A good skill rating drops in Overwatch now faster. Blizzard demands more matches played per week.
Patch 1.8 of Overwatch has brought many changes, including a detail that caused a stir in the competitive scene of Overwatch. Those with a high skill rating in Overwatch will now be required to complete at least seven matches per week to prevent their skill rating from gradually decaying.
This rule already existed, but previously only one match per week needed to be completed.
The new rule applies to all skill ratings above 3,000. If someone does not complete the seven matches within a week, their skill rating drops by 50 points every 24 hours, but not below 3,000.
Blizzard hopes to better determine the accuracy of players’ skills this way. Apparently, they were not satisfied that some players could easily achieve a good skill rating at the start of the season and then only played one match per week to prove their ability. Therefore, to maintain a high skill rating throughout the season, continuous effort is required.
Many players believe that Blizzard intends to combat smurf accounts with this measure. Some players create multiple accounts to farm players with lower skill ratings who are just enough of a “challenge” but still weak enough to easily dominate in a serious game.
Cortyn says: I don’t quite understand how these changes will combat smurf accounts. If you have multiple accounts, you can still “rotate” them better to always have one account in the “lower” range to farm unfortunate players.
At least for most average players, nothing significant should change. Those who want to compete at the top of the ladder should also be able to live with proving their skills every week to maintain their skill rating. If you can’t find the time for that in one week, you just catch up the next week.
What do you think of this change? Does it affect you at all or is everything above 3,000 beyond your reach?
The latest hero in Overwatch is actually Orisa – have you checked her out yet?
