Dota Underlords is getting a battle pass-like Proto Pass for cosmetic rewards

Dota Underlords is Valve’s answer to the success of the Dota 2 mod Auto Chess. The game released into open beta in late June, and now all beta players will have the chance to check out the game’s new cosmetic delivery system called the Proto Pass.

The Proto Pass will function much like other games’ battle pass systems. Every match of Underlords you play will grant you XP that will help level up the pass. The more upgrades your pass gets the more cosmetics you’ll unlock. The first Proto Pass has 25 levels, with a cosmetic reward at every level.

While playing games will also get you XP, the Proto Pass also has daily challenges. These challenges include easy-to-accomplish goals like gaining a certain amount of end-of-turn gold, or casting a certain number of spells. Each of these challenges will grant a certain amount of XP and help you level up your pass a little bit faster.

The cosmetics themselves span a wide range of categories. There are new banners that players can use to represent themselves, as well as effects like fireworks that can go off every time you win. There are also emotes with short words on them, win streak effects that you can show off when you’re on a winning run, and teleport effects. Perhaps the biggest new cosmetic addition in the pass is the introduction of an entirely new board, which will change the entire battle field. The new board is unlocked at level 5 of the pass, but will be added to the game at a later date.

Valve is giving away the first Proto Pass away to all beta players. The pass will simply appear on the Underlords client as soon as you log in and you can start earning rewards immediately. Though Valve hasn’t confirmed its plans yet, the Proto Pass announcement post does mention that the developer has plans for a season 1 battle pass. It’s likely that the future Underlords battle passes will cost money.