There’s been tons of cosmetic items for players to purchase but which are the most expensive?
Dota 2 has been around for a long time and there have been countless items that have passed by the ancients. Some pass by without a glance, but some catch the attention of many and fetch quite a high price. From the original client to Dota Reborn, let's dive into the most expensive Dota 2 items according to the Dota 2 Market.
A brief on item Rarities and Qualities in Dota 2
So before diving into the most expensive items in Dota 2, let's go over rarities and qualities. These two are quite different and have a massive impact on the price and value of items. On the Dota 2 Steam Marketplace, you can search for either a specific quality or rarity. But that won't help you if you don't know what they are.
Qualities in Dota 2
Qualities are pretty simple. All Qualities in Dota 2 are a property of an item. Each of the 16 different qualities has a unique reason for existing, an associated color, and drastically changes the price of items. Some of the most expensive items in Dota 2 are random, basic items with the highest quality.
Type of Quality | Description/Origin | Associated Color |
|---|---|---|
| Genuine | Promotion from either Valve or tournament bundles | Dark Green |
| Elder | Limited Quantity, from Presents or other sources | Ocean Blue |
| Unusual | Low chance from Treasures or custom couriers | Purple |
| Self-Made | Given to Workshop artists who got items approved by Valve | Light Green |
| Inscribed | Treasures and Inscribed Gems | Orange |
| Cursed | Reward from Diretide 2013 | Purple |
| Heroic | Random drop from the Crafting List while spectating tournament games with over 100 other spectators | Purple |
| Favored | Winning the Team Cup during The International 2013 for Pro players only | Yellow |
| Ascendant | Socketed with an Ascendant Gem | Red |
| Autographed | Socketed with an Autograph Rune. Contains digital signature of player/talent | Lime |
| Legacy | Couriers that were unboxed very early on and were a random, unique color were given this quality, along with a Prismatic Legacy gem. | White |
| Exalted | Purchasing the item from the Dota 2 Store during a period of time following its release | Grey |
| Frozen | Commemorative quality for Frostivus 2013 | Blue |
| Corrupted | Commemorative quality for Frostivus 2013 | Red |
| Auspicious | Commemorative quality for New Bloom 2014 | Light Green |
| Infused | Items with upgraded ambient effects | Purple |
Rarities in Dota 2
But that's not all, there's also rarities in Dota 2. Rarities are a lot more self-explanatory, with rarer items being harder to acquire. There are 10 different rarities.
Rarity | Description | Associated Color |
|---|---|---|
| Common | Cosmetic changes | Grey |
| Uncommon | Cosmetic changes | Light Blue |
| Rare | Cosmetic changes | Blue |
| Mythical | Cosmetic changes, typically with ambient effects | Purple |
| Legendary | Cosmetic changes, typically with ambient effects | Pink |
| Immortal | Items released with Valve events that can no longer be obtained except from other players. | Gold |
| Arcana | Items that grant heroes extensive customizations, including models, animations, particle effects, icons, etc. | Lime |
| Ancient | Items gained from special events that are no longer obtainable. | Red |
| Dota Plus Access | Temporary items for Dota Plus subscribers | Yellow |
| Seasonal | Items made for seasonal events and can expire after a time. | Yellow |
Dota 2's most expensive items
A special mention of the Crimson Witnesses
We can't talk about the most expensive items in Dota 2 without talking about the Crimson Witness items. Every year during The International, whether it be through a compendium or a battle pass, Valve releases Immortal items. Which by themselves are some of the best cosmetics items in the game. As they typically provide a combination of ambient effects, sound effects, specific animations, custom effects, and a custom icon for a specific ability.
Now a Crimson Witness item is a variant of the Immortal that are exclusively given out to anyone who attends The International in person. This is why you see a lot of pro players have Crimson Witness Immortals and why they are some of Dota 2's most expensive items. These red variants of Immortals look absolutely gorgeous and go on the market for several hundred dollars with ease. For example, Spectre's Tranversant Soul of the Crimson Witness is currently on the market for $1533.82.
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Items with Specific rarities
Throughout your Dota 2 journey, when receiving an item, either bundled or not, they can be of certain qualities. Like with anything, the rarer the quality of the item, the higher the price. For example, there's Axe's Executioner's Trophy item which goes for a mere $0.47. However, the Frozen quality version sells for a bit more. Just a casual $1931.24. Coincidently, that quality makes Axe's Frozen Executioner's Trophy the most expensive Dota 2 in the game.
Another example of this is the Dark Realm Oracle's Belt for Death Prophet. As it's regular, standard rarity variant, the item sells on the Steam market for $0.03 USD. However, there's a corrupted quality one with a Demons Imprisoned shard from Foulfell. This Corrupted Dark Realm Oracles Belt sells for $1931.24 USD.
The most expensive individual items in Dota 2
And of course, we have specific items outside of rarity or quality that no matter what will fetch a huge price. These items range from one-of-a-kind drops/rewards to even some treasures. And starting this list is the Rarities of the Benefactor 2019 treasure which is on the market and currently selling for $1887.69 USD. Even the 2020 version of the item sells for $1422.76 USD.
In terms of couriers, despite there being couriers from specific events or exclusive drops, one reigns king. The Honey Heist Baby Roshan currently sells for $1408.42 at base value. Without any special rarities. Although some couriers fetch a higher price, those are because they have either a specific quality or Prismatic Gem associated with them. Honey Heist Baby Roshan was a reward for players who used the Trusty Shovel consumable during the 2019 battle pass and had the best luck of their lives.
Last but not least, and arguably the most amusingly expensive item in Dota 2 are Kunkkas' Waterlogged Shoes. This item was given out to the top-scoring players of Aghanims' Labyrinth during the summer of 2020. The item provides ambient effects and when Kunkka walks, he leaves behind small puddles. They currently sit on the Steam market for $955.37.
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