Dota 2 Ranks Explained: All Medals from Herald to Immortal

In Dota 2 your rank is called a rank medal. There are eight medals from Herald to Immortal. Behind them sits a number, your MMR (Matchmaking Rating). Since the New Frontiers update in April 2023 (patch 7.33), Valve calculates it with the Glicko system, and there are no fixed ranked seasons anymore.

Below you'll find every medal in order, rough MMR values, the rules for calibration and ranked, and tips for climbing. The rules come from official Valve sources (dota2.com, Steam news, Steam Support); the MMR estimates come from community statistics (as of October 2026, patch 7.41f).

All ranks in order

The first seven medals each have five stars: 1 star is the lowest step and 5 stars the highest. Immortal has no stars; there your leaderboard position counts. That makes 35 steps plus Immortal.

1. 08 Immortal no tiers
2. 07 Divine 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5
3. 06 Ancient 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5
4. 05 Legend 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5
5. 04 Archon 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5
6. 03 Crusader 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5
7. 02 Guardian 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5
8. 01 Herald 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5

The lowest rank is Herald 1 and the highest is Immortal. Valve publishes the Immortal leaderboards on dota2.com separately for four regions: Americas, Europe, Southeast Asia and China.

MMR: Rank and Rank Confidence

According to Valve, your MMR is made of two numbers:

• Rank: the estimate of your skill. It goes up when you win and down when you lose.
• Rank Confidence: how sure the system is about that estimate. It rises with every match.

Since patch 7.33 Dota 2 uses Glicko instead of the old Elo approach. The consequences, according to Valve:

• There is no fixed MMR gain per match anymore. How much you win or lose depends on factors such as the Rank and Rank Confidence of all players. Valve caps the change per match.
• Since patch 7.33c, results for players with high Rank Confidence are closer to ±25 MMR. If one team is rated lower, the system now credits it with a better chance of winning.
• If you stop playing for a while, your Rank Confidence slowly drops.

MMR estimates per medal

Valve does not publish official MMR cutoffs. Esports Tales estimates them from data by Stratz, a stats service that reads the Valve API:

So each medal covers roughly 770 MMR, which works out to about 154 MMR per star. According to the same analysis (August 2026), the average player is Crusader 5. At Legend 1 you're ahead of about 71% of players, at Divine 1 ahead of just over 91%. Only about 4% sit above Divine 5.

Unlocking ranked: what you need

• 100 hours of playtime: Since 2019 Valve only unlocks ranked after 100 hours on the account. Before that it was a fixed number of matches.
• Your own phone number: According to Steam Support, ranked requires a unique phone number associated with your Dota account. Virtual numbers and VoIP providers don't qualify. A number can only belong to one account at a time. If you remove it, you can only associate it again after three months.
• 5 Role Queue tokens to start: Since patch 7.41e (July 2026) you get five tokens when you unlock ranked for the first time.

Calibration and recalibration

Since patch 7.33, calibration is no longer a fixed number of matches. You count as calibrated once your Rank Confidence is above a certain threshold. The starting point is your previous estimate.

If you return after a longer break, Dota 2 puts your account into a special calibration mode, according to Valve. It takes into account how long you've been away.

An optional MMR recalibration has existed since October 2020 under Settings → Account → MMR Recalibration. It restarts your calibration without resetting everyone else at the same time.

Ranked Roles and Role Queue tokens

In Ranked Roles you pick the positions you want to play before you queue. Queuing without selecting all roles costs you a Role Queue token. The key rules:

• If you win a match with all roles selected, you get 4 tokens; a loss gives 2 (since patch 7.33).
• Since the update on July 1, 2026, solo players only need to select at least one of the high-demand roles so the match doesn't cost a token.
• Since patch 7.41e there is an option to select all roles automatically when you have no tokens left. It is off by default.
• With patch 7.41e Valve removed Random Draft and Ranked Classic from the ranked modes. Captains Mode has not been in ranked since patch 7.33.

Hero bans: your ban list

Since patch 7.35d (March 2024) there is no ban phase before the match anymore. Instead, you pick four heroes you don't want to play against in the heroes tab. Valve guarantees that at least one of them is banned in every matchmaking game. Leaving slots empty gives you no advantage.

Immortal: leaderboard and Immortal Draft

At Immortal, matchmaking no longer uses pre-made teams. In Immortal Draft, two captains draft the other eight players onto their teams. These cutoffs have applied since March 2025:

• If a player above 8,500 MMR is in the match, it is played as Immortal Draft. According to Valve that is roughly the top 0.5%.
• From 8,500 MMR you only play Immortal Draft, all matches are private, you need an official name and you can't queue for ranked as a party.
• From 6,500 MMR you only get Immortal Draft if a player above 8,500 MMR is in the match.

