Valve cracks down on Dota 2 MMR boosting with eight-year bans

Valve is putting players back where they belong with their latest series of updates and punishments. Now, accounts with boosted matchmaking ratings (MMR) will be given an eight-year ban, as shared by the developers—and as several such users have reported.

This new system and update seem to be focused on improving the play environment for players at all rank, from the highest in Ranked Matchmaking to the possibly-falsely-reported. In addition to the bans, Valve have implemented a new behavioral score system, changing from a “ranking” to a “grading” system from “A+” down to to “F.”

The update states that reports will be “more focused on a very small percentage of players that were the most offensive players, rather than the general population.” Account behavior scores have been recalibrated for the new system, though to what degree is not officially known.

Valve also claims to have improved new-account matchmaking, with better smurf detection and match-based game finding instead of behavior-based, as they implemented in a recent update.

The most praise, of course, comes from the account-boosting. “MMR boosting” involves any number of tactics to increase MMR of an account, whether by manually playing a game or using bots and scripts on less populated servers. Either the account’s MMR is raised for a price, or the account itself is sold off to a player desiring the MMR. Such players are notably lacking in the abilities required of their improved account, making games difficult for teammates.

Recently, despite the stigmas and rules against the practice, boosters were becoming more emboldened and even streaming their boosting practices. This was likely because of the lack of punishment by Valve for such practices. Now, of course, eight-year bans should make cheaters think twice.