Predictions will unfold as usual, but new rewards are on the horizon. The top performers in Fantasy and Predictions have the chance to earn the Tyrian Regalia, which packs five refashioned Immortal items for Disruptor, Nyx Assassin, Drow Ranger, Storm Spirit, and Timbersaw, all adorned with an electric purple hue.

The top performers in TI 2026's Fantasy and Predictions have the chance to obtain the Tyrian Regalia in Dota 2

A brand-new Terrain Token is also among the rewards, allowing players to claim one of the available terrains in Dota 2, including 2018's Emerald Abyss, 2017's Reef's Edge, and 2016's Immortal Gardens.

Here's the reward distribution for the top performers in Fantasy and Predictions:

  • Top 100 players: Dota Plus Subscription (12 months), x1 Terrain Token, 100% Physical Aegis discount, x5 Tyrian Regalia
     
  • Top 1,500 players: Dota Plus Subscription (6 months), x1 Terrain Token, 100% Physical Aegis discount, x2 Tyrian Regalia
     
  • 95th percentile: Dota Plus Subscription (2 months), x1 Terrain Token, 50% Physical Aegis discount, x1 Tyrian Regalia
     
  • 90th percentile: Dota Plus Subscription (1 month), x1 Terrain Token
     
  • 85th percentile: Dota Plus Subscription (1 month)

The curtains for The International 2026 are finally unfurling. Teams, talent, and fans from all over the world are set to arrive in Shanghai, China, as the competition unfolds from 13 to 23 August, where the final day will crown the world champions of the fifteenth edition of the Dota 2 World Championship.

What is The International 2026?

TI 2026 will be this year's iteration of Dota 2's annual world championship tournament, taking place in August in Shanghai, China. As with previous iterations of the tournament, TI 2026 will feature a total of 16 teams that earn their spots in the tournament by receiving direct invites or earning slots through regional qualifiers.

The list of directly-invited teams to TI 2026 includeAurora Gaming, BetBoom Team, Team Falcons,Team Liquid, 1w Team, Xtreme Gaming, and Team Yandex. Meanwhile, the teams that earned their spots through the regional qualifiers include European qualifier winners Team Spirit, TEAM VISION (aka PARIVISION), HULIGANI, and Nigma Galaxy, North American qualifier winner GamerLegion, Southeast Asian qualifier winner OG, South American qualifier winner LGD Gaming, as well as Chinese qualifier winners Vici Gaming and Team Resilience.

TI 2026's main event will be hosted in the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai. Valve first announced that Shanghai will host TI 2026 during last year's world championship tournament, where Team Falcons claimed the Aegis of Champions after defeating China's Xtreme Gaming in the five-game grand finals. 

This will mark the second time that Shanghai will host TI after TI 2019, where Western Europe's OG became the first-ever two-time TI champions after defeating Team Liquid in four games to claim the grand prize of US$15.6 million, out of the US$34.3 million prize pool.

TI 2026 will be split into two phases: the ‘Road to The International’ and ‘The International’ main event. The Road to The International will be a Swiss-style Group Stage from 13 to 16 August, where the 16 teams will be cut down to the final eight that will play in the game's biggest stage from 20 to 23 August in Shanghai's Oriental Sports Center.

While Valve have yet to reveal the details on TI 2026's prize pool, the tournament is expected to follow last year's prize pool format with a US$1.6 million base prize pool. The prize pool will then be boosted through sales of the TI 2026 Compendium. 

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