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The simple genius of Dota 2’s Crimson Witness, Valve’s most brilliant marketing move

Michael Hassall

Dota 2 and Gaming Editor

Publish Date: October 3, 2025

Every year, attendees to Valve’s TI have the chance to receive a Crimson Witness, a unique in-game treasure that drops only when they witness first blood in a match. The treasures contain transformed, blood-red versions of already rare cosmetics which glow fiercely.

But beyond just a marker that you’ve been to The International, a kind of in-game status symbol, the Crimson Witness cosmetics have a much more tangible value. The chests sell for hundreds of dollars in Valve’s own Steam marketplace, effectively giving players free store credit. But why is this simple idea so compelling and how is Valve able to effectively give away hundreds of dollars for a simple

Just what is a Crimson Witness?

Crimson Witnesses have their origins in some of the first Immortal items for Dota 2, such as the now unobtainable Treasure of Champions 2013, and The Immortal Reliquary. But in 2016, Valve decided it would start rewarding players who made the pilgrimage to watch The International in-person with a unique treasure for witnessing the first blood of any match they saw.

Fittingly called the Treasure of the Crimson Witness, this treasure featured unique versions of existing immortals glamored with glowing crimson auras. And while they have a substantial in-game value (more on that later), the simplest reasons for why Valve gives out a Crimson Witness is that it simply makes things more hype at every TI.

A few mechanical details for fans who haven’t attended. Crimson Witness eligibility is based on your ticket and having it active when the first blood in each game takes place. For example, in 2022, this was done through a scanning entry system, while in 2025, it was tied to QR code on the back of your ticket. For fans, each code needs to be re-scanned and linked.

Every first blood at TI is met with raucous cheers. This isn’t just the normal cheer that a team gets as it secures its first kill, the entire arena erupts. That’s because every single one of them just rolled the dice on receiving one of the most valuable items in Dota 2. While (unfortunately), this is almost immediately followed by fans frantically checking their Steam inventory on their phone, the effect of the huge outburst is still incredible. There’s few moments in esports more exciting that a first blood at The International.

The Crimson Witness 2025 (Image Credit: SirBelvedere via Reddit.)

A pilgrimage with a payoff

Another element that makes the Crimson Witness so smart is the fact the potential financial boon makes going to TI more attractive. Attending The International is expensive. Tickets alone can cost hundreds of dollars, and that’s before flights, hotels, and the inevitable avalanche of merchandise. For many, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

But that trip can suddenly be justified once a few hundred dollar cosmetics start appearing in your Steam inventory. Valve, in its brilliance, has turned that cost into a gamble. A Crimson Witness is effectively a lottery ticket. One that may just pay for your seat. Fans don’t just cheer for their favorite team; they cheer for the possibility of walking away with an item that might subsidize the trip entirely.

There’s a catch, of course: the proceeds don’t turn into cash. They land as Steam Wallet credit. You can’t pay rent with it, but you can buy games, cosmetics, or even Steam Decks. From Valve’s perspective, it’s genius. They give away something that feels like money but only circulates within their ecosystem.

A virtual status symbol with a hefty price tag

And what kind of value do you get from a Crimson Wintess? Mars’ God’s Mercy of the Crimson Witness, originally from TI10, recently traded for over $350. Even less flashy drops, like Shadow of the Dark Age of the Crimson Witness hover between $120 and $140. Occasionally, listings appear asking for over $1,000. These rarely go through, but it’s not entirely out of the question. Most people generally price Crimson witnesses $200–$500 as the going rate shortly after each TI, although some were going for as little as $80 during the dip in the market.

That’s a lot of store credit for each owner of a Crimson Witness, but the crazier thing is the cut Valve is taking. Each trade incurs a 15% fee. 5% Steam transaction fee, 10% Dota 2 fee. A Crimson Witness cosmetic isn’t just a collectible; it’s like printing free money for Valve. And with the money you ‘earn’ from selling cosmetics, you’re locked into Valve’s ecosystem. Sure, there’s some less than reputable services that allow you to withdraw steam money for real cash, but really, you’re

A few Crimson Witness treasures could buy you a Steam Deck. So then why is Valve just giving them away (Image credit: Valve).

But what about the Steam Deck? A few Crimson Witnesses could put you into the market for a Steam Deck, Valve’s PC-like handheld, which can be bought entirely using your Steam Wallet. This is a $400 piece of hardware that Valve manufacturers itself. Surely Valve can’t be giving away hundreds, perhaps thousands of Steam Decks to Crimson Witness winners? Well, amazingly, it absolutely can, because it’s still locking you into their ecosystem. While it’s notoriously open source and able to be jail broken, the Steam Deck is still a way of locking you into Steam and buying Steam games. Chances are, even if you’ve spent your Crimson Witness earnings on a Steam Deck, you’re going to spend your own money on games verified to run on the system by Valve itself.

Read also:

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Dota 2 community: What makes us love The International

But is this even a good idea for Valve to give away the hardware? Surely they’re making a loss on them. Well absolutely, it’s a loss leader (if it’s reasonable to call it that given it’s still one of the most bought items on Steam), but that’s fine, because like all loss leaders it gets you into the store, and into the ecosystem. What’s a reasonable price to lock someone into a game system for the next few years? Is it $400?

Well, we can turn back the clock and look at what other gaming companies thought it was worth. In 2006, Sony was reportedly losing $300 on every unit they sold. Adjusted for inflation, that’s closer to $500, and Sony thought it was worth it, because it was securing users on a system that would not only ensure game sales, but Blu-ray sales as well, the post-DVD format it had helped develop.

In effect, even if they gave a Steam Deck to every attendee of The International, Valve would still benefit from securing users in its ecosystem. It’s just good business, and incredible marketing.

Treasure of the Crimson Witness: Passion, prestige, and profit

That’s why first blood at The International isn’t just a kill. It’s a moment of possibility. It’s the split second where thousands of fans realize their investment in Dota 2, financial and emotional, might just pay off. A reward for Dota 2’s most loyal and fanatical supporters.

The Crimson Witness is more than any other treasure. It’s both a celebration of Dota 2, and a marketing move that locks players in with Valve’s Steam ecosystem for years to come. Attendees to The International may come and go, but I don’t think anyone with hundreds of dollars of games on Steam will find it easy to walk away.

Featured Image Credit: Valve