An analysis of the Madstone system (Artifact + Enchantment): each stat converted to the market price of shop components, and a number on this thesis: an early neutral item is a hidden jump in real hero strength that never shows up in net worth.
A neutral item can't be bought or sold: its gold cost is zero and it adds nothing to a hero's net worth. The game hands it out for free and early (Tier 1 from minute 5).
So when a player picks one up early, their visible value (net worth) doesn't move, but their real fighting strength does, by exactly as much gold as buying the equivalent stats or effect in the shop would cost. That hidden value is largest, relatively, early on, when 400–700 free gold can be 20–40% of a hero's effective net worth.
Two models below: Enchantments priced exactly, Artifacts estimated, plus a calculator of the "hidden lead".
How you price something that can't be bought
An Enchantment is a bundle of stats (HP, regen, mana, armor, damage…). Every stat has a stable market price in Dota, set by the cheapest shop component that gives it. Sum stats × rate = a hard gold value. This number is defensible.
An active ability (blink, dispel, summon, slow…) has no price list. It's valued by comparing it with the closest purchasable item that does the same thing (Tumbler's Toy ≈ a poor Blink, Book of the Dead ≈ Necronomicon). Hence the ranges.
These are raw stat prices from cheap components; finished items usually charge more (slot efficiency). The lower bound is used, so the result is conservative, if anything an underestimate.
The stat half, converted to gold. Values per tier (T1 / T2 / T3 / T4 / T5). Price = stats × rate. Penalties are subtracted.
| Enchantment | Tiers | Stats (per tier) | Gold value (per tier) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brawny | 1–4 | +125/175/225/275 HP · +0/4/8/12 HP regen | 640 / 1130 / 1600 / 2090 |
| Mystical | 1–4 | +1/2/3/4 mana regen · +0/10/16/22% magic res | 120 / 1085 / 1710 / 2340 |
| Quickened | 1–4 | +15/20/25/30 MS · +0/100/160/220 mana | 135 / 540 / 800 / 1060 |
| Tough | 1–4 | +5/8/11/14 dmg · +0/4/7/10 armor | 115 / 530 / 860 / 1190 |
| Alert | 1–4 | attack speed + night vision (≈ +20/30/40/50 AS) | ~600 / 900 / 1200 / 1500 |
| Vital 7.41 new | 1 | +2 HP regen (guaranteed option) | ~115 |
| Vast | 2–3 | +60/90 attack range (melee and ranged) | ~900 / 1350 |
| Greedy | 2–3 | +75/100 GPM · +200/250 mana · −30/60 dmg | ~1400 / 1850* |
| Keen-Eyed | 2–3 | +125/135 cast range · +1/1.5 mana regen · −15% max mana | ~1450 / 1620 |
| Vampiric | 2–4 | +12/16/20% lifesteal · +8/12/16% spell lifesteal | ~1100 / 1500 / 1900 |
| Nimble | 2–3 | attack speed + bonus damage (agility profile) | ~1200 / 1600 |
| Crude | 4–5 | +20/30% slow res · −12/18% BAT · −15% int | ~2200 / 3200 |
| Titanic | 4–5 | +15/25% base attack dmg · +10/15% status res | ~2400 / 3600 |
| Timeless | 4–5 | +10/15% debuff amp · +10/20% spell amp | ~2600 / 3900 |
| Evolved | 5 | +40 primary attribute | ~3500 |
| Boundless | 5 | +150 attack range · +350 cast range | ~5000+ |
| Fleetfooted | 5 | +115 movement speed | ~3500+ |
| Wise | 5 | +600 XP/min (XP can't be bought; unique) | n/a |
| Audacious | 5 | +100 AS · +80 magic attack dmg · +10% incoming dmg | ~4500 |
| Feverish | 5 | +15% CDR · +15% mana cost | ~3000–4000 |
* Most of Greedy's value is the GPM (75–100 gold/min): an investment value, not a stat, and worth exponentially more the earlier it comes. Penalties (red) are subtracted.
