ESL One Kuala Lumpur Experience
2023/12/17
A few months ago beore ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, my friend and I went to the Bali Major to watch a Dota 2 tournament. The Bali Major event was decent, but the vibe felt quite chill because the venue wasn’t very big. When ESL announced a new event called ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, with a much larger and more affordable venue than the Bali Major, we thought, why not give it a try?
Ticket Comparison
Bali Major Standard Ticket: ~IDR 7,200,000
ESL One Standard Ticket: ~IDR 630,000
You can literally buy more than 10 ESL tickets for the price of one Bali Major ticket.
Place to Stay
I stayed near the venue at an Airbnb called Arte Mont Kiara. It’s about a 10-minute walk to the ESL One KL venue at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC).
It’s an apartment-style accommodation. The total price was IDR 3,900,000 for 7 nights. Since we stayed together (3 people), it only cost IDR 186,000 per night each.
Arte Mont Kiara: 🔗 https://maps.app.goo.gl/YwBq2zbKQLUCQMyTA
MITEC: 🔗 https://maps.app.goo.gl/Z5ZdVFfPU9gTVEe1A
Map from Arte Mont Kiara to MITEC
Venue
This was my first time attending an e-sports event with such a big stage. There were so many things to see live. From my seat, I could clearly see the players, hosts, panelists, and casters, which made the experience much more immersive.
For reference, when I attended the Bali Major, the panelists and casters weren’t even at the venue. They cast the event from a hotel, which felt very odd.
ESL One KL Venue
ESL One KL Venue (Outside)
ESL One KL Venue (Outside)
Marci - Caninus Drawing
Watching Experience
This was the best live event I’ve ever attended, with so many cool effects for big ultimates. The caster’s enthusiasm was amazing, and the overall venue vibe was unbeatable!
Booth, Foods, and Merch
The booths, food, and merchandise were fantastic at ESL One.
The booths offered various activities like airbrush tattoos, Intel Solo Mid 1v1, Intel Racing Area, DHL Spin, DHL VR Game, Tarot Reading, and more.
The food options were plentiful, including Nasi Goreng, Malaysian dishes, and Mexican food like tacos. The prices were reasonable for such an event, starting at around RM 10 (IDR 34,000). Free Monster Energy drinks were also available.
ESL One merchandise included team jerseys, ESL apparel, hero T-shirts, plushies, and gacha plushies. By the third day, most items were sold out. I managed to buy the last Team Secret jersey in XS and some plushies. Jerseys were priced at RM 270–320 (IDR 900,000–1,100,000), while plushies were affordable at RM 20–40 (IDR 69,000–138,000) with a buy-1-get-1 deal. Hero T-shirts were also on sale with the same deal for only RM 38 (IDR 128,000).
Vlog
While in KL, I streamed my walk from the apartment to the venue. You can check out the VOD from my stream below. It was a wonderful experience for me.
ESL One KL Venue Review:🔗 https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2006148619