Dota 2 ranks, or matchmaking rank (MMR) is vital to ensuring players are matched to games within their skill level. Of course, that’s not really the reason why you landed on this segment about Dota 2 ranks, is it? You are probably just looking for how to gain MMR Dota 2.
Whether you want to know how many MMR points you need before reaching your next Dota 2 rank, how to recalibrate Doat 2 MMR, or just want to know the highest rank in Dota 2. Rest assured that we cover all the ins and outs of ranks in Dota 2.
Back before November 2017, Dota 2 ranks were merely numbers that Dota 2 players use to stroke their egos on other players. For the most part, MMR in Dota 2 have been relatively similar, at least for the Dota 2 MMR. You gain 30 MMR in solo or 20 MMR in party matches, and vice versa if you lose.
Fast forward to Seasonal Dota 2 leaderboards, we have Dota 2 ranks recognized by its Dota 2 ranks medals instead. Each Dota 2 rank is comprised of its title and stars, representing a range of Dota 2 MMR. This range is dynamically changing based on the overall Dota 2 playerbase’s Dota 2 MMR gain/loss. Essentially, it’s still your Dota 2 MMR in silhouette, but like most Esports MOBAs, having a distinguishable title gives off a fancier vibe than mere Elo rating or Dota 2 MMR points.
As you grind your way through Ranked Matchmaking, you will be notified when you surpass a certain Dota 2 MMR threshold. While there are only eight medals by category, each medal can be classified further by 1-5 stars, except the Immortal rank, which is the highest rank in Dota 2.
The breakdown of Dota 2 rank by MMR are as below:
- Herald: 0-769 MMR
- Guardian: 770-1539 MMR
- Crusader: 1540-2309 MMR
- Archon: 2310-3079 MMR
- Legend: 3080-3849 MMR
- Ancient: 3850-4619 MMR
- Divine: 4620-5420+ MMR
- Immortal: ∽6000+ MMR
Do note that as mentioned, the Dota 2 ranks to MMR benchmark is dynamically changing as it readjusts based on Dota 2 MMR distribution statistics. For instance, if you hadn’t played ranked Dota 2 games for some time, where your MMR remained stagnant. Even so, you might just find your ranked experience slightly worse if you have been inactive because of the newly-introduced ranked confidence and Glicko algorithm in Dota 2 ranks system.
Nonetheless, the medal benchmark usually deteriorates over time because players are losing MMR, hence pulling down the quality of medals.
As of 2023, Valve introduced ranked confidence in Dota 2 ranks as a deciding factor in Dota 2 matchmaking. It’s essentially a decay system for your Dota 2 rank, whereby inactive players’ ranked confidence will reduce over time, such as when you’re playing ranked after a long break. Alternatively, if you’re consistent in playing ranked games, your ranked confidence will remain high and lets you find matches in a higher but fitting skill bracket.
The general idea is that you probably got rusty after weeks of not playing Dota 2 ranked games, so you should grind some matches before your ranked confidence improves.
Alongside ranked confidence, Valve also introduced Glicko into Dota 2’s matchmaking algorithm. Glicko also has a higher impact on the Dota 2 ranked system than ranked confidence as of Dota 2 Update 7.33
It’s an algorithm that effectively estimates a player’s skill bracket via ranked confidence by drastically increasing the MMR gain if a smurf stomps a lower-rank match, or cause an account buyer to lose more Dota 2 MMR if they didn’t live up to the performance in his alleged match.
It wouldn’t be a proper Dota 2 ranks guide if we didn’t reveal some valuable tips on climbing the MMR ladder. We will start with the Uncalibrated medal, where you will have to play ten calibration games to know your actual MMR. We recommend that you win indisputably in these ten matches, especially the first half, because this is where your hidden MMR is still very volatile.
Losing the first round will basically show that you aren’t cut out for the current Dota tier, hence placing you into a lower MMR match (thanks to the Glicko algorithm). On the other hand, if you do win, it will grant you a much higher MMR to match you into a higher-skilled game.
