Dota 2 ranks are seven medals, Herald, Guardian, Crusader, Archon, Legend, Ancient and Divine, each with five stars, plus Immortal at the top as a leaderboard rank. Your matchmaking rating (MMR) moves you between stars. Ranked needs 100 hours played and a phone number linked to your Steam account.
Dota 2 ranks and medals in order
Dota 2 shows your rank as a medal. There are seven medals with five stars each, and one star is the lowest, so Archon 5 is the top of Archon. Above Divine 5 sits Immortal, which has no stars and works as a regional leaderboard instead.
| Medal | Stars | What it usually looks like | Our price per star (piloted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herald | 1 – 5 | New players learning heroes and items | $3 |
| Guardian | 1 – 5 | Basic last hitting, chaotic fights | $3.5 |
| Crusader | 1 – 5 | Better laning, little map awareness | $4 |
| Archon | 1 – 5 | The middle of the ladder; games swing a lot | $5 |
| Legend | 1 – 5 | Solid farm and item builds, some warding | $6.5 |
| Ancient | 1 – 5 | Strong players with real game plans | $9 |
| Divine | 1 – 5 | Very high level, few free mistakes | $16 |
| Immortal | Leaderboard | The top players in each region | Not sold |
Prices are piloted rates at the time of writing and can change; the Dota 2 boosting page calculator shows a live total before you pay. We sell climbs up to Divine 5 and do not sell Immortal.
How does MMR work in Dota 2?
Behind every medal is your matchmaking rating (MMR). Each ranked win adds MMR and each loss takes some away. Gain enough and you move up a star; five stars take you to the next medal. Ranked matches now show MMR on the end-of-game screen, so you can track your exact number.
Why some games move you more
Dota 2 also tracks how certain it is about your skill. When that uncertainty is high, for example after calibration or a long break, each game moves your MMR more until the system settles. If your MMR seems to jump around after time away, that is why.
Where Immortal starts
The MMR needed for Immortal is not a fixed number. It depends on your region and on the size of the player base at the top, and Valve has adjusted high-end MMR more than once. Treat any single "Immortal starts at X" figure you see online as approximate.
Dota 2 ranked requirements
- Play 100 hours. As of October 2026, ranked matchmaking opens only after 100 hours of play on the account. If anyone in your party is under 100 hours, the party cannot queue ranked.
- Link a phone number. Your Steam account needs a unique phone number. A number removed from one account cannot be used on any account for three months.
- Keep your behavior score healthy and clear any low priority. A low behavior score or pending low priority games can stop you queuing ranked.
- Play your calibration matches to receive your first medal.
If you are close but short on hours, our Dota 2 Ranked Unlock plays unranked and Turbo games to build them: 25 hours for $25, 50 hours for $45, or up to 100 hours for $85. Our ranked unlock guide compares requirements in other games.
Dota 2 calibration: how your first medal is set
A new ranked account plays 10 calibration matches before it receives a medal. The results, along with how you played, set your starting MMR. There is a cap on how high calibration can place you, so very strong new players still have to climb the rest of the way through normal games. Calibration is one of the moments where uncertainty is highest, so wins and losses count for more. See our placement matches guide for how this compares with other games.
Behavior score and low priority
Your behavior score rates how you act in games: abandons, reports and griefing lower it, and clean games raise it slowly. Valve shows it as a grade from Normal through C+, C, C-, D and F. A low score can stop you queuing ranked and puts you in games with other low-score players, which makes climbing harder.
Low priority is a separate penalty for abandons and similar offenses. While you owe low priority games you cannot queue ranked, and neither can any party you are in. You have to win the games you owe to clear it. If you cannot face those games, the Low Priority Removal service wins them for you, from $5 for one win to $20 for five.
Solo vs party ranked in Dota 2
| Option | How it works | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Solo queue | You queue alone; Strict Matchmaking can limit you to other solo players | Measuring your own skill |
| Party queue | Up to five friends; very large MMR gaps are blocked | Coordinated teams who talk |
| Immortal parties | Extra limits apply near the top of the ladder | Top players only |
A good party usually wins more than five strangers, but the game compensates by matching you against stronger opponents. Play the way you actually improve.
