Summary
- Valve is cracking down on rulebreakers in Dota 2, as seen by its permanent banning of over 40,000 cheaters earlier this year.
- Smurfing, the act of higher-skilled players creating alt accounts to dominate newer players, is a major issue in Dota 2 and is considered a bannable offense.
- Despite its age, Dota 2 remains one of the most-played games on Steam and will likely continue to receive smaller content updates rather than a major refresh.
Valve has come up with a unique way of banning Dota 2 players who have broken one specific rule in the MOBA game. Although Valve has been extremely busy lately with frequent patches to Counter-Strike 2 alongside a huge update for Half-Life 1, it's good to see the studio hasn't forgotten another of its popular online titles.
This year, Dota 2 had its tenth birthday, yet it remains near the top of Steam's player charts daily. Valve's MOBA has found itself in a constant tug of war for popularity with its main competitor, League of Legends, with both games sharing a massive audience. However, with such a big player base, there comes a requirement for Valve to remain vigilant about rulebreakers. Earlier this year, Valve permanently banned over 40,000 Dota 2 cheaters, confirming the developer has no problems with swinging the banhammer when necessary.
5 Best Games To Play If You Love DOTA 2
Players who want an experience similar to DOTA 2 can find those games listed here.
Getting into the holiday spirit, Valve is gifting Dota 2 players Frostivus Gift chests, which can offer a number of in-game rewards. However, those who have been found to be smurfing in online matches receive a Highly Toxic Lump Of Coal from the chest instead. It comes alongside the message, "Your Dota account has been permanently banned for Smurfing, or other violations of the Steam Terms of Service." Journalist Richard Lewis posted footage of the item in action with a clip from streamer Mason "mason" venne, where he is visibility shocked to be banned.
Smurfing is a huge issue in online games, especially in titles like Dota 2. This is when higher-skilled gamers make an alt account in order to be matched against new players. The end result here is that the experienced players stomp the newer players with ease in massively unfair match-ups. Dota 2 is one of the best MOBAs of all time, due partly to its extremely high skill ceiling. However, this skill ceiling can be a double-edged sword, as it makes the difference between good and bad players much wider, which can be exploited by smurfs. If new players are quitting before they can get to grips with the game, it's detrimental to the long-term health of the game - hence why it's a bannable offense.
Your Dota account has been permanently banned for Smurfing, or other violations of the Steam Terms of Service.
Over the next few years, it'll be interesting to see how Dota 2 continues to develop. It remains one of the most-played games on Steam, and Valve continues to frequently update it with fresh content. It isn't the type of game in desperate need of a new release, despite its age. With lots of work continuing to bring Counter-Strike 2 up to scratch with its predecessor, CS:GO, it seems more likely that Valve will allow Dota 2 to tick along with smaller content updates for the foreseeable future, rather than any huge refreshes.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 91 /100 Critics Rec: 100%
WHERE TO PLAY
The most-played game on Steam.
Every day, millions of players worldwide enter battle as one of over a hundred Dota heroes. And no matter if it's their 10th hour of play or 1,000th, there's always something new to discover. With regular updates that ensure a constant evolution of gameplay, features, and heroes, Dota 2 has truly taken on a life of its own.
One Battlefield. Infinite Possibilities.
When it comes to diversity of heroes, abilities, and powerful items, Dota boasts an endless array—no two games are the same. Any hero can fill multiple roles, and there's an abundance of items to help meet the needs of each game. Dota doesn't provide limitations on how to play, it empowers you to express your own style.
All heroes are free.
Competitive balance is Dota's crown jewel, and to ensure everyone is playing on an even field, the core content of the game—like the vast pool of heroes—is available to all players. Fans can collect cosmetics for heroes and fun add-ons for the world they inhabit, but everything you need to play is already included before you join your first match.
Bring your friends and party up.
Dota is deep, and constantly evolving, but it's never too late to join.
Learn the ropes playing co-op vs. Bots. Sharpen your skills in the hero demo mode. Jump into the behavior- and skill-based matchmaking system that ensures you'll
be matched with the right players each game.
