What are Madstones in Dota 2 and how to get them?

Dota 2's Patch 7.38, known as "Wandering Waters," introduces an innovative resource called Madstone, revolutionizing how players acquire and customize Neutral Items. This update allows players to craft Neutral Items tailored to their hero's needs and the match's evolving dynamics. By collecting Madstone, players can create items that blend active abilities with passive bonuses, adding a new layer of strategic depth.

Understanding how to gather and utilize Madstone effectively can give players a crucial edge in their games. With a tier-based crafting system, players can build increasingly powerful items as the match progresses.

Here’s everything you need to know about Dota 2 patch update 7.38's Madstone, how to farm it, and how to craft the best Neutral Items.

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Madstones in Dota 2: Crafting Neutral Items

Madstones can be used to craft and enhance Neutral Items (Image via Valve)

Once players accumulate enough Madstone, they can use it to craft personalized Neutral Items. Each crafted item consists of:

• An Artifact: Provides active or passive abilities.
• An Enchantment: Grants passive stats and attributes.

Players can choose from four Artifacts and four Enchantments when crafting:

• Three Artifacts new variety of replacements will be available from the current tier, while the fourth option lets players keep their current Artifact.
• Enchantments are drawn from the current tier, but players must replace their existing Enchantment.

Madstones in Dota 2: Item tiers and cost

Neutral Items are divided into five tiers, each unlocking at different time intervals:

• Artifacts belong to a single tier and determine an item’s active/passive abilities.
• Enchantments have multiple levels and can appear across different tiers.
• The tier system ensures balanced progression, preventing overpowered items from appearing too early.

Players must craft a Tier 1 item before moving to Tier 2, and so on. This system maintains the integrity of the game's pacing and strategy.

Crafting a new Neutral Item will replace the existing one in the player’s inventory. To progress through the tiers, players must craft items sequentially:

• Tier 1 Neutral Items require 5 Madstone
• Tier 2, 3, 4, and 5 Neutral Items require 10 Madstone each
• Tier 5 Neutral Items can be recrafted, but at an increasing Madstone cost of 10 each (10, 20, 30 etc)

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How to obtain Madstones in Dota 2

You can track and get a general idea of everyone's crafting status (Image via Valve)

Madstone is earned by fully clearing a Neutral Creep camp. The player who delivers the final hit to the last creep in a camp will receive two Madstone, while a random teammate will get one Madstone. These resources are crucial for crafting custom Neutral Items that enhance a hero’s capabilities.

• If no enemy heroes are within 800 units of the last creep's death, and an allied hero is within 1200 units, the Madstone is automatically collected.
• If these conditions aren’t met, the Madstone drops on the ground, allowing either team to pick it up.
• If a player at their Madstone cap collects additional Madstone, their extra resources are evenly distributed among teammates.

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Madstones in Dota 2: Limitations and collection cap

Madstones crafting tiers have various limitations and caps (Image via Valve)

Players can only hold a limited number of Madstones at specific points in the game. The Madstone cap gradually increases as the match progresses, allowing for stronger item upgrades:

• 0 Madstone at the start of the game
• 5 Madstone cap at 5:00 minutes
• 15 Madstone cap at 15:00 minutes
• 25 Madstone cap at 25:00 minutes
• 35 Madstone cap at 35:00 minutes
• 45 Madstone cap at 60:00 minutes
• Unlimited Madstone at 70:00 minutes

This limit ensures that players acquire items progressively rather than stockpiling them early.

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Madstones in Dota 2 Turbo Mode

For faster-paced matches in Turbo Mode, Madstone is collected at an accelerated rate:

• Availability times are halved compared to regular matches.
• Players receive three Madstone instead of two when clearing a camp.
• A random ally receives two Madstone instead of one.

This adjustment keeps the crafting system relevant in shorter games while maintaining strategic depth.

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Irrespective of Dota 2's current competitive meta, Madstone introduces a fresh, dynamic approach to Neutral Items in Dota 2, offering players more control over their builds.

By understanding how to farm Madstone efficiently, craft the right items, and manage collection limits, players can make better in-game decisions and optimize their hero’s performance.

Whether in ranked games or casual matches, mastering Madstone mechanics will be the key to success in Patch 7.38 and beyond.