Overwatch 2 Competitive 3.0 revealed: Rank reset, Champion tier, Jade weapons, more

Blizzard has revealed the full details of its Competitive 3.0 rework coming in Season 9 including a new rank, progression information and much more.

Since its release, Overwatch 2’s ranked system has been criticized by casual players and pros alike for requiring significantly more matches to see any progress while removing the urgency of OW1’s SR system.

At BlizzCon, the devs confirmed that yet another ranked rework was coming and now, just days away from Season 9 on February 13, we know exactly how this new system will function.

In Season 9, the new Competitive mode will give players more feedback than ever about why and how their rank changes as they compete towards a new tier above even GM called Champion.

Overwatch 2 brings back placement matches for ranked reset

Kicking off Season 9 and the debut of the reworked Competitive mode is the return of placement matches and a long-awaited ranked reset.

With everyone’s rank resetting, your ten placement matches will be key to determining where you start your new Competitive journey to reach Champion.

This means, if you were someone stuck in Gold, but always felt like you were a Diamond-ranked tank player, this is your chance to leapfrog ahead of your adversaries.

The rank you’re predicted to start at will be shown after each match and you will only get one shot to complete your placements this year. As such, they could be the most important games you play throughout 2024, so you’re going to want to be sure you’re good and ready.

Overwatch 2 finally shares post-match rank calculations

Once you complete your placement matches and begin queuing up as normal, it’ll now be easier than ever to see how the ranked system decides to either advance you forward or cause you to lose progress depending on match results.

The new “rank information” tab lets players see how much rank they won or lost following the outcome of their battle and why the system made those calculations.

Based on the new info we have, the best ways to gain more rank are by being on a winning streak or emerging victorious in a game the matchmaker didn’t expect you to win.

However, there are more ways to lose rank such as going on a losing streak, losing calibration matches after ranking up and not winning matches you’re favored in.

New ultimate OW2 rank ‘Champion’ and Jade Weapon rewards

As part of the ranked update, a new tier above even Grandmaster has been added known as ‘Champion.’

This tier of play is reserved for the best of the best and according to the devs, even the top players will “need to win a lot of games to reach Champion 1” even with a boost from placement matches.

Additionally, Season 9 will also be introducing Jade Weapons, which can be unlocked with new 2024 Competitive Points.

Jade weapons will cost 3000 Competitive Points, but you can earn them just by playing the game regardless of whether you win or not.

As for your old Competitive Points, those will be converted into Legacy Competitive Points, which can still be used for golden guns. At the end of 2024, any leftover points will automatically convert into Legacy points.

Be sure to check out all these ranked changes and more when Season 9 goes live on February 13.