How Behavior Score Works in Dota 2

Owen Harsono

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Dota 2 can get intense and competitive, but that intensity often leads to toxic behavior. To manage this and keep the community in check, Valve uses a system called Behavior Score to measure player conduct.

How Behavior Score Works in Dota 2

While many overlook it, this score plays a crucial role in matching players, leading to the overall game quality being affected. In this guide, we’ll break down how it works and how to improve it. 

What is Behavior Score in Dota 2?

Behavior Score is Valve’s metric (on a 1 to 12,000 scale) that evaluates your conduct in recent Dota 2 matches. This score reflects your reports, commendations, communication, and in-game behavior.

Behavior Score Dota 2
Behavior Score Dota 2

There is also a communication score. Though it is different from the main behavior score, players with a low communication score might get muted until improved.

Though the behavior score is completely separate from your MMR and doesn’t affect it, it does impact who you’re matched with on your team, and how quickly it’ll take you to find a match. A high score means you’ll have shorter queue times and more cooperative teammates. If you have a low score, expect some toxic lobbies and long waits for a game. 

What Affects Behavior Score?

Even if you’re brand new and playing the best heroes for beginners in Dota, you might not know what can trigger teammates. So here are all the different factors that can affect it. 

Negative Factors

  • Reports for toxicity, feeding, griefing, or cheating
  • Abandoning games, going AFK, or disconnecting multiple times
  • Getting muted or flagged by the system for excessive chat violations
  • Repeated negative behavior

Positive Factors

  • Receive commends from teammates
  • Finishing games without reports or abandons
  • Avoiding toxic communication

Most of the time, even silence can help. If you avoid chatting or pinging teammates, players will have almost no reason to report you, unless you’re griefing the team with your plays. 

How Often is Behavior Score Updated?

The behavior score is updated approximately every 15 matches. Your current score will appear in-game as a pop-up.

This means if you’re aiming to raise your score, you should focus on clean and report-free games during your 15 matches. Always be on your best behavior, as one bad match in that stretch can still bring your average down!

How Behavior Score Affects Matchmaking

Really, it’s is vital to getting good teammates and reasonable queue times. Here’s how your experience can be affected:

  • High Behavior Score (10,000+): Smooth matchmaking, low wait times, good communication, and coordinated teammates.
  • Low Behavior Score (<7,000): Since there aren’t too many players in this range, queue times will be longer, high toxicity will persist, and griefers are expected.
  • Very Low Score (<3,000): Going under 3,000 essentially puts you in the “Shadow Pool,” where you will only be matched with and against griefers and game ruiners. You’ll be matched with smurfs or very toxic players.

Overall, you definitely don’t want to go below 3,000. Matches in the “Shadow Pool” are nearly unplayable. All teammates are uncooperative, and it’s impossible to have decent match quality.

Valve uses this system to quietly sort players into “behavior buckets” that reflect their conduct. 

Tips to Improve Behavior Score

If you’re suffering from a low behavior score in Dota, the first change that’s needed comes from you. You need to prove that you can be a good teammate who deserves a decent score. Here are some tips to boost your standing:

Don’t Get Reported

The easiest way to boost your score is to avoid being the reason for a report. Ignoring provocation is often safer than replying. 

Watch Your Chats and Pings

Ping or chat spam, even if justified, can trigger reports – that’s just how people are in Dota. Keep communication minimal and civilized.

Ask to Swap Commends

A great way to boost your score is to receive commends. If your team wins the game, ask your teammates to swap commends. 

Use Anonymous Mode

Use the “Anonymous Mode” feature, which will automatically mute all players in the game. This protects your focus and mental state. 

Anonymous Mode Dota 2
Anonymous Mode Dota 2

Stick to Familiar Roles and Heroes

If you play heroes you’re good at, you’re less likely to tilt, and you will play better. Being confident helps you decrease the chances of being reported. 

Play Turbo Mode

Turbo matches are shorter and still count toward behavior score cycles, so it’s a great way to correct your score and log clean games.

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Owen Harsono

Owen Harsono

Dota 2 writer
Owen is as competitive as it gets, choosing to play the holy trinity of Dota 2, CS2 and Valorant with a primary focus on the former. He peaked at 8,500 MMR in Dota 2 and follows the professional scene religiously. You can still catch him as a regular on the Southeast Asian leaderboards.
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