Taking Balance and Ranked Play Seriously
Overwatch’s roster is filled with lovable characters with their own, unique fleshed out backgrounds and personalities. Of course, this means nothing in a team-based shooter if the balance is off and you’re put at a disadvantage for simply using a particular character.
Balancing the roster is something that Blizzard has consistently been doing throughout the year, but was most noticeable after the reversal of the insane Bastion buff that threw the game’s balance completely out. It’s again, a sign that Blizzard is constantly listening to both compliments and criticism when it comes down to how the game actually plays on a mass scale.
While the balancing is certainly something that affects all players, it’s been a vital part of turning Overwatch’s Competitive mode into the juggernaut that it now is. However, it wasn’t just the heroes that were balanced out, but the way in which players are ranked in the Competitive mode, too.
The transition from Skill Points to Skill Ratings between season’s one and two ironed out one of the biggest issues that the mode initially had. Players are now able to get a greater sense of their progression within the Competitive mode, and losses, while still painful, are far less punishing than they were back when the mode first took off.
While there’s certainly contention regarding the current Streaks system – causing players to drop further in their Skill Ratings for consecutive defeats and rise faster for consecutive wins – it’s still much improved over Skill Points. It may not sound like a big deal, but being more heavily penalized for potentially being let down by your team can certainly add to the frustrations. It’s a love it or hate it mechanic, but Blizzard has certainly shown it’s not afraid of tweaking the system until its just right.
