Valve stopped developing Dota Underlords. The last patch arrived on 8 December 2021 and its headline note extended the Season 1 end date to 2031, which in practice means no further content or balance work. Servers stay online and matchmaking still fills, with SteamDB tracking roughly 1,000 to 1,300 concurrent players in August 2026 against an all-time peak of 202,334 on 23 June 2019, so what you are playing is a frozen 2021 auto-battler rather than a supported competitive game.
Resource management and crafting determine how quickly your power scales. This guide covers what to prioritize, where to farm, and how to avoid wasting resources on the wrong upgrades.
Crafting Priority List
The order you should invest resources:
| Priority | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Primary equipment | Biggest damage increase per resource spent |
| 2 | Core build gear | Enables your build's key combinations |
| 3 | Defensive upgrades | Survivability for boss fights |
| 4 | Secondary equipment | Situational options for specific content |
| 5 | Consumables | Temporary boosts for hard content |
Resource Farming by Area
Standard
Key resources: Item picks after rounds 1, 2, 3, 10 and then every fifth round. Season 1 progression rewards are frozen: Valve pushed the season end to 2031 and nothing new is being added. Farming efficiency: Low value per run, but safe and consistent
Focus on gathering materials for Vladmir's Offering upgrades here. See our maps guide for detailed area layouts.
Knockout
Key resources: Same item pick structure at an accelerated pace. No mode-specific unlocks are being issued any more. Farming efficiency: Good early-game farming spot
Focus on gathering materials for Vladmir's Offering upgrades here. See our maps guide for detailed area layouts.
Duos
Key resources: Shared health and experience. With roughly a thousand concurrent players worldwide, expect long waits or bring your own second player. Farming efficiency: Best mid-game farming, worth revisiting
Focus on gathering materials for Vladmir's Offering upgrades here. See our maps guide for detailed area layouts.
City Crawl
Key resources: Campaign challenges and cosmetic unlocks that were finished before development stopped. Nothing new has been added since 2021. Farming efficiency: High-value materials for late-game upgrades
This is where you farm materials for Aegis of the Immortal max upgrades. See our maps guide for detailed area layouts.
Ranked matchmaking
Key resources: Ladder placement only. Seasonal rewards stopped being meaningful the moment Valve extended Season 1 to 2031, so treat rank as a personal score. Farming efficiency: Best resources in the game, requires strong build
This is where you farm materials for Aegis of the Immortal max upgrades. See our maps guide for detailed area layouts.
Upgrade Path
Early Game (Standard to Knockout)
- Upgrade your starting equipment to functional level
- Craft basic defensive gear
- Save specialty materials, since you'll need them later
- Focus on Vladmir's Offering once accessible
Mid Game (Duos)
- Push Vladmir's Offering to mid-level upgrades
- Start collecting materials for Aegis of the Immortal
- Craft situational consumables for boss fights
- Upgrade build-specific gear pieces
Late Game (City Crawl to Ranked matchmaking)
- Max out Aegis of the Immortal. This is your top priority
- Complete your build's core gear set
- Craft endgame consumables
- Optional: upgrade secondary equipment for variety
Crafting Mistakes to Avoid
- Spreading upgrades across multiple equipment: Focus one weapon to max before diversifying.
- Hoarding materials: Use them. The game provides enough if you farm efficiently.
- Upgrading the wrong gear: Check our builds guide before investing.
- Ignoring Duos farming: This area has the best resource-to-time ratio in mid-game.
- Crafting consumables too early: Save specialty materials for late-game recipes.
Resource Efficiency Tips
- Know what you are signing up for before you install. The 8 December 2021 patch pushed Season 1 to 2031 and no balance changes have followed, so every comp you read about in a 2020 guide is still exactly as strong or weak as it was then. That stability is genuinely useful for learning, but there is no meta to keep up with.
- Farm Duos during mid-game for the best return on time
- Check the walkthrough to know when each resource becomes available
- Match your farming route to your build. Some classes farm faster in certain areas
More Dota Underlords Guides
- Dota Underlords Dota Underlords Overview
- Dota Underlords Best Builds
- Dota Underlords Tier List
- Dota Underlords Walkthrough
- Dota Underlords Beginner's Guide
- Dota Underlords Tips & Tricks
- Dota Underlords Weapons Guide
- Dota Underlords Combat Guide
- Dota Underlords Boss Guide
- Dota Underlords Maps & Locations
- Dota Underlords Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy Dota Underlords, check out these related guides:
- Sid Meier's Civilization V Crafting Guide: strategy game with similar mechanics
- Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Crafting Guide: strategy game with similar mechanics
- RimWorld Crafting Guide: strategy game with similar mechanics