Say you already got your medal, and you are a Herald player. You have many fundamentals to learn and master a single hero you are comfortable with. In this bracket, you should focus less on your skills and learn proper basics.
When you are in Guardian or Crusader, it’s time to communicate, ideally with the mic or in chat. You will need to understand what roles like support or carry do. However, you can always stick to one role for now. The key here is to climb the ranks, so being a one-trick pony works effectively.
Here, you will meet more players, more drafts, and different strategies. While communicating, make key objectives to play around your team by purchasing Smoke of Deceit for ganks and take objectives across the map. Map control plays a vital role, so does warding and map awareness.
In the Ancient and Divine bracket, advanced skills and understanding in-game mechanics are crucial. Lane equilibrium alone could affect the outcome of your game, so you will need to know when to pull the creeps. At such a high Dota tier list, drafts and patch meta can provide a massive advantage over opponents who only spam their favorite heroes.
Unfortunately, that’s as far advice we can share from an average Dota 2 player perspective, so you might want to check proper guides from Immortal-ranked pros. Alternatively, there are several best heroes to climb MMR Dota 2 that you can utilize too.
Contrary to popular belief, the Immortal rank isn’t the rarest rank among players. Instead, the lowest end of the spectrum is the Herald and the Divine medals. Generally, the majority of players are in Crusader and Archon Dota 2 ranks.
Credit: Dota 2 Ranks Distribution by MMR – The Global Gaming
While a five-figure MMR is almost impossible to achieve for the average Joe like us, reaching 5.5k MMR is still a decent accomplishment to brag to your friends as that’s Immortal rank. Being an Immortal player can occasionally land you a career as an amateur pro player. And, of course, if you have what it takes, you just might climb the Dota 2 rank tier list to become the next 23savage.
These days, five-digit MMR is relatively common among pro players. 10k MMR was achieved way back in 2017 by Abed Azel L. Yusop, as more pros follow suit. Abed was also the first to surpass the 11k MMR mark three years later.
In March 2021, we have our first 12k MMR player, who goes by the name, Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon. And before we know it, 23savage became the first 13k MMR player too, in December 2022.
Given how prestigious MMR is hailed, resetting one’s MMR is a ticket to recalibrate your current MMR in hopes of a better one. That said, don’t expect to leap from Legend to Divine medal in just one recalibration game.
When you reset your MMR, your current MMR will be hidden, so keep note of your initial MMR beforehand. You will have to complete ten calibration matches, which will reveal your new MMR. During these calibration matches, the amount of MMR gain or loss per match will vary over the standard 30 MMR.
Do note that MMR resets are only available during the start of a new Ranked season, where you can access the feature from the Dota 2 client’s main menu, visit the cog icon for the Settings -> Account -> Activate Recalibration
MMR (Matchmaking Rating) in Dota 2 is a rating system that is used to match players with opponents of similar skill levels. It’s basically an algorithm used to keep a game with a huge skill difference as fair as possible. It’s based on your performance and win/loss ratio, and is used to determine the skill level of players in the game.
What is MMR in Dota 2?
Your MMR will change with every ranked game you play based on your performance and the skill level of your opponents. It is possible for a player’s MMR to increase or decrease after each match. Usually, a win will result in an increase and a loss will have a decrease. If you don’t want to change your MMR, you can play unranked games.
Does MMR change with every game played?
It’s been ages since Valve removed the view for the MMR gain/loss from players’ match history. There’s an alternative way to see MMR gain/loss by keeping track of your MMR before a game and calculating the difference after a ranked game. It’s tedious, but that’s the only way.
While 23savage was the first 13k MMR player, the highest MMR player across every region is everchanging on the official Dota 2 Leaderboards page. Hence, if you want to know who is the highest MMR player, your best bet is for the official announcement of the first player to hit 14k MMR.
EN Global 
JP 日本語