What is a good rank in Dota 2?
Most of the player base sits between Guardian and Legend, according to public trackers such as STRATZ, so reaching Ancient already puts you well above the typical ranked player, and Divine is a small group. Shares move with every patch and season, so check a current snapshot for exact percentages. Our rank distribution guide collects them across games.
How to climb Dota 2 ranks
- Play three heroes in one or two roles. Deep knowledge of a small pool beats a coin-flip pick every game.
- Last hit in the demo hero mode for ten minutes before ranked. Farm wins games below Ancient.
- Warding and dewarding matter even if you are not playing support. Buy a sentry when your team needs one.
- Take objectives after won fights. Towers and Roshan win games; chasing kills into fog loses them.
- Mute early, stay calm. Arguments cost more games than bad drafts. See how to stop tilting.
- Stop after two losses and review one replay a week, looking only at your deaths.
When a Dota 2 boost or coaching makes sense
Example prices at the time of writing:
- Crusader 1 to Archon 1, piloted: $20.
- Archon 1 to Legend 1, piloted: $25, or $37.5 in duo, where you play the games yourself with a booster in your party.
- Legend 1 to Ancient 1, piloted: $32.5.
- Calibration is priced at $4 a game piloted, so a full 10-game calibration is $40.
To improve your own play, live coaching starts at $25 an hour, and VOD review is $15 per match reviewed. A team of our players can also play the weekend Battle Cup with you. Compare the options in coaching vs boosting.
Steam's Subscriber Agreement does not allow sharing your account, and Valve can restrict or ban accounts that break its rules. A piloted boost carries real ban risk. Duo is lower risk because you keep your login, and coaching does not involve your account at all. Our account safety page explains what we do to reduce risk and what we cannot promise.
Get your Dota 2 price
Enter your current and target medal, choose piloted or duo, and see the total before paying. Your booster is vetted and ID-verified. On piloted orders you stay signed out until the order is finished; duo orders do not use your login, so you play as normal.
Price my boostAsk Boost Up AISee every Dota 2 service in the Dota 2 collection, or read how it works for the order process.
Dota 2 ranks FAQ
How many ranks are there in Dota 2?
There are seven medals with five stars each, Herald, Guardian, Crusader, Archon, Legend, Ancient and Divine, which makes 35 ranked steps, plus Immortal at the top. Immortal has no stars; it is a regional leaderboard for the highest-rated players. Star 1 is the lowest in each medal, so Legend 5 sits just below Ancient 1.
How many hours do you need to play ranked in Dota 2?
You need 100 hours of play on your account before ranked matchmaking opens, plus a unique phone number linked to your Steam account. If anyone in your party has fewer than 100 hours, the whole party cannot queue ranked. Unranked and Turbo games both count toward the hours.
How many calibration games are there in Dota 2?
A new ranked account plays 10 calibration matches before it receives its first medal. Results in those games count for more than usual because the system is still unsure of your skill. There is a cap on how high calibration can place you, so very strong players still climb the rest of the way.
What is behavior score in Dota 2?
Behavior score is Valve's rating of how you act in matches. Abandons, reports and griefing lower it, while clean games slowly raise it. It is shown as a grade: Normal, C+, C, C-, D or F. A low score can block ranked queuing and matches you with other low-score players, which makes climbing harder.
Can you play ranked with friends in Dota 2?
Yes. You can queue ranked in a party of up to five, but every member needs 100 hours and a linked phone number, nobody can have pending low priority games, and parties with very large MMR gaps are blocked. If you prefer to queue alone, Strict Matchmaking can limit you to other solo players.
What is the highest rank in Dota 2?
Immortal is the highest rank. It sits above Divine 5 and is shown as a leaderboard position within your region rather than a medal with stars. The MMR needed to reach it changes with region and player population, and Valve has adjusted high-end MMR more than once, so there is no single fixed threshold.
Sources: Dota 2 news and patch notes (Valve), Steam Support (Valve), Dota 2 matchmaking (Liquipedia), Steam Subscriber Agreement (Valve)