At Heroes of the Storm, adjustments to ranked game settings continue – now larger groups are being excluded.
Only alone or in pairs
Heroes of the Storm is causing a lot of headaches for the developers. Although they are trying to optimize the matchmaking system with each patch, the results are far from satisfactory for many players. Previously, players could register in the Hero League with up to 3 teammates (there was the Team League for full teams), but now they are further restricting this: Only alone or in pairs can friends participate in ranked games. According to Blizzard, most groups consist of “one or two players”, which is why the developers consider it justifiable to remove groups of three or four from the Hero League “to improve overall matchmaking quality.”
The change became necessary primarily because there is often a significant skill disparity within groups, which the matchmaking could not handle. Moreover, this did not contribute to a pleasant player experience, as the “random” fifth player is often not even included in the group’s communication – or is reluctant to play with people far below their level.
A personal note at the end: I find the changes really unfortunate. Even though I understand the criticisms, I have always enjoyed playing ranked games with two or three friends to at least feel significantly more competitive. What do you think about the changes?
