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Dota 2 ranks explained: Complete MMR & tier breakdown

Andrew Boggs

Sports Writer

Publish Date: 06/10/2025

Fact checked by: Mike McKean

Key Points

Dota 2 has 36 ranks, spanning from Herald to Immortal, each tied to estimated MMR bands and updated using community datasets.
Calibration now uses Rank Confidence, meaning no fixed placement matches. Your rank appears when the system trusts it’s accurate.
Most players sit around Crusader–Archon, while only a small percentage reach Divine or Immortal, where leaderboards and captain-based drafts kick in.

Dota 2 Ranks Explained – MMR, Medals & Rank Confidence Post 7.33

Dota 2 ranks can feel like a mystery wrapped in a grind. One week you're cruising through Legend, the next you're stuck in Ancient with zero clue what changed. And don’t even get me started on trying to explain “Rank Confidence” to a new player.

This guide clears it up. I’ve pulled together the latest community-sourced MMR thresholds, explained how calibration works post 7.33, and broken down every medal tier from Herald to Immortal. So if you're trying to hit Divine or just figure out what your Archon badge actually means, this’ll sort it.

Dota 2 ranks explained Complete MMR tier breakdown

How Dota 2’s ranks work

There are eight total ranks in Dota 2, and each one (except Immortal) has five stars. That gives you 36 total steps to climb from the depths of Herald to the leaderboard at Immortal. Every rank is tied to your MMR, but not in a way Valve publicly confirms. Instead, the community and Dota 2 betting sites keep track of rough ranges using huge datasets. It’s accurate enough to work from, and those ranges do shift slightly after recalibrations.

Dota 2 now uses Rank Confidence, a value tied to the Glicko system (introduced back in patch 7.33). It’s not about playing 10 placement matches anymore. Your rank appears when the system’s confident enough in where you belong, and the more varied your matches or the longer your breaks, the wider your swings will be.

And if you're new, you'll need around 100 hours of match time and a linked phone number before Ranked even unlocks.

Medal tiers in order

Each Dota 2 rank reflects a level of macro and micro gameplay awareness. Here’s the full ladder, in order, with a rough feel for what each means.

From Herald to Immortal

Herald – Bottom of the ladder. Usually newer players or folks figuring out the basics.
Guardian – Starting to grasp core mechanics: last hits, basic builds, warding.
Crusader – More teamfighting, better map awareness, starting to play roles properly.
Archon – The average bracket. Macro starts to matter more than raw mechanics.
Legend – Players here often understand timings, drafts, and punishing mistakes.
Ancient – The step before real grind begins. Coordination and tempo become key.
Divine – High-level coordination, tight micro, and punish-or-be-punished pace.
Immortal – Top of the food chain. Leaderboard tracked, region-specific, no stars.

Dota 2 ranks explained

Complete MMR breakdown

These aren’t Valve’s official numbers, but they’re the community baseline and get refreshed after every seasonal shift. Use your in-client MMR and medal as the source of truth, but this table’ll help make sense of what bracket you’re really in.

🏅 Medal	➡️ Approx. MMR Range
Herald	0 – 769
Guardian	770 – 1,539
Crusader	1,540 – 2,309
Archon	2,310 – 3,079
Legend	3,080 – 3,849
Ancient	3,850 – 4,619
Divine	4,620 – 5,419
Immortal	Leaderboard only (Top 1000 → Top 1)

Calibration & resets from 7.33

Back in the old system, everyone had to grind through 10 fixed placement games before seeing a rank. That’s long gone.

Now, calibration uses Rank Confidence, and you’ll only get placed once the system has enough data to make it stick. That could be five games, or it could take more. It depends on who you’re matched with and how volatile your past performances were.

The upside is it gets rid of the “clumped” MMR mess around 1k–2k and adjusts faster if you’re climbing quickly or returning after a break. The tradeoff is that you might see massive swings in early matches until your Confidence stabilises.

Immortal explained

Once you hit Divine 5 and keep winning, you’ll eventually cross into Immortal. This is where things change a bit. There are no stars in Immortal. Instead, you get a leaderboard badge, based on your regional standing:

Placed – the starting point once you break into Immortal.
Top 1000
Top 100
Top 10
Top 1

Valve tracks this via their leaderboard site, and your region is assigned based on server selection and match history.

One extra quirk in Immortal matchmaking is that lobbies aren’t randomised. Ten players queue, and then two of them are assigned as captains who draft the teams. That means synergy matters more than just raw MMR, especially at the top.

Immortal

Rank distribution, and where most players sit

As of August 2025, the average Dota 2 player is somewhere between Crusader 5 and Archon 1. That’s the middle of the bell curve.

Roughly 7–8% of players are in Divine, and only a tiny fraction crack into Immortal. That means once you’re pushing Ancient, your queue quality can get weird. Longer waits, big MMR spreads, and the occasional Immortal in your pub.

A few closing notes on MMR

Let’s clear up some quick misconceptions.

1️⃣ MMR doesn’t decay, but Rank Confidence does

Your MMR won’t drop just because you took a break. But your Rank Confidence will. When that happens, your next few matches might feel all over the place. Big wins, big losses, weird lobbies. It’s the system recalibrating until it figures out where you belong again.

2️⃣ You can track Confidence directly

If something feels off, check your profile. Dota 2 now shows both your Rank and your Rank Confidence. Low Confidence usually means your games will swing harder until you’ve played enough for the system to lock things back in.

3️⃣ Solo vs party MMR. That’s old news

There’s no more split MMR. If you’re queueing solo or with friends, it all feeds into one unified rank. The matchmaker still considers your party and roles, but you’re not juggling two different numbers anymore.

Still climbing with slightly mouldy boots

If you’ve ever stared at your profile wondering how the hell you dropped a full rank after winning five of your last seven, now you’ve got the answer. It’s Confidence, lobby spread, and how the system rates your past consistency.

That’s what makes Dota 2’s ladder tricky, but also why it works. You’re not just grinding numbers. You’re adapting to shifting odds, figuring out drafts, and improving faster than the algorithm can keep up. And if you’re stuck in Guardian, you’re still better than 30% of the playerbase.