In today’s world of competitive gaming, being good is at times just not enough for some. These people prefer to style on their opponents through flashy plays and gorgeous cosmetics. This is prevalent in the world of Dota 2. The game is home to hundreds of cosmetic items that look good or have a special effect on them. Such is the case that there is a thriving Dota 2 market for skins, terrains, and even couriers.
In this guide, we will discuss the Dota 2 market on Steam and see how you can buy, sell, or trade items in the game.
What Are Dota 2 Items?
Before looking at the Dota 2 market on Steam for items, we first need to know what these are. Dota 2 items are trinkets that affect either a hero, the game’s HUD, and other things. Some of these are purely for aesthetics, but other items change the animation of a certain skill or even the game around you.
Examples of Dota 2 items that you can earn or achieve are as follows.
Dota 2 Items Classification
- Hero skins/sets – These change the appearance of heroes.
- Hero immortal Items – Immortals either change the aesthetic of a hero or the animation of a specific skill.
- Couriers – These change the default courier to something awesome or something cuter.
- Taunts – If you want more style points, a taunt is the best way to go.
- Announcer Packs – Voice lines from personalities or heroes that replace the default game announcer’s voice and lines.
- Mega Kill Streak Lines – Similar to Announcer Packs, but these focus more on kill lines.
- Terrain skins – Changes the appearance of the Dota 2 map from your perspective.
- Weather Effects – These can include seasonal and special weather effects.
- Treasures – These usually give players a shot at skins or Immortal items. Usually has three very hard-to-get items.
- Chat wheels – In-game sound effects you can use to show off and tilt an enemy player.
- Tools – Includes hammers, chisels, and name tags.
Where Can You Get Dota 2 Items?
So you might be wondering, how do you get these items? If you want to know where can you get the items stated above, here are the ways how you can get them.
Playing The Game
You may earn hero sets and items by simply playing a game of Dota 2. The awarded items are random. Also, they are not tradeable or given as gifts to friends.
Earning Dota 2 Shards
With the recent updates, you can now earn Dota 2 shards without subscribing to Dota 2 Plus. These shards can be earned by completing guild contracts or playing games. You can then use these shards to buy legacy sets, Shard Shop exclusive sets, chat wheels, and seasonal treasures. However, you still might want to subscribe to Dota Plus.
Seasonal treasures give you a chance to get a specific seasonal hero set. If you’ve gotten the same set before, you can recycle it to get another treasure (needs multiple recycles).
Do note that sets and tools are available for everyone. Seasonal treasures and chat wheels are for Dota Plus subscribers.
Participating in Events
Another good way of unlocking cosmetics and other items is by playing through events. Past events such as the Diretide event gave players items and points. The points accumulated to a total of 100 which then awards you Dota 2 items such as effects and courier skins. You can also be awarded treasures or chests that you have to open to get bigger rewards.
Purchasing The International Battle Pass
The International sees the best players and teams from around the world compete every August for the Aegis of Champions. With that, Valve launches the Battle Pass before the event. The Battle Pass allows players to earn levels that have rewards such as cosmetics, treasures, and gameplay items.
A simple purchase of the Battle Pass will award players with treasures and gameplay items. You can also purchase levels to accelerate your level gain. Some of the level rewards include Personas, map terrains, Arcanas, chat wheels, and courier skins.
By Trading or Giving Items as Gifts
Yes, you can get items as gifts from friends or participating in a trade. You may need to talk it out with your buddies, but it is possible to get your dream courier skin by making a trade. Skin trading can be a great way to expand your in-game collection.
How to Buy Dota 2 Items?
Dota 2 items can be bought in different ways. However, please take note that you’ll need the correct amount of Steam credits to buy items from the Dota 2 market. To know more about your Steam wallet, we have an article that you can read today.
Easiest Way to Buy Cosmetics
If you are looking to get some new sets or Immortals for your favorite heroes, this is the part for you. If you want to get a certain set or item for a specific hero, all you need to do is follow the list below.
- Go to the heroes tab while you’re on the main title screen.
- Pick the hero that you wish to buy cosmetics for.
- Once there, you can see a list of items that you can purchase if the item has the current value then you can buy it from the Dota 2 market on Steam.
- Just click the price of the set or item you wish to purchase.
- A pop-up will appear and show you the available listings in the Steam Community Market.
- Select the price that fits your budget.
- Check the checkbox to agree with all Steam terms and conditions, and finalize the purchase.
Take note that when an item is listed as In Treasure, you will need to buy the treasure to which it belongs to.
Via the Store
If you want to browse more items, you can visit the Store from the title screen. There, you can browse items as well as check the treasury and the shard shop. While there, you can browse items by using the search function or picking a category. If you know the exact name of what you want to purchase, you can type it in the search box.
If you’re buying items from the Shard Shop, head over to that subsection then click from the different categories on the left side of the screen. Once you’ve found what you like, click on the amount to purchase the item.
How to Sell in the Dota 2 Market?
If you have duplicates or items that are sought after by many Dota 2 players, you can try to sell them. But if you’re not familiar with how to sell an item in the Dota 2 market, you’ve come to the right place. To sell an item, the most important thing is that your Steam account should be active.
- Launch your Steam client.
- Go to the Community tab. Hover your mouse over it and click on Market. This will send you to the Steam Community Market.
- Next, look for the Sell an Item option on your screen.
- Select the items that you wish to sell in the market.
- You will then be able to see how much it usually goes for.
- Lastly, click sell to place it in the Community Market.
Take note that Steam will get a percentage from your sale, but the platform is transparent on how much both parties will earn. Moreover, some items are either locked for a certain amount of time or untradeable. These items will not show up in the community market.
How to Conduct a Dota 2 Trade?
If you have a friend who owns a specific item you want, you can invite them to trade. You can pre-arrange the trade with your friend by talking to them in real life. Also, you will need to be available at the same time to conduct this.
- Look for your friend on your friend’s list.
- Right-click on their name.
- Select Invite to Trade. Wait for your friend to accept the request.
- Place the items that you’ll be trading on the space provided.
- Agree to the trade to complete the process.
Take note that trading items will also follow restrictions set to certain items.
How to Gift?
If you are feeling generous or thankful, you can gift items you’ve earned or bought to a friend. All you need is to go to your armory. The armory is represented by a sword-and-shield icon at the top of your screen. Click it to be sent to your Armory. You can use the search bar or the categories on the left. Select a category to arrange the items by said category.
Once you’ve found the item or items you wish to gift, right-click it and select gift wrap item. Then, select the friend you wish to gift the item/s to. You can also write a dedication before sending the gift.
However, you can only trade with friends who are part of your list for at least a year. To shorten this, you need to have the mobile authenticator activated.
