The International Dota 2 Championships will have a noob-friendly stream

Dota 2’s world championship tournament, AKA: The International, will feature a “Newcomer’s Broadcast” this year to help those unfamiliar with the game’s extensive jargon acronyms keep up with the action. “New to Dota? Or maybe you play Dota but have never gotten interested in the professional side of the game,” an overview page for The International reads. “Welcome to the Newcomer’s Broadcast, an English stream happening alongside the main stream, featuring commentary aimed at easing people into understanding the exciting world of BKBs, tri-lanes, and counter-picks.” In other words, if you just scratched your head at those last three concepts, the Newcomer Broadcast sounds like the place to be.

The 2014 website for The International Dota 2 Championships is now live, and with it comes some great new information. The best of which is that there will be a specific stream for players brand new to the esport. This stream will be dedicated to explanations of the plethora of jargon that surrounds the game. The casters for this stream have quite the challenge ahead of them, as explaining the incredible depth of a game like Dota 2 during a fast-paced match is anything but easy. Other new features include a spoiler-free DVR broadcast and an International Multicast, which will consolidate all the exciting and interesting things happening in the various games all at once. They’ve also announced the catalog for the Secret Shop merchandise available live at the tournament (warning: large PDF). I’m really hoping my friend can pick up that Doom figurine for me while he’s there… Feel free to peruse the website to get a handle on the news, teams, and schedule for the upcoming tournament. And remember, if you’re a Dota 2 compendium owner, be sure to make your predictions soon!