How to use Taunts in Dota 2

There are many ways to exhibit toxic behaviour in Dota 2. Some examples include spamming the chat wheel, dropping your items in front of opponents while they are teleporting, or performing 360-degree moves around an opponent as they retreat with low health.

While these actions might seem like casual taunts, Valve has integrated an official taunting mechanic directly into Dota 2.

With the press of a single key, your hero will stop whatever they’re doing and start dancing right in front of your opponent.

It’s reminiscent of the climactic scene in Guardians of the Galaxy, where Star-Lord distracts Ronan by breaking into an unexpected dance. It’s that level of taunting.

If you want to know how to gain a mental edge by taunting in Dota 2, keep on reading. We will break it down for you.

What is Taunt in Dota 2?

You might be wondering, can your hero really dance in Dota 2? And if so, how can you make it happen? The answer is simple—yes, they can!

However, there’s one important thing to note—not every hero in Dota 2 has a taunt. This limitation is part of why traditional toxic behaviours, like spamming the chat wheel, remain more popular.

One of the GOATED taunts in Dota 2.

In Dota 2, a taunt is a cosmetic item that players need to purchase. It allows your hero to perform a unique and often ridiculous animation, such as dancing, pulling off stunts, or even eating pizza.

Taunts have no impact on gameplay and serve purely as a way to show off and, of course, irritate your opponents.

Why Taunt

Taunting allows a player to unleash their most toxic self. Not only that, but taunting at the right moment can mentally destabilise your opponents.

It’s the equivalent of teabagging your opponents—except they’re alive, standing right in front of you, and utterly powerless to stop it. Imagine the psychological damage you can inflict with just the press of a single key.

Taunting is an art form. As art often imitates life, taunting mirrors the inadequacy of your opponent’s performance—it’s a statement that they’re playing so poorly, that you have the luxury of taking a moment to dance.

Furthermore, the joy and satisfaction of watching your opponent tilt, transforming into a headless monkey running around in frustration, is unparalleled.

How to use taunts

Now that you know what taunts are in Dota 2, you might be wondering how to use them. Don’t worry—we’ve got you covered! Here’s a simple tutorial on how to key bind a taunt in Dota 2.

TA taunts literally mock claps for her opponents.

Before we dive in, there’s one important detail to keep in mind: like chat wheel spams, taunts also have a cooldown. You can only perform two taunts in quick succession before triggering a cooldown period.

How to Set Up a Taunt in Dota 2

1. Navigate to the settings menu.
2. Within the settings, click on the Hotkeys tab.
3. Find your way to the Hotkeys section. Here, you’ll find an option labelled Taunt Item, located just below Active Scan.
4. Select a key to assign to the Taunt Item.

Once this is done, whenever you’re playing a hero that has a taunt equipped, pressing the assigned key will trigger the taunt animation.

Cool ways to use Taunt

Many players use taunts to frustrate and tilt their opponents. However, taunts can also be used to add style and flair to your gameplay.

Much like chat wheel spams and tipping, taunts can be highly irritating for your opponent but immensely entertaining for you.

Morphling Taunt literally turns him into a shotgun.

One of the best times to use a taunt is during the laning stage. After denying all the creeps, trigger your taunt.

While taunts have no impact on the physical gameplay, they send a powerful psychological message to your laning opponent, dealing mental damage—which can often be more impactful than any in-game action.

If you manage to pull this off twice in a row, your opponent might succumb to tilt, making the rest of the game significantly easier for you.

In some cases, taunts are even triggered automatically, such as when your team wipes out the enemy team. Killing a courier, teleporting back to base in 1% hp, and denying a rune will also trigger an automatic taunt.

How to get Taunts

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably curious about how and where you can get taunts. Fret not! As mentioned earlier, taunts are cosmetic items, which means you can always purchase them on the Steam Market.

However, some taunts are exclusive and only come bundled with specific skins. The price of taunts varies—some are quite affordable, while others can be more expensive.

Additionally, you can occasionally find taunts in in-game treasures, making them a delightful surprise for lucky players.