Since the last major patch, Evolve has a new ranking system. While this has advantages, it also has some serious disadvantages.
A Brief Introduction to the New Ranking System
Since the major Content Patch 5.0, which brought not only a lot of balancing but also a new hunter, Evolve features a new ranking system. This no longer judges players by their level, but by their rating. After 10 placement matches, players are assigned to different categories and from there on, they collect points, or lose them in case of defeats. This resembles common systems from most MOBAs and is very well thought out in theory. But does it work in practice?
The Advantages of the System
The numerous advantages are clear, as many demands from the community have been met. Those who only want to play monsters can now set this preference. Those who want to be hunters can also determine this. If they are then dissatisfied with their class, they can still leave the game without penalty – as the hunters agree on their classes before the search for an opponent begins.
At the same time, there are hardly any opportunities for cheating. Anyone who leaves a started game (for whatever reason) will receive a defeat and cannot join another game for several minutes – if they desert repeatedly, they may be unable to join for several hours.
Lastly, players are increasingly matched with others of the same skill level and are no longer solely measured by their account level – as everyone eventually reaches level 40, whether they are a pro or a casual hunter.
The Disadvantages of the System
What sounds very good in theory has some critical disadvantages in practice. Although phrases like “The game is dead” appear under almost every news article, this has never been really confirmed in the game. You were always able to find a group in a short time – sometimes a team of beginners, sometimes a professional clan that could take you down in a minute. That was okay.
With the new ranking system, this lack of players is noticeably evident, at least in the PC version. Although you can still find a match in a flash – the ranking system punishes more than it rewards. The loss of points is disproportionate to the gain! To give a few illustrative examples: If I win against a team whose average rank is just below mine, I gain 1 point. Just one point. If I lose to such a team, I can lose up to 50 points. This ultimately means that despite having a win rate of 75% after nearly 60 matches, my rank continues to deteriorate. This is neither fair nor particularly motivating, and it is currently one of the most controversial topics on the Turtle Rock forum.
Especially disheartening is the following experience: You win a match and receive the message “Congratulations, you receive 1 point!” … only to watch your rank decrease despite the victory, as other players have overtaken you in the meantime. Getting worse despite wins feels wrong. Very wrong.
Overall, the new system puts me in a rather paradoxical situation. Even though I enjoy the changes and the games themselves are incredibly fun, my motivation decreases after every game session. Winning 8 out of 10 games and still having to watch my rank drop steadily causes frustration. A frustration that Turtle Rock hopefully will address soon.
