The Ultimate Dota 2 Arcanas Tier List: From Best to Worst

Arcana is one of the most sought-after items in Dota 2, capable of dramatically transforming a character's visual appearance, skills, animations, and even introducing new sound effects. In this article, we'll explore all the Arcanas currently available in the game and analyze their gradation based on the community's subjective opinion. We'll also delve into the gradation of these items based on their cost and rarity, focusing on Arcanas that are no longer obtainable in the game.

Tierlist of the most popular arcana in Dota 2

Credit: TierMaker

This Arcana list is considered one of the most popular among the Dota 2 community. Let's examine each tier individually and try to determine the reasons behind such Arcana rankings.

S Tier

Arcanas in this tier are the most favored by Dota 2 players, which is why they've secured the top spot in the rankings.

 Queen of Pain "The Eminence of Ristul": A seductress with captivating wings, her scream pierces hearts, and her dagger's swift and deadly strikes annihilate foes in an instant.

 Rubick "The Magus Cypher": A mage destined to mimic any adversary's abilities and turn them against him. A keeper of vast magical knowledge, he hails from another dimension, aiming to prove he's the supreme sorcerer across all universes.

 Phantom Assassin "Manifold Paradox": A mysterious assassin who conceals her face beneath a veil in the night's shadow. Mastering dual blades, she leaves no witnesses. Her blades are so sharp they can penetrate any armor.

 Windranger  "Compass of the Rising Gale": Unparalleled in archery, she flawlessly employs her techniques on the battlefield, soaring over enemies like a tornado. Her precision ensures she hits her mark under any circumstances.

 Juggernaut "Bladeform Legacy": A fearless warrior who never removes his mask and always craves battle. When his mask split, spirits emerged, endowing him with not only greater fury but also the immense wisdom of ancestors. He's a sword master, efficiently clearing the battlefield of adversaries.

 Drow ranger "Dread Retribution": With her unique ability, she can turn her arrows into icy projectiles that accurately strike foes. Anyone daring to approach Drow Ranger is coldly eliminated without a chance of escape.

 Spectre "Phantom Advent": His enigmatic power can summon ominous duplicates loyal to him. Shifting between spaces with his illusions, Spectre stays a step ahead of his enemies, striking when least expected.

A Tier

Arcanas in this category are slightly less popular than those in the S Tier. Every Dota 2 player would love to add at least one of these Arcanas to their collection.

 Pudge "Feast of Abscession": Before feasting, this sinister butcher snatches his prey with his hook and binds them with chains, slowly tearing their flesh apart. It's best not to cross his path when he's hungry, and he's always hungry.

 Earthshaker "Planetfall": His strikes can shake the earth. To annihilate his enemies, Earthshaker unleashes the power of his totem, causing catastrophic consequences for all in the impact zone. Don't try to outnumber him; it only works in his favor.

 Crystal Maiden "Frost Avalanche": Her icy crystals shine brighter than stars in the night sky, but she brings the cold of an icy wasteland that can even freeze the souls of her enemies.

 Shadow Fiend "Demon Eater": Merely by his appearance, this soul collector plunges his foes into profound darkness, where nothing exists but fear. Legends of his power were already widespread, but now he's stronger than ever. After descending into the underworld, he consumed demon souls, gaining unparalleled strength that forever changed him.

 Terrorblade "Fractal Horns of Inner Abysm": A rebel not even the walls of Hell could contain. As punishment for his deeds, he was forced to eternally gaze upon the horrifying reflection of his soul. However, he soon dominated it and achieved freedom.

 Wraith King "The One True King": A sinister king who conquered death itself. The last thing any fleshly being in his domain sees is the lifeless gaze of the king seated on his throne.

 Monkey King "Great Sage's Reckoning": The monkey king redeemed himself in the eyes of the gods, and his feats will forever remain in descendants' memories. His unparalleled strength allows Sun Wukong to utilize knowledge gained from three legendary battles on the battlefield.

 Razor "Voidstorm Asylum": An entity capable of controlling electrical discharges and manipulating weather conditions. His thunderous roars and bright lightning flashes can instill fear in all nearby.

 Faceless Void "Claszian Apostasy": A mysterious being from another reality, capable of manipulating space and time. Although he lost connection with his native dimension, he draws his power from the depths of distant cosmos, making him a formidable foe on the battlefield.

B Tier

The golden middle. While players would gladly take any Arcana from the previous tiers, this tier is a bit more ambiguous.

