Exalted, Inscribed, Corrupted: What Arcana Versions Mean and What They Cost
By Kevin ·
You open a Steam listing and there are six of the same arcana: Standard, Inscribed, Autographed, Exalted, Corrupted, and one weird one that costs more than your rent. Same skin, same hero, same effects in game. So what are you paying for? I went through every version of every tradable arcana (October 7, 2026) and the answer is: mostly a word. 🏷️
What the words mean
- Standard: the plain arcana. Everything the arcana does, nothing extra.
- Inscribed: comes with a gem that counts something in your games (kills, wins, whatever Valve picked). Numbers on a skin. I love numbers on a skin.
- Autographed: carries a signature gem of a pro player or personality. Same skin, famous handwriting.
- Exalted: the version people got when they bought the arcana early in the Dota Store. For some arcanas our release dates guide shows that window.
- Corrupted, Auspicious, Frozen, Genuine: rare event or promo versions. Steam marks them with their own colour, and the market marks them with its own price.
Visually, in a match, nobody can tell. Your teammates will not type “nice Exalted”. They will type other things.
Corrupted costs +77% more than Standard on average. Same skin. Same hero. Different word. I had questions.
What the market actually pays
Median price premium over the Standard version, across all 15 arcanas that trade as a single item (October 7, 2026):
| Version | Typical premium | Arcanas with this version on sale |
|---|---|---|
| Exalted | +1% | 12 |
| Inscribed | +10% | 15 |
| Autographed | +8% | 15 |
| Corrupted | +77% | 15 |
So: Exalted cost about the same as Standard, Inscribed and Autographed a little more, and Corrupted is where the money goes: +77% on average. For a colour.
Arcana Hype Meter October 7, 2026
Formula: 50 + 2 × the average price move of all tradable arcanas (%) + 40 × (share of arcanas up − ½), 0 to 100. Real prices only, no opinions.
Price premium over Standard
Median across all tradable arcanas with that version listed, Steam Market, October 7, 2026.
The really rare ones
- Fractal Horns of Inner Abysm: the Auspicious version is listed at $1,095, that is 31× the Standard price ($35.00).
- Fiery Soul of the Slayer: the Frozen version is listed at $586.55, that is 28× the Standard price ($20.99).
- Feast of Abscession: the Genuine version is listed at $199.24, that is 12× the Standard price ($16.38).
Those are listing prices, not sales. Somebody asks that much. Whether somebody pays it is a different story, and our most expensive items list only counts real sales for exactly that reason.
And the bundles?
12 arcanas also trade as a bundle (the arcana plus emoticons, loading screens or more set pieces). The Standard bundle costs +111% more than the arcana alone, median. Whether that is worth it depends on whether you want the extras; the arcana inside is the same.
Every arcana, every version
| Arcana | Standard | Exalted | Inscribed | Autographed | Corrupted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Fiery Soul of the Slayer (Lina) |
$20.99 | – | $22.55 (+7%) | $22.25 (+6%) | $44.30 (+111%) |
 Blades of Voth Domosh (Legion Commander) |
$26.56 | $27.06 (+2%) | $28.75 (+8%) | $27.89 (+5%) | $33.00 (+24%) |
 Fractal Horns of Inner Abysm (Terrorblade) |
$35.00 | $49.01 (+40%) | $34.46 (-2%) | $38.18 (+9%) | $46.31 (+32%) |
 Swine of the Sunken Galley (Techies) |
$26.75 | $26.71 (-0%) | $25.45 (-5%) | $28.23 (+6%) | $42.14 (+58%) |
 Demon Eater (Shadow Fiend) |
$16.40 | $16.49 (+1%) | $16.10 (-2%) | $15.99 (-2%) | $26.84 (+64%) |
 Manifold Paradox (Phantom Assassin) |
$19.10 | $19.60 (+3%) | $20.14 (+5%) | $20.67 (+8%) | $33.84 (+77%) |
 Frost Avalanche (Crystal Maiden) |
$15.00 | $14.73 (-2%) | $16.53 (+10%) | $16.04 (+7%) | $26.56 (+77%) |
 Tempest Helm of the Thundergod (Zeus) |
$21.46 | $21.92 (+2%) | $25.56 (+19%) | $26.84 (+25%) | $34.50 (+61%) |
 Great Sage’s Reckoning (Monkey King) |
$18.63 | $18.25 (-2%) | $22.17 (+19%) | $20.06 (+8%) | $39.99 (+115%) |
 Bladeform Legacy (Juggernaut) |
$20.36 | $19.97 (-2%) | $24.17 (+19%) | $20.56 (+1%) | $33.00 (+62%) |
 Feast of Abscession (Pudge) |
$16.38 | $16.37 (-0%) | $18.00 (+10%) | $19.40 (+18%) | $33.50 (+105%) |
 The Magus Cypher (Rubick) |
$23.88 | $25.16 (+5%) | $34.39 (+44%) | $26.82 (+12%) | $46.00 (+93%) |
 Flockheart’s Gamble (Ogre Magi) |
$25.61 | $26.75 (+4%) | $29.25 (+14%) | $35.02 (+37%) | $47.28 (+85%) |
 The Devotions of Dragonus (Skywrath Mage) |
$15.99 | – | $19.84 (+24%) | $23.24 (+45%) | $30.74 (+92%) |
 The Resurrection of Shen (Vengeful Spirit) |
$14.95 | – | $17.27 (+16%) | $18.09 (+21%) | $32.00 (+114%) |
Lowest Steam listing per version, October 7, 2026. “–” = no listing of that version right now.
My take (worth exactly what you paid for it)
If you want the skin, buy Standard or Exalted, whichever is cheaper that day; they trade within a few percent of each other. Inscribed is nice if you like counters, and the premium is small. Corrupted and the rest are for collectors: you pay for rarity, not for anything you see in a game.
And please, before you pay +77% extra for a colour, check the market comparison. Sometimes the Standard on another market is the better deal than the Standard on Steam, let alone the fancy one.
Which version do you own? And did you buy it on purpose, or did you just click the first one? Be honest. 😄 GL HF! ✌️
The usual: this is Kevin having opinions about pixels, not financial advice. Prices move, sometimes in the wrong direction. You buy at your own risk.
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