Rarity

Rarity is a property of items. It is represented in-game by the item's color theme. Under rare circumstances, an item's rarity can be changed by Valve.

Rarity is a purely cosmetic property, and has no effect on gameplay. Items can have both a Rarity and a Quality value.

Tiers
Items are currently classified under the following categories, ordered from most common to least common: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Mythical, Legendary, Ancient, Immortal and Arcana.

The classification of an item is depend on the degree of changes made upon the preexisting custom cosmetic, animation and/or effect.


 * Lower rarity items drop more frequently than higher rarity items.

Level requirements
The Rarity of items that can drop is dependent on the player's Profile Level. This system was implemented to reduce item farming by bots.


 * Immortal items are never dropped.

Common
The very most common type of item.

Uncommon
The second most common type of item.

Rare
The third most common type of item.

Mythical
The fourth most common type of item.

Legendary
Used for items of a special rarity.

Ancient
Used for items gained from special events.

Immortal
Used for items that were previously purchasable or items that were released and cannot be obtained by drop, purchase, or chest, and only via trade.

Arcana
Arcana is a special rarity added in the March 07, 2013 Patch. Items of this rarity change many visual aspects of the Hero, including model and particle effects, ability effects, their mini-map icon, and more....