If you’ve ever seen your teammates jump into a cheerful, over-the-top hand slap after a successful team fight or first blood, you’ve probably wondered how to high five in Dota 2. This silly, small feature might not give you any competitive edge in ranked matches, but it’s one of the little touches that makes Dota 2’s community feel so warm and connected. I’ve played Dota 2 for over 8 years, and I still make a point to high five every teammate who picks a support main before the match even starts. It’s a tiny gesture that can turn a tense ranked grind into a way more fun experience for everyone on your team.
What You Need Before You Learn How to High Five in Dota 2
First off, you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on rare cosmetics to unlock the high five feature. It’s available to every player for free, no battle pass purchase required, though you can buy custom high five animations from the in-game store if you want to add some extra flair to your celebrations. The only thing you need to confirm before you start is that you have quick cast disabled for your neutral item slot if you’re using the default control setup, or you might trigger the high five accidentally when you’re trying to drop a ward or use a healing salve. You can check this in your settings menu under the “Controls” tab, in the section for item hotkeys. I’ve had far too many moments where I accidentally high fived a creep instead of using a smoke gank, so trust me when I say this quick check saves a lot of embarrassment in ranked matches.
Step-by-Step Instructions to Execute a Dota 2 High Five
Executing a high five is super simple once you get the hang of the controls, and it only takes a couple of seconds to pull off with a teammate. Follow these steps to get it right every single time:
- Open your in-game item wheel by holding down the default hotkey V (you can remap this to any key you prefer in settings) while in a match.
- Select the high five icon from the wheel – it looks like two open hands slapping together, and it’s always available in the wheel no matter what items you have equipped.
- Move your hero within 300 range of another player hero (teammate or opponent, though opponents rarely accept high fives mid match) and wait for them to click the high five prompt that pops up on their screen.
- If they accept, both your heroes will play the high five animation, and a small fun sound effect will play for everyone on the map within earshot.
That’s all there is to it! If the other player ignores your high five request, it will time out after 3 seconds, and you won’t be able to send another one for 10 seconds. Don’t take it personally if someone rejects your high five – they might be in the middle of a team fight, or they just might be focused on farming their next big item instead of celebrating. You can also practice how to high five in Dota 2 in a private lobby with friends first if you’re nervous about messing up in a public match. I usually only send high five requests when we’re in a lull between fights or right after we take a Roshan kill, so people have time to respond without putting the team at risk.
Fun Ways to Use High Fives in Your Matches
High fives aren’t just for post-team fight celebrations, even though that’s the most common use case. I’ve picked up a ton of creative ways to use this feature over the years to make matches more fun for everyone I play with. One of my favorite uses is to high five a support player right after they place a critical deward that stops a gank on your carry. Supports rarely get enough recognition for the work they do, so a quick high five is a great way to say thank you without typing a long message in chat. You can also high five an opponent after a really good 1v1 fight, as a sign of respect for their play. I once high fived an enemy Phantom Assassin after she outplayed me in a mid lane 1v1, and we ended up adding each other as friends after the match. Just make sure you don’t use high fives to taunt other players, that’s against the Dota 2 code of conduct and can lead to reports if other players find your behavior hostile. You should also avoid sending high five requests in the middle of a tense team fight, because it can distract your teammates when they need to focus on their abilities and positioning.
Common High Five Mistakes to Avoid
Even though high fives are super simple, there are a few common mistakes that new players make all the time when they first start using the feature. The biggest one I see is players sending high five requests at really inappropriate times, like when their team is trying to defend their tier 3 tower from a push. If your teammate stops to accept a high five and dies as a result, that’s entirely on you for sending the request at the wrong time. Another common mistake is forgetting that high five animations can be canceled if you take damage or use an ability mid-animation, so don’t start a high five if you’re standing in enemy creep wave aggro range. I once tried to high five a teammate right as a Lion used his stun on me, and the animation canceled so fast we both ended up confused for a second before we had to run away. The last mistake to watch out for is using custom high five animations that are overly long or flashy. While they look cool, they can take longer to finish, which leaves you vulnerable to ganks if you’re not paying attention to the minimap.
At the end of the day, learning how to high five in Dota 2 is a tiny, trivial skill that won’t help you climb MMR or win more ranked matches, but it’s one of the best small features for building connection with the people you play with. Dota 2 can be an incredibly stressful game at times, and a quick, silly high five after a big win can turn a frustrating grind into a fun memory. Next time you queue up for a match, take a second to high five your teammates before the horn blows – you might be surprised how much it lifts everyone’s mood for the rest of the game.