The old conduct system of Dota 2 has been replaced with something much more complex, and it could mean getting barred from ranked matchmaking.
Dota 2 is one of the most toxic gaming communities in the world, and many fans are just barely willing to put up with it. However, Valve is constantly making an effort to improve things. This year’s fall update included one of the most comprehensive overhauls ever in an effort to improve player conduct in-game. Here’s your guide to the new Dota 2 conduct system and what you stand to lose from getting reported too much.
The first big change is to commends and reports after matches. Commends work basically the same, and you can now spam commends to really drive the point home. Reports work quite differently, as you can now dislike a player before reporting them. It’s not clear what dislikes do, but they could affect matchmaking to make it less likely to get paired with them in the future. If you want more to be done, clicking report will not prompt six different types of reports to pick from based on their offense.
The update also adds new penalties for low conduct scores, with certain privileges being revoked for unruly players. Scores under 10,000 are unable to coach players or ping out allied abilities. Lower values can lose access to post-game drops, and pausing while dropping below 3,000 eliminates access to ranked matchmaking.
In addition to comprehensive conduct punishments, the new system also adds automatic chat bans to Dota 2.
Under the new rules, players who say certain phrases in chat can get automatic punishments ranging from immediate conduct score penalties to temporary chat bans. These bans will affect your ability to communicate with everyone in the lobby for the remainder of the game.
We are hesitant to test this new system on our own accounts, but it’s pretty clear what Valve is saying here. Even if you intend to use certain words to compliment your teammates, you should probably refrain from doing so. Considering that getting banned from ranked is a potential consequence, expect to see fewer racial slurs than ever before in matchmaking.
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
