What low priority is
Low priority is the queue Dota 2 sends you to when the game decides you have been ruining matches for other people. It isn't a ban: you can still play. What changes is who you play with, which mode you can pick, and what you are allowed to do until the penalty is cleared.
Think of it as a separate matchmaking pool. Everyone in it has been flagged for the same kind of reason, so the games tend to be rougher than normal, queues are longer because fewer players are in the pool at any moment, and the only way out is to finish the games the system asks for.
Valve does not publish the exact formula behind low priority, so this guide sticks to what has been consistent across the game client and years of player reports. Where players report different numbers, it says so rather than picking one.
What puts you in low priority
There are three common routes in.
| Trigger | What it usually looks like | How likely it is to lead to low priority |
|---|---|---|
| Abandons | Leaving a game, disconnecting and not coming back in time, or being idle long enough to count as abandoned | The most common cause, especially two abandons close together |
| Reports | A burst of reports across several games in a row, for communication abuse, feeding or griefing | Happens when reports pile up over a short run of games, not from one bad match |
| Grief detection | The game's own checks spotting a pattern of deliberate feeding, AFK farming or sabotage | Less common, but it doesn't need anyone to report you |
A single abandon after a crash normally ends in a short matchmaking cooldown rather than low priority. Repeat abandons are a different story, and disconnects count the same as leaving on purpose: the system can't tell a router failure from a rage quit. Players regularly report being placed in low priority after two disconnects in the same week, so an unstable connection is worth fixing before you queue ranked again.
What low priority locks
While the penalty is active, your options shrink.
- Single Draft only. You can queue unranked Single Draft and nothing else. Ranked, normal All Pick and Turbo are locked. Single Draft offers you a small random set of heroes, typically one per attribute, so you can't count on your best hero.
- No ranked. You can't queue ranked solo, and a party with anyone in low priority can't queue ranked either.
- Other low priority players only. You are matched with and against people serving the same penalty.
- Fewer rewards. Drops and seasonal progress are paused or reduced while you are in the queue, so event grinds wait until you are out.
- Longer queues. Low priority Single Draft is a small pool. Players report waits of 20 minutes or more, and queues are shortest when your region is busiest.
What it doesn't do matters just as much. Low priority games are unranked, so they don't move your MMR in either direction. Your account, hero levels and inventory are untouched. And the penalty doesn't run out on a timer: logging off for a week leaves you exactly where you started.
Wins, not games: how you get out
When you are placed in low priority, the client tells you how many games you need to win to clear it. That word matters. Only wins count. A loss leaves the counter where it was, so ten losses in a row get you no closer to ranked than zero games played.
Players most often report needing between one and five wins, with three being common. The number you get is not fixed. Repeat offenders and accounts with a recent run of abandons tend to be given more, and Valve does not publish the rule.
Because every loss is wasted time, it pays to treat low priority as its own mode with its own goal: win quickly and safely, not play your usual style.
- Draft for the pool, not for the meta. Single Draft gives you a short list of heroes. Pick the one that is hardest to misuse: a durable core who can farm alone and finish games, or a support who doesn't need coordination to be useful.
- Expect teammates who leave or feed. Pick heroes that can still carry a game a player down. Heroes that need a perfect team setup are a poor pick here.
- Push when you are ahead. Low priority games swing on throws. When your team gets a lead, take towers and end instead of farming for a bigger one.
- Mute early. You were probably sent here partly because of reports. Muting everyone who is tilting costs you nothing and keeps you out of arguments that lead to more reports.
- Queue at busy times. Short queues make the whole process faster.
If you want to work on the habits that make games easier to win, the Dota 2 laning guide covers the first ten minutes, which is where most low priority games are decided.
Abandoning a low priority game makes it worse
Leaving a low priority game counts as another abandon. It adds more wins to your count and can stack a matchmaking cooldown on top. If someone else abandons and the game marks it safe to leave, you can go without an abandon on your record, but you give up the chance of a win.
The practical rule: before you queue, make sure you have the time and a stable connection for a full match. A 50-minute game is still better than starting over.
Low priority and parties
You can queue low priority with friends. Any friend in your party is pulled into the low priority pool with you for as long as they stay in the party, so they play Single Draft against penalised players too. They aren't given a penalty of their own, but those games don't count for ranked and their normal queues wait until they leave the party.
That makes a party a good way to clear low priority faster if your friends are willing: a coordinated group wins far more often than five strangers in this queue. Just ask first, because it costs them their normal games while you play.
Low priority vs behavior score
The two systems are related but not the same.
| Low priority | Behavior score | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A temporary queue penalty | A running grade of your conduct over recent games |
| How you see it | A notice in the client with the wins required | Your conduct summary in the client |
| How it ends | Win the required games | Rises slowly with games played without reports or abandons |
| Effect on matchmaking | Locks you into Single Draft until cleared | A low score affects who you are matched with and can lead to chat restrictions |
Clearing low priority doesn't reset your behavior score. The abandons and reports that put you there still sit in your recent history and keep weighing on your score until enough clean games replace them. That is why players who come straight out of low priority and abandon again often go back in quickly. The safest path after clearing it is a run of games played to the end, with chat kept short.
How to avoid low priority in the first place
- Fix connection problems before ranked: run a few unranked games after any network or hardware change.
- Never leave during the strategy phase or a loading screen you can still get through.
- Decline the match instead of accepting if you know you can't play for an hour.
- Mute players instead of arguing with them, and don't type anything you'd be reported for.
- If you crash, reconnect straight away. Getting back in quickly is often the difference between a disconnect and an abandon.
Clearing low priority with help
Most players clear low priority themselves in a session or two. If you are stuck on a long run of losses, or you would rather spend that time on ranked than in Single Draft, BoostingXP's Dota 2 low priority removal plays the required wins on your account by hand, without scripts or software. It clears the queue only: your behavior score is a separate system and the service doesn't reset it, so the same habits above still apply once you are back.
When you are out, the Dota 2 MMR boost covers ranked targets, and an unranked boost covers normal matches that don't touch your MMR.
Back in ranked, our guide to Dota 2 MMR and medals shows where each medal sits and how much MMR the next one takes.
FAQ
How many wins do I need to get out of low priority in Dota 2?
The client shows your exact number when you are placed in low priority. Players most often report one to five wins, and three is common. Repeat abandons tend to mean a higher number.
Does low priority affect MMR in Dota 2?
No. Low priority games are unranked Single Draft, so wins and losses there don't change your MMR. They only clear the penalty.
Does low priority expire if I stop playing?
No. It doesn't run on a timer. The penalty stays until you win the required games.
Can I play Turbo or All Pick in low priority?
No. While the penalty is active you can only queue unranked Single Draft.
Will my friends get low priority if they party with me?
They play in the low priority pool for as long as they are in your party, but they don't get a penalty of their own and are free once they leave the party.
Does clearing low priority fix my behavior score?
No. Behavior score is tracked separately and recovers through games finished without abandons or reports.
