Competitive play will be a big focus for Overwatch 2, so it’s no surprise that Blizzard developer is retooling the game’s signature mode to make it a better experience. Blizzard outlined many of the changes coming to Competitive ahead of the game’s imminent launch, including new skill-tier divisions, new requirements to unlock ranked, a more robust scoreboard, and many other additions in a developer post on Wednesday.
Blizzard reiterated that to unlock Competitive play in Overwatch 2, new players will have to win 50 quick play matches and complete the “first-time user experience.” This should guarantee that everyone in ranked has enough experience to be there, while also keeping new players from accidentally wading into the deep end too early. As for returning players, who already had ranks in the original Overwatch, they’ll be able to return to Competitive play immediately.
Overwatch 2’s Competitive mode will also feature a very different system for tracking players ranks throughout the mode. Rather than the straight number that the original game used, Overwatch 2 will used skill-tier division; these will breakup the regular tiers using a system that starts at division 5 and goes up to division 1 after which they’ll advance to the next tier. On top of that, players won’t be able to see the progress they’re making game to game. Instead, Blizzard will only display these ranked changes every seven wins or 20 losses.
Another massive update to Competitive mode is the new scoreboard, which will forego displaying medals like the original game, in favor of more traditional stats like kills, deaths, and assists. These categories should help give players a better idea of how their match is going, while also letting them know what they might need to change in order to improve their odds of winning.
Along with all these big-picture changes, Overwatch 2’s Competitive mode is also getting a number of smaller quality-of-life additions like improved post-game reports and stat tracking. Even portrait levels have been replaced in Overwatch 2 in favor of Battle Pass levels.
How to get started with fighting games
Fighting games are really cool, but they can be an intimidating hobby to get into. You might look at the competitive world of Tekken or Street Fighter and think, “I probably suck! And don’t have the right gear! And I don’t understand these words!” BUT STOP. You CAN get into fighting games. And for Pat Gill, that journey has been really rewarding. Here’s how he embraced fighting games, and you can too.