 Zeus "Tempest Helm of the Thundergod": The god of thunder, possessing incredible power and strength. He can unleash the heavens' fury upon his enemies, annihilating any foe with a lethal lightning bolt.

 Io "Benevolent Companion": A shimmering entity that genuinely believes in the power of friendship. Despite its harmless appearance, Io can harness the universe's energy and move through space, making it an excellent ally and a superb friend to anyone it connects with.

C Tier

Arcanas in this category have long lost their relevance for many Dota 2 players. However, they still deserve special attention.

 Legion Commander "Blades of Voth Domosh": After repelling an attack from Abyssal creatures on her city, she lost a significant portion of her warriors. Although she managed to fend off the enemy's assault, memories of the fallen haunted her. She then vowed to avenge the Abyss using two hellish blades, but the price for wielding them might be much higher than Legion Commander can imagine.

 Ogre Magi "Flockheart's Gamble": This two-headed ogre, not known for intelligence or wit, embodies luck. Now, he assists a bird named Heartstealer in reuniting with its flock and watches over it.

D Tier

This tier features Arcanas that are the least popular among Dota 2 players.

 Lina "Fiery Soul of the Slayer": From a young age, Lina was known for her fiery temperament. As she grew older, she learned to control her power. However, in moments of true rage, her hair ignites, unleashing a monstrous firestorm that incinerates everything in its path.

 Techies "Swine of the Sunken Galley": A demolition squad renowned for their incredible inventions. Anyone daring to challenge the Techies team will be obliterated by the countless traps they've set across the battlefield.

Price List of Dota 2 Arcanas

Credit: TierMaker

As of today, only the Arcanas mentioned above are available for purchase in Dota 2. They can be acquired either through the in-game store or on the trading platform. The cost of Arcanas within the game is roughly the same and quite inflated. Therefore, this ranking is based on prices set on the Steam trading platform.

Classification Special Dota 2 Event Arcanas

Credit: TierMaker

Unfortunately, there are Arcanas in Dota 2 that can no longer be added to one's inventory, and a separate popularity ranking has been compiled for them.

S Tier

 Io "Benevolent Companion": This Arcana became available to players on May 18, 2017. It quickly endeared itself to many gamers as they had long awaited visual changes to Io's model.

 Earthshaker "Planetfall": This Arcana can be considered one of the best in the game. Not only does it change visual effects, icons, and animations, but it also features two styles.

A Tier

 Queen of Pain "The Eminence of Ristul": From the usual pale-gray Queen of Pain, the heroine has transformed into a true demoness. The Arcana also has a second style variant that can be unlocked by hitting 1000 heroes with the "Sonic Wave" ability.

 Drow Ranger "Dread Retribution": This set has significantly altered the character's visual effects, icons, and animations. But most importantly, a second style has emerged, where the hero appears in unusual red tones.

 Windranger "Compass of the Rising Gale": This Arcana is a complete set of items that significantly alter the character's visual appearance. It also features two styles.

 Wraith King "The One True King": This set has endeared itself to both old-school fans and newcomers alike. Players were presented with the image of the true king featuring vibrant visual effects and new animations.

B Tier

 Razor "Voidstorm Asylum": The new character design divided players into those who liked it and those who found it too similar to Morphling, but in armor.

C Tier

 Spectre "Phantom Advent": This Arcana presented Spectre in a refreshed format. Many players liked the new appearance, but it quickly lost its relevance. The Arcana features two styles.

D Tier

 Faceless Void "Claszian Apostasy": The canonical tentacles combined with modern graphics and animations refreshed Faceless Void's previous appearance. However, players soon lost interest in this Arcana due to the abundance of other items that made the hero more prominent.

Conclusion

Such a classification of Arcanas into tiers helps players navigate the world of Dota 2 better. In this case, you learned about the cost of available Arcanas outside the game and how to obtain Arcanas that aren't even sold in the in-game store, classifying them by cost and rarity.

Furthermore, the community-driven Arcana ranking provides insights into the popularity of each Arcana among gamers. This list is based solely on the subjective opinions of the majority of players. However, it's essential to remember that the beauty and value of each Arcana can be subjective. Every player has their personal preferences and might rank Arcanas differently based on their experiences and tastes. Such rankings not only offer a historical perspective on the game's evolving aesthetics but also highlight the community's ever-changing preferences and the game's dynamic nature.