Overwatch 2’s ranked system has been a massive point of contention for the community, and now even the most elite players are getting in on the conversation because of a 10-way tie for rank 1.
The launch of Overwatch 2 has brought many players who hadn’t played for years back to the game. However, the post-launch has been rocky, especially as players have started grinding Competitive games.
Due to outcry from the playerbase, the Overwatch 2 devs put together a comprehensive article explaining the ins and outs of the ranked system and what they’re going to do to change it.
While many of the Overwatch team’s current goals are oriented around creating more even matches for the vast majority of the playerbase, a new problem has arisen: players are hitting the ranked cap with no way to compete for the true rank 1 spot, resulting in a 10-way tie for the top spot.
Overwatch 2 ranked woes continue with 10-way tie for rank 1
A lot has changed with Overwatch 2’s ranked system in comparison to the first game. Where there used to be an SR rating that went up and down each game, players must win 7 matches in order to find out if they’ve ranked up or down. And now, that rank isn’t tied to any specific number.
Players are certainly mixed on these changes, but the removal of visible SR has had some unintended side effects for the very peak of the Overwatch ladder.
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As the very best players in Overwatch 2 hit the top of the ladder, there’s no way to break the tie and compete to see who’s truly rank 1.
actually so crazy that players that would never hit top 10 in ow1, are tied for rank 1 at the max sr, and the tie breaker is decided by their ow1 border that doesn't exist in ow2. a full page tied for rank 1… a month into the season… https://t.co/9nWBtdBP79
— danteh (@danteh) January 2, 2023
Even in games like League of Legends that don’t have Overwatch 1’s SR system and have normal tiered rankings, the very peak of the ladder attaches a number to players that allows them to compete for a rank 1 spot. Games like League as well as Apex Legends see players competing for months on end to prove they’re the very best.
As a result of the competitive changes, there’s no way to do that. Instead, Overwatch 1 borders that can’t be changed within Overwatch 2 break the tie and determine who has the top spot.
With the game lacking the same top-level of competition that other competitive multiplayer titles have, Overwatch 2’s best players are already feeling bored and demotivated when it comes to fighting for the top spot. Mostly because there isn’t a way to fight for the top spot.
