The mid-season update of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is online and brings several new features. Among them is an adjustment in the league play mode that ensures that unfair players cannot join any matches for a while.
With the league play mode, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War introduced a SBMM mode (skill-based matchmaking). You compete almost exclusively against players who are roughly at your level. There are specific rules regarding equipment and modes. Events run twice a week where you play with 50 other soldiers for the best ranks. Better ranks mean better rewards.
With the league play rank, the level also rises. The matches become sweatier, and the pulse is pushed to the limit. If things are not going well, there are players who like to leave the match – “rage quit” becomes a thing. Especially in league matches, this is particularly annoying as it affects the placements at the end of an event.
With the new mid-season update of season 2, the CoD developers are trying to counter this. Two new rules have been introduced, which temporarily exclude soldiers who cannot behave from league play. MeinMMO shows you the details.
League play sanctions rage quit and friendly fire
What has changed now? The latest update does not want to allow bad losers who leave the match prematurely to simply start the next round. The same applies to players who excessively engage in friendly fire, that is, attack their own teammates. The developers state in the patch notes:
We have introduced new match penalties for players who leave an ongoing match or engage in friendly fire to improve the competitive experience for all players. With multiple offenses, the penalties increase – play nice or pay the price.
From the patch notes via treyarch.com
What do the penalties look like? It is currently not possible to say exactly. We tried to trigger a penalty but only felt guilty. Assuming other games with ranking systems (like League of Legends), the first penalty round could result in a 5-minute pause from league play.
The more often you engage in such behavior, the higher the penalties will be. It is quite possible that after that you will have to wait 15 minutes, and for more frequent offenses, even an hour.
Are there immediate penalties? If you leave a match once or eliminate a teammate, you do not need to worry. This is about multiple offenses that suggest a pattern. For example, if the game crashes or a teammate runs into your line of fire, you will not be immediately penalized.
League play aims to make Call of Duty more competitive
What is the appeal of league play? Regular multiplayer, with its many gadgets, scorestreaks, and different weapon classes, is not particularly well suited for competitive gameplay. Too many items ruin fair competition in too many situations. The multiplayer mode is war – that’s acceptable. But on a competitive level, it’s more about tactics, approaches, and the players’ gun skill.
Fans of Call of Duty who prefer a bit more competitiveness can find a home in the CDL modes or the league play mode. There is less equipment, smaller teams, and only a few game modes with selected maps. Additionally, through the league play mode, you can now earn rewards and have a leaderboard that reveals how good you actually are.
No wonder that CoD is now using harder measures in “league play”. The soldiers who participate here are among the top players and the biggest fans of the shooter series. Although the new sanctions for rage quitters and teammate killers will not make the problems disappear, it is quite possible that these unfair play styles will decrease somewhat.
If you want to know more about the rules and rewards of the league play mode, check out our special on MeinMMO: Everything about the new league play mode in CoD Cold War – ranks, rewards, rules
