Collecting6 min readUpdated October 9, 2026

Rarest Dota 2 Couriers: Baby Roshans, Benefactor Couriers and Unusuals

Which Dota 2 couriers are truly rare, where they came from and what makes a courier rare.

Prepared byDota Ledger Editorial DeskPublished July 6, 2026

Illustration: Dota Ledger

The rarest Dota 2 couriers are the limited-run extras in The International 2017 Battle Pass — Drodo the Druffin and Lockjaw the Boxhound (100 each, first released in 2012), Ice and Lava Baby Roshan (50 each) — plus event rewards such as Golden Baby Roshan and Desert Sands Baby Roshan. Unusual couriers with particle effects are the other top group. Origin, quality and effect decide how rare a courier is.

The rarest Dota 2 couriers at a glance

Courier	Origin	What is known about supply
Drodo the Druffin	2012 treasures; later also the 2017 Trust of the Benefactor extra-rare list	100 in that allocation
Lockjaw the Boxhound	2012 treasures; later also the 2017 Trust of the Benefactor extra-rare list	100 in that allocation
Golden Huntling	The International 2017, Trust of the Benefactor extra-rare chance	100 in that allocation
Golden Doomling	Same 2017 allocation	50 in that allocation
Murrissey the Smeevil	2012 treasures; later also the 2017 Trust of the Benefactor extra-rare list	50 in that allocation
Ice Baby Roshan	Same 2017 allocation	50 in that allocation; the Genuine Ice Baby Roshan is a separate item from Perfect World promotions
Lava Baby Roshan	Same 2017 allocation	50 in that allocation; the Genuine Lava Baby Roshan is a separate item from Perfect World promotions
Desert Sands Baby Roshan	Siltbreaker’s Treasure, 2017 Battle Pass	“Extremely rare chance”, described as exclusive
Golden Baby Roshan	Diretide 2012, a prize for the fastest Roshan kills	Event prize, no published count
Dark Moon Baby Roshan	Dark Moon event reward wheel	Very low drop chance
Honey Heist Baby Roshan	The International 2019 Battle Pass	Battle Pass reward
Elder The Defense Season 2 War Dog	The Defense Season 2, Ancient tier	Event courier

The supply numbers come from the official 2017 Battle Pass page, which lists the Benefactor extra-rare items by number of copies. Valve did not publish a count for the other couriers.

The International 2017: the biggest source of rare couriers

Each Trust of the Benefactor held one of three 2017 Immortal Treasures, plus an ultra-rare chance at an extra treasure with limited-run items. Players earned one at level 83, then another every 50 levels from level 235. The extra list includes seven couriers: Drodo and Lockjaw at 100 copies, Golden Huntling at 100, and Golden Doomling, Murrissey the Smeevil, Ice Baby Roshan and Lava Baby Roshan at 50 each.

A number like “50” counts that allocation only. A seller who says “only 50 exist in the world” goes further than the Valve page does. Treat the figure as the starting supply of one release and check whether the courier shows up in other releases too. For Ice and Lava Baby Roshan, the 50 is the 2017 Benefactor allocation. It is not the supply of the Genuine versions, which came from Perfect World promotions on the Chinese servers (Liquipedia).

Golden, Platinum and event Baby Roshans

Baby Roshan is the courier line that collectors chase, and its rarest versions came from events, not shops:

Golden Baby Roshan. Diretide 2012 gave it to the teams with the fastest Roshan kills in the event’s Sugar Rush Hall of Fame (PCGamesN).
Platinum Baby Roshan. A follow-up Diretide prize in 2013 for the top players in the event’s Hall of Fame (GosuGamers).
Desert Sands Baby Roshan. A prize in Siltbreaker’s Treasure, which the 2017 Battle Pass page calls an “extremely rare chance”. The Siltbreaker Reward page is on our site.
Dark Moon Baby Roshan. It came from the Dark Moon event reward wheel at a very low chance (Liquipedia).
Honey Heist and Gingerbread. Honey Heist Baby Roshan is a 2019 Battle Pass courier. Gingerbread Baby Roshan belongs to the Frostivus winter event.

The plain Baby Roshan is a Legendary courier and a different item from every variant above, so never use its price for them.

Unusual couriers: rare because of the effect

Unusual is a quality for couriers with a particle effect. The Dota 2 Wiki says an gem">Ethereal Gem sets the effect and a Prismatic Gem sets its colour, and that Unusual couriers drop from certain treasures at a low chance. That low chance, plus the choice of effect and colour, is what makes them scarce.

Two examples with item pages are Unusual Baby Roshan and Unusual Greedy Greevil. Greevils hatch from eggs infused with Unusual Essence, so their effect depends on the essences used. Other Unusual couriers include Unusual Hermid and Unusual Mango the Newt. Unusual versions of limited couriers also exist, such as Unusual Drodo the Druffin and Unusual Lockjaw the Boxhound. They combine a limited origin with a particle effect, which makes them a separate, rarer listing. Our guide to couriers and unusual effects explains the effects, and the Unusual quality page lists them.

What makes a courier rare

Origin. A courier from a one-time event, a tournament ticket or a capped allocation is scarcer than one sold in a store.
Quality. Unusual, Genuine and Elder versions of the same model are separate items with their own supply.
Effect and colour. On an Unusual courier, the effect and its colour change how rare the exact copy is.
Style and gems. Installed gems and unlocked styles separate two copies of the same name.
Demand. A courier can be rare and cheap, or common and expensive. Rarity shows how few exist, and price shows how many people want them.

Rarest vs most expensive couriers

The rarest courier is not always the priciest. The most expensive ones are often Unusual couriers or limited early releases. The couriers page ranks every courier by price, updated daily, so you can see the current top of the market. We leave prices out of this guide because they change. A 50-copy courier that few people want can sell for less than a common courier that everyone is chasing, so supply alone never sets the price.

How to check a rare courier before you buy

Read the full name, including the quality prefix such as Unusual or Genuine.
Find the release that names that exact variant, not just “Baby Roshan”.
Decide whether a number you read is a copy count, a reward cap or a count of current listings.
Note the effect, colour, gems and style of the copy you would receive.
Compare it only with listings of the same variant on the item page.
Confirm that the copy can be traded or sold, since some event couriers carry restrictions.

Quick answers

What is the rarest courier in Dota 2?

Among couriers with a published count, the smallest allocation is 50 copies each on the 2017 Trust of the Benefactor list: Ice Baby Roshan, Lava Baby Roshan, Golden Doomling and Murrissey the Smeevil. Murrissey also dropped from 2012 treasures, so more than 50 exist. Golden Baby Roshan and Desert Sands Baby Roshan have no published count, so no one can rank them exactly.

Are Unusual couriers rare?

Yes. They drop at a low chance from certain treasures and come in many effect and colour combinations, so an exact match is scarce.

Can I still get Golden Baby Roshan?

It was an event prize from 2012, so it now changes hands between players. Check the item page for the exact version you want.

Which Dota 2 couriers are the most expensive?

See the ranking on the couriers page. It updates daily and shows the current top prices.