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Dota 2 Arcana Voting Guide 2026: How It Works & Past Winners

Each year during The International Battle Pass, Dota 2 players vote for the next hero to receive an Arcana—the highest tier of cosmetic items. This community-driven process has created some of the game’s most iconic skins.

How Arcana Voting Works

1. Battle Pass required – Only BP owners can vote
2. Bracket format – Heroes compete head-to-head
3. Multiple rounds – Elimination until one winner
4. BP level = more votes – Higher levels grant extra votes
5. Winner gets Arcana – Released within following year

Past Arcana Vote Winners

Notable Voting Stories

The Io Meme Vote (2016)

Io nearly won despite being one of the least-played heroes:

• Reddit meme campaign pushed Io to finals
• Lost to Juggernaut in close vote
• Valve later gave Io a companion cube Arcana anyway

Faceless Void’s Struggle

The carry who can’t win:

• Runner-up in 2018 and 2020
• Finally received Arcana in Battle Pass 2022
• Valve acknowledged the community support

Second Place Consolation

Several runners-up later received Arcanas:

• Queen of Pain (2015 runner-up) → TI10 BP Arcana
• Windranger (2019 runner-up) → TI10 BP Arcana

Strategic Voting

Heroes Likely to Win Future Votes

Popular picks that haven’t won yet:

• Anti-Mage – Massive player base
• Invoker – Complex hero, flashy potential
• Morphling – Carry player favorite
• Sniper – High pick rate