Dota 2 Skins Guide: Rarity, Arcanas & How to Get Them
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Dota 2 cosmetics are purely visual — they never affect stats or balance. They include hero sets, individual pieces, couriers, ward skins and announcer packs. Here's how the rarity system works and how to get skins.
Rarity Tiers, Low to High
Common → Uncommon → Rare → Mythical → Legendary → Ancient → Immortal → Arcana
What an Arcana Is
Arcana is the highest rarity tier. An Arcana changes a hero's model, animations, ability icons and effects, voice lines and kill banner, and often includes unlockable styles. They're usually earned through high Battle Pass levels or the Steam Market, though some older Arcanas are no longer directly purchasable.
There are roughly 24 Arcanas covering about 20 heroes. Notable examples include Lina's "Fiery Soul of the Slayer" (the first, from 2013), Rubick's "The Magus Cypher", Phantom Assassin's "Manifold Paradox", Monkey King's "Great Sage's Reckoning" and Pudge's "Feast of Abscession".
Seven Ways to Get Skins
- Direct purchase from the in-game store.
- The Steam Community Market.
- Treasures (loot boxes with escalating pity timers).
- Random post-match drops (untradeable, but giftable).
- Event reward tracks (Candyworks, Quartero's Curios).
- The Shard Shop.
- The tutorial, which awards full hero sets (Sniper, Axe, Death Prophet, Sven, Witch Doctor and more).
Price Examples
- Earthshaker's Arcana "Intergalactic Orbliterator" returned in the "Cosmic Heroes' Hoard" treasure; a single roll costs about $3, but the ultra-low drop rate averages about $150 to open (as of 2026-09-02).
- Rubick's "The Magus Cypher" Arcana runs about $33 on the Valve store, or about $23 bought piecemeal on the Steam Market.
(Arcana totals vary by source — 19, 22 or 24 depending on how they're counted — and prices fluctuate constantly.)