You will need a telephone number to play DOTA 2 ranked matches

VALVE is on the move to make things very difficult for players that use multiple DOTA 2 accounts.

The popular MOBA from Steam is trying to put an end to the use of multiple accounts because of the impact that they have on the matchmaking. To do so, they have released an update for DOTA 2 that includes many changes. The most significant one is the need for a telephone number linked to an each DOTA 2 account if the player wants to join ranked online multiplayer matches.

"Players using multiple accounts create a negative matchmaking experience at all skill brackets, so our goal is to add just enough friction to this process that the number of players doing this will be noticeably reduced," reads the official blog post.

You have until May 4 to register a mobile phone number and link it to your account if you want to compete in ranked matches. From that date onwards you won't be able to join any ranked match unless you have registered a telephone number. You can change the phone number associated with your account at any time, but the old number will be put in quarantine for three months before it can be linked to any DOTA 2 account again.

This update also features the come back of the Solo Queue system, that allows you to opt to join a game against solo players only, preventing that you have to face full teams. Several measures against undesirable behavior have been also included, like an increasing duration-based ban for players that are marked for low-priority matches, or better detection and more severe punishments against intentional feeding and bots.

Finally, this patch has deemed ranked matchmaking unavailable in South Africa, India and Dubai because the low player population in those area makes them "prime targets for various Ranked Matchmaking abuses", and forcing players from those regions to join other servers for ranked matchmaking.

All those changes look good on paper but time will say if they affect positively or not the ranked gameplay in DOTA 2.