The active half, a selection of the most notable ones. Rougher: each ability is compared with the closest purchasable item, or with what a player would rationally pay for the same effect.
| Artifact | Tier | What it does | Estimated value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trusty Shovel | 1 | Digs up a rune/salve/mango/kobold, ~120–200 g per use, long cooldown | 300–500 |
| Occult Bracelet | 1 | +2 mana per hit (stacks ×5), jungle sustain | 250–400 |
| Pollywog Charm | 1 | +8 HP regen for 10 s on an ally, MS near water, a poor Tranquil active | 400–600 |
| Spark of Courage | 1 | +10 dmg above 50% HP / +5 armor below, passive | 350–500 |
| Ripper's Lash | 1 | AoE thorns, +12 dmg on hitting the target for 10 s | 400–600 |
| Iron Talon / Searing Signet | 2 | % damage to a creep / burn on spells, farm and push acceleration | 600–900 |
| Tumbler's Toy | 2 | Short hop, initiation tool, a poor Blink | 900–1400 |
| Poor Man's Shield | 2 | Damage block, ≈ the old item of the same name | ~500 |
| Essence Ring | 2 | Temporary +current/max HP, battle sustain | 700–1000 |
| Psychic Headband | 3 | Pushes enemy heroes away, positioning and saves | 900–1500 |
| Gunpowder Gauntlet | 3 | Next attack deals bonus magic damage, burst | 800–1300 |
| Ninja Gear | 3 | Smoke + utility, ≈ Smoke of Deceit on demand | 1000–1600 |
| Flicker | 4 | Escape mini-blink, ≈ part of a Blink Dagger | 1500–2200 |
| Mind Breaker | 4 | Silence on attack, ≈ a weaker Orchid | 1800–2800 |
| Spell Prism / Timeless Relic | 4 | CDR + stats, ≈ an Octarine fragment | 2000–3000 |
| Book of the Dead | 5 | Summons 2+2 units for 75 s, ≈ Necronomicon 3 | 3500–5000 |
| Stygian Desolator | 5 | −armor proc, ≈ Desolator (4350 g) | 3500–4500 |
| Fallen Sky | 5 | Meteor leap, AoE damage + stun, ≈ an ultimate | 4000–6000 |
| Pirate Hat | 5 | Passive bounty + attack stats, an economic bomb | 4000–6000+ |
| Spider Legs | 5 | +20% MS, free pathing, turn rate for 10 s | 3000–4500 |
The pool rotates every patch (cycled out / readded). These are representative items active in 7.41c plus some tier-5 staples. Estimates are "what a player would rationally pay for the same effect", not price-list numbers.
A typical (median) crafted item of each tier, both halves added. This is how much free gold the item really gives you at that moment.
| Tier | Unlocks | Madstones | Artifact (median) | Enchant (median) | Item value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 5:00 | 5 | ~350 g | ~250 g | ~500–700 |
| Tier 2 | 15:00 | 15 | ~800 g | ~900 g | ~1500–2000 |
| Tier 3 | 25:00 | 25 | ~1200 g | ~1400 g | ~2400–3200 |
| Tier 4 | 35:00 | 35 | ~2200 g | ~2000 g | ~3800–5000 |
| Tier 5 | 60:00 | 45 | ~4000 g | ~3500 g | ~6000–9000+ |
| A fully farmed late-game hero with a tier-5 item carries, invisibly, | ≈ 6–9k gold | ||||
The item gives you gold value that never shows in net worth. This computes how much it moves your effective strength, and why early means disproportionately more.
Pick the item tier and enter your net worth at that moment. Low = conservative, high = optimistic.
The intuition is correct and quantifiable: the earlier you get the item, the larger the ratio of hidden value to visible net worth. At minute 5 you get the equivalent of ~40–75% of your wealth for free; at minute 25 "only" ~30%; at minute 60 ~20–28%.
The important footnote: the absolute value grows all game (from ~600 to ~7000+ g). So a neutral item isn't an early-game gimmick; it's a constant, invisible tax in favour of whoever has the better jungle uptime. A player who consistently crafts a tier ahead, or takes better artifacts, effectively carries an extra item the opponent never sees on the scoreboard.
Method note. Enchantments are priced hard (pure stats × the cheapest component's rate, 7.41c). Artifacts are an estimate of willingness to pay for an equivalent effect and can't be priced unambiguously, hence the ranges. Raw-stat rates are deliberately the lower bound, so the real value is more likely higher than lower.
The neutral item pool rotates every patch. Enchantment stats are stable in 7.41; since 7.41 the choice is tied to the hero's primary attribute and isn't random (5 options per tier from T2). Sources: Liquipedia (Neutral Items, Version 7.41), dotacoach.gg, ginx.tv, bo3.gg, escorenews; as of May 2026, patch 7.41c.