Dota 2 shadow fiend arcana gameplay store

Best and Worst Dota 2 Arcanas

You have been on a strict diet of bread and water for a week and now you can finally afford a useless, although pretty, cosmetic item for your favorite hero to go on a feeding rampage. At long last you can own your own Dota 2 Arcana so you can play your low priority games in style. But there are so many and you feel like eating some meat next week. Which one should you pick ?

Let’s have a look at all available options and then vote together on the best and worst Dota 2 Arcana. You can skip and jump straight to voting using the links below.

Fiery Soul of the Slayer

The very first Dota 2 Arcana that players could get their greedy little hands on. The Fiery Soul of the Slayer offers amazing visual appeal and can be combined with a huge variety of items to make Lina a total badass. However, this being an Arcana and costing 30 bucks is not worth it. The item looks amazing, but this should have been an immortal.

Blades of Voth Domosh

The problem with this and the reason why it’s without a doubt one of the worst Dota 2 Arcanas is the lack of anything really. The Duel visual is impressive but once again this is the case where the item could have easily been just an Immortal. There’s nothing really special about it and on top of this, the dual wield look doesn’t appeal to everyone. Plus there are other weapons which actually look better when combined with the Immortals it has.

Fractal Horns of Inner Abysm

Ahhh yes, one of the few Arcanas out there that actually had potential. The problem with this is that while the visual aspect is amazing and unique (you can change the colors of all your spells), it requires additional stuff to do this. So on top of the money for the Arcana, you also need a gem. If you were allowed to simply change the color whenever you wanted, this would have easily become one of the most unique, if not the best Dota 2 Arcana. Dota 2 shadow fiend arcana gameplay store

Swine of the Sunken Galley

This seems sadly like a waste since techies is a very difficult to play hero and is not usually picked in higher skill level matches. This alone makes it one of the worst Dota 2 Arcanas. The arcana itself has decent visuals, but overall this doesn’t really feel like it deserves this quality, or the price that comes with it. It barely even feels like an immortal. Plus, let’s be honest here, how often do you even play techies ?

Demon Eater

The Demon Eater brings mixed feelings. On one hand, it is visually pleasing and changes Shadow Fiend susbtantially to make it worthy of the Arcana status. However, this shines mostly because the hero is quite popular, especially in terms of 1 v 1 and also lacks any other cosmetics. It is one of the best Dota 2 Arcanas in terms of visual change, however only because there are no alternatives for this hero.

Manifold Paradox

The Manifold Paradox is one of the best looking Dota 2 Arcanas. The visuals are amazing and the 2 giant blades feel great. The upgrade and color change of the weapons is a nice touch to make them more compatible with more items. However what makes this thing unique is the memorial sword it leaves thrown into the ground when you kill an enemy. This lasts for the whole game and needless to say, the shear joy of playing through a bunch of them is unrivaled.
Personally I think this is the Best Dota 2 Arcana. Dota 2 shadow fiend arcana gameplay store The visuals are amazing and unlike the others, that kill memorial really makes it stand out.

Frost Avalanche

One of a handful of Arcanas which actually deserves to have this status. While most can easily be Immortals, this one is an exception. The synergy with the other immortals and the overall look are simply awesome. This is also one of the most popular Dota 2 Arcanas simply because it’s for a support hero. The puppy and the overall visual appeal are above average.

Tempest Helm of the Thundergod

Again, one of the few Arcanas that actually had potential, but somewhere along the way something happened. The visuals and the changes to Zeus’s ulti and animations are amazing. It’s the only Dota 2 Arcana with a Blink animation as well and the cloud is a really nice touch that matches the hero well. However the helm itself as well as the passive icon are awful.

Great Sage’s Reckoning

This has probably gone unnoticed by many which is another indicator of its mediocre visual impact. There’s nothing really eye catching about it and sometimes you don’t even noticed when someone has it. Definitely one of the worst Dota 2 Arcanas.

Bladeform Legacy

This is by far one of the biggest disappointments. Originally this was launched only in the blue version and since nothing could be matched with it, they quickly added an orange variant. Even so, it feels like an Immortal at best.

Benevolent Companion

This is probably the worst Dota 2 Arcana ever. Io is a very niche hero and a handful of people can play him properly. As this was not enough, the “love” theme of the Arcana is weird to say the least. The only redeeming quality is its rarity since it cannot be traded or bought. In essence, if you don’t have it, you will likely never have it ever. Not that you’d ever want it …

Feast of Abscession

I’m having some mixed feelings about this one. It feels like above an Immortal but somehow less than what you’d want an Arcana to be. Visually it’s amazing and works well with the other Immortals. The different particles that get torn from heroes depending on their type is a really nice touch. I would definitely consider this one somewhere in the Top Dota 2 Arcanas but definitely not the best.

The Magus Cypher

Probably the only Dota 2 Arcana which has a negative impact on gameplay. Now it is easy for enemies to tell what kind of spell you have. The impact is small but still, it’s there. Visually the cape looks like an Immortal and if it didn’t have anything else it would easily be the worst Dota 2 Arcana ever. However, the shear volume of spells that are changed by it really makes it fell special. And it’s one of the few Arcanas for a support.

Planetfall

The second Dota 2 Arcana that comes with the 2019 Compendium and it is somewhat weird. It feels like it could have been a perfectly good immortal and just that. When looking at the Judgement of the Fallen Immortal, it is weird that it feels better than this. Of course, it is understandable since it’s virtually free but still. The ultimate upgrade is cool … but just not that cool.