In the Dota 2 community on Reddit, a user by the nickname Stasik revealed that a widespread Steam exploit is still being used to duplicate the game's rarest items, such as unusual couriers, ethereal stones, and other unique items with significant in-game value.

The first signs of the problem appeared back in the spring of 2025 when collectors noticed a sharp increase in the number of certain unique items on the market. For example, the sales of Ionic stones in just a few days exceeded the total volume since 2018. This immediately raised suspicions of artificial duplication.

Duplication Scale and Million-Dollar Profits

According to the investigation, there are two large Chinese groups of exploiters who have been making millions of dollars from duplication for several years.

• They have over 15 accounts filled with rare items and couriers.
• They earn between $50,000 to $150,000 daily just from duplication.
• Over the past week alone, more than 2,000 item copies have been created—equivalent to about $30 million in market value.

Moreover, the exploits are not only duplicating in Dota 2 but also in CS2. The scariest part is that all top-tier items are subject to duplication:

• Roshan couriers
• bugged items with gems
• Arcanas and crimsons
• even standard skins

How the Exploit Worked

The method was based on bypass schemes through Steam support. Scammers would submit requests on behalf of "fraud victims," resulting in support returning items by creating new copies. Over time, the system became more complex—using dozens of accounts, VPNs, fake trades, and even intermediaries to mask the activity. The community speculates that Valve employees might have been involved in the schemes, as some items were restored multiple times for different users.

Exposed Exploiter Groups

Stasik and other researchers named specific groups:

• Banana Man — one of the oldest groups involved in duplication since 2022.
• 山 / Hatsune / Milo — a network of accounts that massively flooded the market with couriers.
• 淘＄宝肌肉小店铺 — a Chinese group specializing in ethereal effects and stones.

Their Steam profiles and transaction history, proving massive sales, were provided in a GitHub report.

Confirmation Through the Steam Market

It is evident that the number of some unique items has increased tenfold:

• Trail of Burning Doom — previously appeared 1–2 times a year, now has over 30 copies.
• Ethereal Flame Pink War Dog — one of the most expensive couriers that suddenly became "mass-market."

In the summer of 2025, prices gradually decreased, and now the market has completely collapsed:

• Legendary items priced at $25,000 are now selling for $1,000 – $4,000.
• Collectors are massively selling off inventories as uniqueness has vanished.

Valve's Response

Valve is attempting to remove some duplicates, but abusers quickly find new loopholes. Despite the community having a complete list of Chinese exploiters' accounts, the company has yet to roll back the items or ban the main offenders. This has sparked a wave of criticism from traders and game fans.

Risks for Players

It is currently difficult to determine which item is original and which is a duplicate. Purchasing such items carries huge risks: if Valve reacts, they may be removed. Players are advised to avoid suspicious offers and not invest money in items that could have been duplicated.

Stasik's investigation, which lasted over two months, highlighted the scale of the problem and provided data to Valve. However, the bug is still active, and the Dota 2 and CS2 markets continue to crumble. If the company does not take radical measures, trust in the entire Steam economy might disappear entirely.