Find the next threshold
Use your current in-game MMR to locate your star range. Compare it with the next star in the table above.
Herald is the first Dota 2 medal. Compare its five stars and build a repeatable lane routine.
Percentage of tracked profiles by rank
| Rank | Profiles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Herald | 775,124 | 9.09% |
| Guardian | 1,381,694 | 16.20% |
| Crusader | 1,647,681 | 19.31% |
| Archon | 1,658,718 | 19.44% |
| Legend | 1,357,091 | 15.91% |
| Ancient | 867,613 | 10.17% |
| Divine | 501,303 | 5.88% |
| Immortal | 341,682 | 4.01% |
| Rank | Profiles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Herald 1 | 9,529 | 0.11% |
| Herald 2 | 162,670 | 1.91% |
| Herald 3 | 172,566 | 2.02% |
| Herald 4 | 204,681 | 2.40% |
| Herald 5 | 225,678 | 2.65% |
Source: OpenDota · 8,530,906 tracked profiles · Retrieved Sep 11, 2026. This is a sample, not all active players.
Start with a manageable task: reach your next wave with enough health to contest it.
Use your current in-game MMR to locate your star range. Compare it with the next star in the table above.
Check your health and your next safe position before contesting the wave.
Check your health and your next safe position before contesting the wave.
Judge one choice you can influence, rather than everything that happened in the match.
Watch that moment again with the information you had at the time. Note a decision you would repeat or change.
OpenDota rank distribution ↗The distribution is a dated tracked-profile sample. Practice advice is editorial.

Dota 2 Herald is the first medal on the ranked ladder, followed by Guardian. Its five stars mark estimated MMR brackets, not separate game modes. Find your bracket below, then use the lane example to choose a practical habit for your next match.
Dota 2 Herald starts at approximately 0 MMR. Its fifth star begins at approximately 616 MMR.
Herald begins at the bottom of the community-estimated ladder. Being in Herald does not establish how long someone has played or which heroes they know. Read the medal as a rating bracket, then assess individual decisions separately.
For example, 200 MMR falls in Herald 2. The estimated Herald 3 threshold is 308 MMR, leaving a gap of 108 MMR. This is a rating difference, not a fixed number of wins; the gains and losses in your actual matches determine your progress.
| Dota 2 rank | Estimated MMR | Tracked profiles | Share of full sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herald 1 | 0–153 MMR | 9,529 | 0.11% |
| Herald 2 | 154–307 MMR | 162,670 | 1.91% |
| Herald 3 | 308–461 MMR | 172,566 | 2.02% |
| Herald 4 | 462–615 MMR | 204,681 | 2.40% |
| Herald 5 | 616–769 MMR | 225,678 | 2.65% |
Herald accounts for 9.09% of the tracked sample: 775,124 profiles out of 8,530,906. The snapshot was retrieved on Sep 11, 2026.
The medal share combines all five stars. Profiles below this medal include only lower medal families, so that figure is not your exact personal percentile.
This is a tracked-profile sample rather than a census of active players. Its retrieval date does not establish when each profile was observed.
Herald is the first Dota 2 medal. Guardian is the next medal above it.
Use the next star for a smaller goal or the next medal for a broader one. Both tables use the same estimated thresholds.
| Dota 2 rank | Estimated entry MMR | Position on the ladder |
|---|---|---|
| Herald | ~0 MMR | This medal |
| Guardian | ~770 MMR | Next medal |

You are low on health while an enemy hero stands beside the next creep wave. Your healing item is coming on the courier. Walking forward could secure a last hit, but it also puts you within reach of an enemy spell and attacks.
If you cannot approach without taking heavy damage, stay within a safe distance and wait for the delivery. Use regeneration from a position where the enemy cannot immediately interrupt it. When health allows, return to contest the wave. Missing a creep can cost less than dying and missing the waves that follow.
Watch the moment before you stepped forward. Compare the creep you wanted with your health, the visible opponent and the courier distance. Look for a safer position from which you could still gain experience, rather than judging the choice only by whether the last hit succeeded.
Practice approaching a creep before its health becomes low, then attacking for the final hit. Unnecessary attacks push the wave and change where the next contest happens. Use a hero you know so learning its attack animation does not compete with learning every spell.
Check your health and regeneration while the courier can still arrive in time. If you have already used your supplies, make a deliberate purchase instead of waiting until an opponent can force you away from every creep.
If you are farming, review a missed last hit or unsafe approach. If you are supporting, review whether your position let you help your partner without taking free damage. The same lane can contain different useful tasks for each player.
The MMR Calculator compares your current rating with a target and shows how different win-rate assumptions change the estimated climb.
Enter your current MMR, target, expected gains and losses. Compare several win rates rather than treating a recent winning streak as your permanent pace. These inputs describe a projection, not a promotion date.
The estimated entry point for Herald is 0 MMR. Check the star table for the rest of the bracket; these are community estimates, not guaranteed Valve promotion rules.
Guardian follows Herald on the Dota 2 medal ladder. The comparison above uses the same estimated thresholds as the rest of this page.
Choose a familiar hero and review one repeatable lane problem, such as arriving late to a last hit or staying with too little health. Practice a specific adjustment across several matches. A Herald medal alone does not tell you which mechanic needs work; your own lane decisions provide better evidence.
Herald is the first medal family on the Dota 2 ranked ladder. Guardian comes next. An uncalibrated account is not a separate medal below Herald, and a low medal does not automatically mean the player is new to Dota 2.