On August 6th, Valve released the much-anticipated Immortal Treasure 3 for those with the International 2019 Battle Pass. With The International event slated to begin on August 15th, some players were surprised by its early availability, expecting its release to coincide with the event, while others felt like their long wait was finally over. The Battle Pass was first announced more than 90 days ago, and the wait between its announcement and the Treasure 3 release marks the longest wait time for a new set of cosmetic items to be added to a Battle Pass. Reaction to the items themselves, however, has been less than enthusiastic almost entirely across the board.
Lycan and Mars both received their first Immortal items in this new Treasure, however, Io, Techies, Arc Warden and Chen remain the four heroes out of the 115 hero roster without Immortal items, which had led many fans to expect their inclusion as well among those receiving new Immortal-rarity cosmetics. While these four were left out, Axe and Necrophos received new Immortals, both of whom have had numerous already available.
Additionally, a new Axe item grants him a custom Berserker's Call effect, which some fans found to be a disappointment when an item used in the same slot had already been released for Moghul Khan, also granting a custom Berserker's Call effect, back in 2014. While the new items aren't entirely unwelcome on their own merit, many fans feel that the previously-trodden territory being covered by some of these new items comes at the expense of what could have been new and novel updates to heroes and abilities in need of them.
Valve also chose to announce Treasure 3's release around 10:30 p.m. with what could be interpreted as a playful dig at the game's North American fanbase. While on its surface the announcement Tweet implies that other regions need the Treasure as a boost, it could also be interpreted as a finger pointing at complaints coming primarily from NA players. While the intent is almost surely lighthearted, it hasn't helped quell those disappointed by this new set of items.
Twenty-five percent of the proceeds made from Battle Pass sales will go toward the International 2019 prize pool, which has already surpassed the $30 million mark, a larger pool than last month's Fortnite World Cup, which should cause The International 2019 to take the throne as the event with the largest prize pool in eSports history.