Overwatch 2 devs reveal Competitive 3.0 ranked overhaul for Season 9
BlizzardOverwatch 2’s competitive system hasn’t exactly had stellar feedback when it comes to the way competitive games are made and rewards are given out, and they’re planning a full overhaul with Competitive 3.0 in Season 9.
Overwatch 2‘s developers aren’t blind to the issues with the game’s new ranking system. Though Overwatch 1’s SR system wasn’t exactly perfect, players hopping into the sequel’s competitive queues didn’t feel great about having to play a certain amount of games before changing rank.
Some adjustments have been made (rank updating after 5 games instead of the 7 it was at launch) as Overwatch 2’s life cycle has continued, but players still aren’t satisfied, As a result, the devs announced they’d be making more changes soon.
SR isn’t coming back, but there’s a system that’ll give players much more visibility and agency when it comes to their rank that’ll be implemented in Season 9 with Competitive 3.0, a massive ranked update.
Overwatch 2 gets Competitive 3.0 ranked overhaul in Season 9
The devs behind Overwatch 2 are putting a renewed effort into improving the competitive environment, giving players more incentive to keep grinding and a bit more control over when they rank up.
Getting a loss streak and knowing you’ll lose rank for winning wasn’t a great feeling for many players, and so the system is being completely changed.
There are a number of changes being implemented in Season 9’s Competitive 3.0 update that’ll give players more to earn and a much clearer idea of when they’ll derank or promote and why.
Rather than getting a rank change after a certain amount of matches, players will see their changes after every match. Things like win streaks will allow you to rank up faster, and that bonus will be shown in your rank progress.
Additionally, ranks will regularly reset and players will have to go through placement games to determine where they’ll be starting. It’s worth noting that this’ll be a soft reset rather than a hard one, meaning that players who are in the higher ranks won’t get completely reset.
This reset will take place yearly rather than after every Season, making players’ ranks a bit more static in Competitive 3.0.
New rewards are coming as well, rewards that’ll be unique to the season in which they’re played. Current competitive points will be preserved and usable on gold guns, with a new Overwatch 2 currency that lasts for a limited time being usable for new rewards.
For example, Emerald weapons will be earnable for players, a reward that was briefly shown on stage at Blizzcon. Bear in mind this art isn’t final.
These new weapons will come along with a brand new rank in Overwatch 2, one that’ll exist above Grandmaster: Ultimate.
The range of ranks within the match will be shown as well rather than just the net average, making it clear just how high (and low) the ranks in the match go without showing each individual players’ ranking.
This change comes along with the announcement that most ranking restrictions will be removed, allowing players to queue with their friends regardless of rank. However, there’s a chance that, say, queuing with someone who’s in Diamond as a Bronze player will make it much more difficult for matchmaking to find a quality game.
While this could have repercussions for game quality, the fact that players can play with their friends in a mostly unrestricted manner is sure to bring more players into competitive modes.
Though the Season 9 competitive changes aren’t final, they’re sure to be exciting for players who are discouraged by Overwatch 2’s current system.