With patch 7.41e (July 2026), Valve compressed the MMR of Immortal players: all players are now between 1 and 9,500 MMR. The Immortal Draft cutoff stays at 8,500, and leaderboard positions did not change.

Behavior and fair play

Besides MMR, your behavior score matters too. Since March 2024, Valve has shown Dota Plus members, as a Dota Labs experiment, how the matchmaker evaluated a match before it starts, such as the skill range and player behavior scores. Players who deliberately ruin games lose behavior score, according to Valve.

Valve also cracks down on smurfs: in September 2023 it permanently banned 90,000 smurf accounts. The main account can be punished as well, from adjusted behavior scores to a ban.

Tips for climbing

These tips follow directly from the rules:

1. Play consistently. Your Rank Confidence drops during breaks. Playing regularly gives you steadier MMR changes.
2. Offer high-demand roles. Since July 2026, one high-demand role is enough to save your tokens. Select all roles and win, and you get 4 new ones.
3. Keep your ban list up to date. Add four heroes you dislike facing. One ban is guaranteed.
4. Play fair. A good behavior score improves your matches. Smurfing can hit your main account too.
5. Use recalibration deliberately. Only start it when you're back in good form.

Recommended hardware for Dota 2

You play Dota 2 on PC with mouse and keyboard. Many abilities and items sit on hotkeys, and clear calls help in teamfights. Starting points:

• Gaming mouse buying guide
• Gaming headset buying guide
• Gaming keyboard buying guide

Two example products (manufacturer specs, not our own tests):

Example model

Mouse with extra buttons: Logitech G502 X

Connection

Wired

Sensor

HERO 25K

Switches

LIGHTFORCE (optical-mechanical hybrid)

Extras

removable DPI button, scroll wheel with free-spin and tilt

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240 g

Example model

Lightweight wired headset: Razer BlackShark V2 X

Connection

Wired (3.5 mm)

Drivers

Razer TriForce 50 mm

Microphone

HyperClear Cardioid

Weight

240 g

View on Amazon.de*Ad link

FAQ

How many ranks are there in Dota 2?

Eight medals from Herald to Immortal. Herald through Divine have five stars each; Immortal has a leaderboard.

What is the highest rank?

Immortal. There your position on the regional leaderboard counts.

How many calibration games do I have to play?

There is no fixed number. Since patch 7.33 you are calibrated once your Rank Confidence is high enough.

What do I need for ranked?

100 hours of playtime and a unique phone number associated with your Dota account.

How much MMR do I get per win?

It varies. With high Rank Confidence it is usually closer to ±25 MMR, according to Valve.

Are there still ranked seasons?

No. Since patch 7.33 there are no season resets anymore. You can still recalibrate voluntarily.

When do I play Immortal Draft?

As soon as a player above 8,500 MMR is in the match. From 8,500 MMR, all your ranked matches are Immortal Draft.

How much MMR does a Herald have?

According to community estimates, 1 to 769 MMR. Valve does not publish official cutoffs.

Play other ranked games too? Check out LoL Ranks Explained and CS2 Ranks Explained. For your setup: Gaming mouse buying guide and Gaming headset buying guide.

Sources

As of October 2026 (patch 7.41f). Rules on MMR, calibration, ranked, Role Queue, hero bans and Immortal Draft come from official Valve sources. The MMR estimates and the distribution come from the Esports Tales analysis (data: Stratz).

• Dota 2 – New Frontiers Update (patch 7.33, Glicko, calibration, Immortal Draft)
• Dota 2 – 7.33c Gameplay Patch (MMR changes, Steam news)
• Dota 2 – Summer Scrub 2026 / patch 7.41e (Immortal MMR, ranked modes, tokens)
• Dota 2 – Update from July 1, 2026 (Role Queue, Steam news)
• Dota 2 – Update from March 19, 2025 (Immortal Draft from 8,500 MMR, Steam news)
• Dota 2 – Gameplay Patch 7.35d and Matchmaking Features (ban list, Steam news)
• Dota 2 – Update to Dota Plus and Guilds (MMR Recalibration, Steam news)
• Dota 2 – A New Approach to Helping Players Learn Dota (returning-player calibration, Steam news)
• Dota 2 – Smurfing is Not Welcome in Dota (Steam news)
• Dota 2 – The Frostivus 2023 Update is Here (behavior score, Steam news)
• Steam Support – Adding a Phone Number to a Dota Account
• GosuGamers – Valve: Matchmaking bans, changes, and status (100 hours, 2019)
• Dota 2 – Leaderboards
• Esports Tales – Dota 2 Rank distribution and Medals (August 2026)

Valve adjusts matchmaking regularly. When something changes, we'll update this article.