How to increase communication score in Dota 2

Dota 2 has multiple ways of progressing, but its multiplayer nature ensures players will likely come across some less-than-friendly individuals. Fortunately, Valve rewards players for staying civil and not flaming or trolling teammates or enemy players. This is done through both the behavior and the lesser-known communication score. 

Today, we’re here to go through everything you need to know about increasing your communication score in Dota 2. This includes what the communication score is, how it’s calculated, and some ways you can potentially increase it to be rewarded by Valve with a golden star for good behavior.

So, without further ado, here’s how to increase your communication score in Dota 2.

What is the communication score in Dota 2?

Not to be confused with the behavior score, which judges a player's actions in-game, like griefing or throwing, the communication score in Dota 2 is a numerical way to show the quality of someone’s chat and speech interaction. Unlike the behavior score, the communication score maxes out at 12,000 points.

The communication score in Dota 2 is a way to stop toxicity in the game, where a lower communication score will decrease the number of interactions a person can map. The lower the communication score is of someone, the less they will be able to talk in the game. If someone has a low enough score, not only will they not be able to speak to others through chat or voice, but they will not be able to ping the map in any way, tip allies or enemies, or coach others.

How is the communication score calculated?

Other scores in Dota 2 are calculated in-game, whereas the communication score depends on the player base. The game calculates the score through reports where if someone in a match is being toxic, they get reported by someone else. If a person gets reported by someone, their chat log and other interactions will be looked at automatically, and they will get muted for the match if it turns out to be disruptive.

How to increase the communication score in Dota 2?

Increasing the communication score in Dota 2 depends on two things. What type of players a person is paired up with in the match, and what their behavior is in-game.

Stop being toxic

Those who want to increase their communication score must avoid being toxic. That means don’t be mean to your teammates, do not call them stupid or anything like that, and do not be disruptive or annoying. Also, be wary of how you relay information to someone. It is common for people to say something in the game and think that they aren’t being toxic, but to others, it may be hurtful. So before a player says something to anyone, they have to think about how they would feel if someone else said that exact thing to them.

There are multiple ways to relay information to a teammate. For example, if someone is consistently dying in a lane and a teammate wants them to stop feeding the enemy team, they can say something like “stop feeding”, which may sound toxic or condescending. Another way to say that phrase would be “Hey, you died at the place multiple times. Try going to another lane so you do not struggle as much.”, as it would feel like a teammate is helping them out and giving them advice, rather than just being mean and unhelpful.

Use pings correctly

Also, always use the positive phrases in the chat wheel, and don’t ping randomly. Making random pings can annoy teammates, which might cause them to report, leading to a lower communication score.

Increasing the communication score by solo queueing can be tough, but if someone is nice enough and remembers these tips, they will be fine.