There are two ways to get a landscape (terrain) in Dota 2 today: seasonal terrains come with a Dota Plus subscription, and the only terrain you can buy at any time is The King’s New Journey, which costs about $15 on LIS-SKINS. The other map skins (Desert Terrain, Immortal Gardens, Reef’s Edge, The Emerald Abyss, Overgrown Empire, Sanctums of the Divine) were rewards from The International compendiums and battle passes and have not returned to the store. Below we cover which terrains exist, how to get them, and how to equip one.
Why Change the Landscape in Dota 2
There are several reasons to change the landscape in Dota 2. Some players get bored with the standard look of the map and want variety, some choose a design based on the season or their mood, and others have practical reasons. A terrain is a cosmetic item and does not affect gameplay directly, but it can offer a small convenience.
For example, if you keep picking the same heroes, it makes sense to choose a terrain or weather effect where they stand out more clearly. Developers design heroes to be easy to tell apart, but in intense moments even a small difference can be noticeable.
Which Landscapes Exist in Dota 2
Dota 2 has eleven terrain skins in total, and they fall into three groups by availability. First, there are four seasonal map skins (spring, summer, fall, winter) available to Dota Plus subscribers. Which one is active depends on the current season.
The second group are terrains you can no longer buy. They were distributed for a limited time, tied to The International:
Desert Terrain (2015). The first terrain in the game: many map details were reworked to fit the desert theme, with new plants and fauna. It went to owners of The International 2015 compendium.
Immortal Gardens (2016). Turns the map into an ancient garden. The color palette stayed close to the original, but the trees gained distinct geometric shapes.
Reef’s Edge (2017). An underwater-themed terrain that changes the map dramatically, replacing plants with corals, shells, and underwater statues and adding sea creatures.
The Emerald Abyss (2018). Its main theme is stones and minerals, with unusual creatures resembling living mushrooms as fauna.
Overgrown Empire (2019). A jungle-themed terrain with distinctive music, ambient sounds that change with the time of day, and lush trees.
Sanctums of the Divine (2020). It went to owners of The International 10 battle pass.
The third group is the terrain you can still buy: The King’s New Journey. It gives the map a Japanese look, with redesigned trees, new flora, and themed fauna. The map was released alongside the hero Monkey King, so it is a natural fit for players who pick him often.
How to Get a Landscape in Dota 2
The method depends on which terrain you want:
Seasonal terrains unlock with a Dota Plus subscription. You cannot buy them separately, and access ends when the subscription does.
The King’s New Journey is sold on marketplaces. On LIS-SKINS it costs about $15, and the item arrives in your Steam inventory after purchase.
The International terrains (2015 to 2020) were compendium and battle pass rewards. There is no official way to get them now; if your account already has one, it stays in your collection.
If you want to change the look of the game for less, consider weather effects: they are also global cosmetics that change the atmosphere on the map. On LIS-SKINS, for example, Genuine Weather Snow costs about $3 and Genuine Weather Rain around $9. For other ways to fill your inventory, see our guide on how to get skins in Dota 2.
How to Equip a Landscape
A terrain you buy or receive shows up in your Dota 2 collection along with your other cosmetics. To turn it on, find it among the global items in your collection and equip it. The change is visible only to you: other players in the match see their own terrain. If the map feels too heavy for your PC, our guide to Dota 2 graphics settings will help.
Which Landscape to Choose
As you can see, most terrain skins were available only for a limited time and do not return to the store. For most players the choice is simple: The King’s New Journey as the only terrain you can buy, or the seasonal options with Dota Plus. The Monkey King Japanese style looks clearly different from the default map, and at about $15 it costs about as much as a regular cosmetic item. If you are interested in items that are no longer sold, check out the rarest Dota 2 skins, and the priciest items are collected in our list of the most expensive Dota 2 skins. You can add The King’s New Journey to your inventory on LIS-SKINS at a good price and follow fresh releases in our roundup of new Dota 2 skins.
FAQ
Can you get a Dota 2 terrain for free?
No. Seasonal terrains come with Dota Plus, The King’s New Journey is bought on a marketplace, and The International terrains went only to compendium and battle pass owners.
Can you still buy the old The International terrains?
No. Desert Terrain, Immortal Gardens, Reef’s Edge, The Emerald Abyss, Overgrown Empire, and Sanctums of the Divine were distributed for a limited time and have not returned to sale.
Do other players see my terrain?
No. A terrain changes the map only on your screen; other players see whichever terrain they have equipped.
Does a terrain affect gameplay?
No, it is purely cosmetic. At most it makes heroes slightly easier to pick out against the map, but it gives no gameplay advantage.
