While Dota 2 may have a reputation for housing a toxic playerbase, many players may never encounter anything off-putting. That’s because almost all of this toxicity lives in one place: Ranked play. While Unranked play can be casual fun, Ranked Matches tend to bring out the worst in players. While many choose to ignore Ranked play entirely, others find its call irresistible. Though it may seem scary at first, with practice and research players can learn how to survive Ranked Dota 2.
The Mute Button
This is the one that is mentioned the most, but it bears repeating. While communication is important to Ranked play, so is focus. Muting someone toxic is almost always worth the silence. Often communication is made easier by filtering out the noise, so don’t be afraid to hit mute. Still, there is often the temptation to try to defuse the situation. This is typically more trouble than it’s worth though and can cause more issues. Even toxic players still typically want to win, so muting them won’t make them more likely to feed.
Don’t Be A One-Trick
While diving deep into a certain hero can be fun, it’s important not to become too specialized. Players won’t always get the roles or heroes they want, so it’s important to have a backup plan or several. A good rule of thumb is to be comfortable with at least one hero in each position. This not only helps with consistency but also can teach players more about the game and different roles. A Carry, for instance, might learn to lane better after gaining some experience with Hard Support.
Avoid Burnout
When playing Ranked, there’s always the temptation to play just one more match. But eventually, there comes a point where playing one more match will do more harm than good. Setting a hard limit to only play a few games a day can help keep players at their best. It can be tempting to go over this to try to regain lost MMR, but this generally doesn’t help. Players who keep going after burning out for the day usually see their winrates tank quickly.
Remember That Rank Doesn’t Matter
This is one of the most important tips, but it’s also one of the most difficult to remember. Players often get hung up on their MMR, letting it get to them when it really shouldn’t. It’s worth noting that MMR is only calculated from wins and losses. It does not take anything else into account. It doesn’t measure individual player performance, skills, ability to grow, cooperativeness, or anything else. For more information on players can view their performance and analyze their play, check out our article on Dota Plus.
[Related: Is Dota Plus Worth It?]
Dota is a complicated game, and on top of that, it’s a cooperative one. Apart from Mid, every role has to work in a pair, meaning a bad lane partner can really hurt. Similarly, each player on each team has a specific role to play. However, those queueing alone will find themselves matched with four random strangers, and likely struggle to coordinate them.
Due to this, it’s a good idea to queue with friends if possible. Solo players gain and lose 30 MMR for winning and losing games respectively. When playing in a group, however, these numbers decrease to 20 MMR for wins and losses. This isn’t as big a downside as it seems though. Playing in a team with real coordination will likely more than make up the difference. Queueing as a group can also fix many of the issues discussed here. Thus, these tips are primarily for those flying solo.
While Dota 2 can be toxic, it doesn’t have to be. Knowing how to keep calm and manage communication can greatly improve the ranked experience. With a little patience and some practice, anyone can learn how to survive ranked Dota 2, and even thrive.
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