Summary
- Toxicity varies across Overwatch 2 ranks; middle ranks have the most issues, according to a developer.
- Leaver rates decrease as players climb the Competitive ladder in Overwatch 2.
- Blizzard has looked to combat toxicity in Overwatch 2 with various improvements.
Climbing the Competitive ladder in Overwatch 2 can be difficult, and a developer has given players an idea of which ranks are the most toxic. Overwatch 2 is in Season 13: Spellbinder, and these recent comments could give Competitive grinders an idea of what ranks might prove the most of a slog to make it through.
Online toxicity in multiplayer games is nothing new, and Overwatch 2 has faced issues controlling unruly players since its inception. The game’s community has often dealt with leavers, AFK players, and those who get extremely angry and toxic. Over the years, Blizzard has looked to stem the flow of toxicity in its Competitive playlists in various ways. For example, the developer made significant changes to the Overwatch 2 scoreboard in Season 13, allowing players to report, mute, and adjust the volume of individual players. Unfortunately, these attempts to curb bad behavior in online matches cannot completely eliminate the problem.
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Recently, Senior Systems Designer Gavin Winter gave insight into which ranks have the highest propensity for toxicity and leavers. These comments came during a Twitch stream with Coach Spilo, an Overwatch 2 streamer and coach who often helps others improve at the hero shooter. While discussing toxicity, Winter revealed a correlation between the leaver rate and Competitive rank. According to the developer, the number of players that leave matches decreases further up the Competitive ladder players climb.
Overwatch 2's Senior Systems Designer Discusses Most Toxic Ranks
However, Winter noted that general toxicity in Overwatch 2 matches followed a different pattern. Interestingly, the middle ranks were the most notorious for this unsavory behavior, while lower and higher ranks had fewer issues, relatively speaking. “Near the middle, that’s where you get more disruptive behavior,” Winter said. While the developer stopped short of stating a specific reason for this concentration of toxicity, it is easy to see how tensions could escalate as players attempt to break into the higher ranks of Overwatch 2.
It will be interesting to see what other measures Blizzard puts in place in the future to address toxicity in Overwatch 2 matches. Unfortunately, bad behavior will likely always be an issue in a highly competitive game, and toxic players rarely improve an already struggling team's chances of winning a match. However, fair systems for reporting leavers and excessive toxicity can help decrease problems, even if they can not be eliminated entirely.
While Blizzard continues to work on improving the Competitive experience for players, it recently added a new version of Quick Play: Hacked for Overwatch 2. This limited-time mode called Limit 2 switches up team composition from what is normally possible, allowing an extra tank to be added by sacrificing a healer or damage character. In addition, more experimental modes are planned for the game in the future.
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Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Power up your railgun and disrupt the battlefield as Sojourn, or yield your axe and command attention as Junker Queen. Battle to take control of a robot and move it toward the enemy base in the new Push Mode. Bring the fight to new destinations across the globe in iconic locations like New York, Rome, Monte Carlo and Rio. Daily challenges and frequent updates mean there is always something new to play.
