Overwatch 2 is cutthroat, and you don’t want to enter the battlefields without first understanding how ranks work. Here’s a full breakdown of the Overwatch 2 rank system after the Season 9 overhaul.
In February, Blizzard pushed some of the archaic Overwatch ranked rules aside, introducing new ones along with a shiny new rank badge, Champion.
Although the basic structure of the ranked modes remains the same, the new tweaks to the Overwatch 2 ranking system may confuse new players.
Since Overwatch 2 ranked mode can get sweaty really quickly, you don’t want to begin your journey without understanding the basics behind ranking up and how the new progress bar works in Overwatch 2.
Overwatch 2 rank modes explained
Overwatch 2 has two rank modes: Role Queue and Open Queue. Both modes grant you separate ranks that display your skill level.
In Role Queue, your team composition will be locked to one tank hero, two damage heroes, and two support heroes. For each role, you get a different rank. Conversely, you get a single rank for all roles in Open Queue.
To be eligible to play both rank modes, you need to win at least 50 Quick Play games or have previously owned Overwatch 1.
Also, instead of your rank resetting every season, placements in both Role and Open Queues will be changed after the first ten games each year.
Overwatch 2 rank system: Competitive percentage and SR explained
In Season 9, a competitive percentage called Skill Rating (SR) replaced the popular metric from the original Overwatch. The competitive percentage is the rating that changes after each game.
Previously, changes in rank would reflect after every five wins or 15 losses, but that is no longer the case. With this new system, Blizzard has added a progress bar that reflects the rating percentage gained after each win.
After completing a competitive match, your percentage will either increase or decrease depending on whether you won or lost the game. You may keep track of your performance using the modifiers on the competitive progress page.
Here are all the modifiers:
- Win Streak – Bonus for a high win rate.
- Loss Streak – Penalty for a high loss rate.
- Calibration – Your rank is uncertain.
- Uphill Battle – You weren’t favored, but you won.
- Reversal – You were favored, and you lost.
- Volatile – You lost calibration matches after ranking up.
- Consolation – You weren’t favored, and you lost.
- Expected – You were favored, and you won.
- Demotion Protection – You are one loss away from a demotion.
All ranks in Overwatch 2
Once you’ve played your initial ten games, you’ll then be slotted into one of the eight Overwatch 2 ranks. From here, you can win or lose ELO based on your performance and climb through the ranks. Here are all eight ranks, each with five different tiers.
- Bronze 5-1
- Silver 5-1
- Gold 5-1
- Platinum 5-1
- Diamond 5-1
- Master 5-1
- Grandmaster 5-1
- Champion 5-1
Champion is a new Overwatch 2 rank added in Season 9. But this is by no means the highest position to hold. The top 500 players on the Overwatch 2 leaderboard are the real cream of the crop, and they can also belong to Master or Grandmaster.
How the Top 500 works in Overwatch 2
The Top 500 leaderboard is updated regularly throughout the competitive season. Players can view it in-game. It ranks players based on their competitive progress, and matches won, with the highest-ranked player at the top and the 500th-ranked player at the bottom.
The top 500 players can belong to any rank, not just the highest ones, since it includes the best players in a particular region. This means, you can be Grandmaster and Top 500, but if you’re in a smaller region, you can be Top 500 while being just Diamond. However, that would be an extremely rare case.
In any case, achieving a spot on the Top 500 requires exceptional skill and dedication to competitive play, making it a notable accomplishment within the Overwatch community. Of course, the board refreshes every two weeks, so landing a spot on the top 500 isn’t enough. Retaining it takes just as much effort.
Overwatch 2 rank rewards explained
Of course, ranking up in Overwatch 2 is a big win in itself, but you get more perks for climbing the ladder. In Overwatch 2, you can get weapon skins in exchange for Competitive Points (CP), awarded when you win a rank game. The amount of CP increases as your rank progresses.
Using this CP, you can purchase either Golden or Jade weapon skins. Golden skins are highly coveted and can only be acquired using Legacy CP. On the other hand, Jade skins can be bought with the regular CP. The difference between both CPs is their age.
Since Overwatch 2 rank now resets each year, the game also automatically converts your regular points into Legacy CP with rank reset. This happened in season 9 when all CP earned by players was converted into Legacy Competitive Points. This can be used to purchase Golden weapon skins.
You earn CP at the end of each win. Here’s the exact amount for each rank:
- Bronze: 65 CP
- Silver: 125 CP
- Gold: 250 CP
- Platinum: 500 CP
- Diamond: 750 CP
- Master: 1,200 CP
- Grandmaster: 1,750 CP
If a player manages to climb up to the ranks of Diamond, Master, or Grandmaster in Overwatch 2, they will receive a distinctive player title as a special honor.
Moreover, completing 250, 750, and 1750 competitive matches of Overwatch 2 will also earn players titles such as Adept Competitor, Seasoned Competitor, and Expert Competitor, respectively.
What are the party restrictions for Overwatch 2 rank mode?
Like all other competitive games, Overwatch 2 has party rank restrictions to ensure fairness in all games. You can play with your low or high-ranked friends as long as they are closer to your tier. Here’s how it works:
- Bronze to Diamond players can party within two skill tiers.
- Master players can play with those within one skill tier.
- Grandmaster players can play with those within three skill divisions of their own rank.
- Champions may party with only one other player within three skill divisions of their own Rank.
This is all you need to know about the Overwatch 2 ranking system before beginning your competitive journey in 2024.
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