I’ve recently received a 4-hour penalty in Dota 2 because I’ve been playing poorly and losing a lot of MMR. I don’t use a microphone, and my behavior and communication scores are both around 11.5k. I get why I was punished, especially since I tend to stop feeding and just AFK in the jungle until the game ends. I’m wondering how likely it is that I’ll get a second penalty if things continue like this, how much harsher it might be, and if getting commends can help reduce or remove the penalty over time. Also, does the severity increase with repeated offenses?
3 Answers
I don’t think AFKing in the jungle is a good move. If you’re struggling, try playing more passively but stay involved in teamfights and contribute somehow. Even just hanging around fights, casting spells, and making an effort to play conservatively can help prevent further penalties.
The system really flags players who AFK or don’t contribute a lot since that disrupts the team. Repeated offenses can mean harsher penalties like longer low-priority queue times or temporary bans. But the good news is that if you start getting commends and play clean games, your behavior score will improve over time and reduce the chances of penalties. Maybe try playing support roles and communicating with pings if you don’t use a mic. Showing you’re engaged can help a lot.
Good to know commends count. I usually main carry, so I’m probably more exposed to reports. I’ll probably stick to 5-mans for a while to build some good feedback.
From my experience, penalties definitely stack if you keep displaying the same behavior. After a 4-hour ban, the next one could be 6 or 24 hours, then a few days, and eventually up to a week or more. So yeah, if you don’t change how you play, expect longer punishments down the road.
Yeah, sometimes you have to fake it—just move around, use spells, and not completely vanish. It’s not much different from AFK jungle but at least it looks like you’re trying.