The developers of Overwatch 2 have recently revealed significant changes that will be implemented in Competitive mode for Season 10, primarily aimed at addressing issues of toxicity within the game.
The previous seasons of Overwatch 2 have brought significant changes, and the Season 10 update will continue to implement major updates in Competitive in order to address issues of toxicity.
- No Group Restrictions in Overwatch 2 Season 10
- Leaver penalty changes in Overwatch 2 Season 10
- Improved Streamer Mode in Overwatch 2 Season 10
- Endorsement chat restrictions in Overwatch 2 Season 10
Group Up with No Limits in Overwatch 2 Season 10
From the start of Overwatch 2 Season 10, players will have the ability to form groups with any other player, as the limitations on grouping for ranked matches have been lifted.
New Developer Update: Competitive, Defense Matrix, & more 👀👥 Grouping Restrictions Removed🏅 Players of ALL ranks can group together🔌 Leaver penalty changes🕵️ Improved anonymity and streamer mode✅ In-Game Player Surveys and more in S11pic.twitter.com/LH8tURJHlx
— Overwatch Cavalry (@OWCavalry) April 10, 2024
From Season 10 onwards, if you are ranked as Bronze and wish to queue with your Platinum friend, you will have the ability to do so. According to Gavin Winter, Senior System Designer for Overwatch 2, this change is mainly being implemented to facilitate players in playing with their friends more conveniently.
These groups are known as ‘Wide Groups,’ and they will only compete against other Wide Groups. Consequently, there may be some drawbacks to queuing in this manner; your wait times may be increased, and the matches may be more comical, as Winter explained.
This alteration also intends to address problems related to smurf accounts and boosting. Oftentimes, individuals who wish to join their friends in lower ranks create smurf accounts in order to be able to participate. By removing group limitations, it is hoped that players will no longer feel the need to create these alternate accounts, resulting in matches that are more evenly matched for all involved.
To specifically address the issue of boosting players, playing in a Wide Group will result in no change to your rank after a match, regardless of the outcome.
The developers are also striving to ensure balanced matches by pairing players with similar role ranks. For instance, if a player is a Platinum Tank and is matched with a Bronze Support, the system will aim to match them against a team with a Platinum Tank and a Bronze Support as well.
Updates to leaver penalty in Overwatch 2 Season 10
The leaver penalties in Unranked matches will be changing with the upcoming release of Overwatch 2 Season 10. The new system will alter the way leaver penalties are enforced.
- 1 game left: Warning
- 2-3 games left: 5 minute ban
- 4-5 games left: 20 minute ban
- 6-9 games left: 4 hour ban
- 10+ games left: 48 hour ban
The number of remaining games is determined by your 20 most recent games. It is not a cumulative measure but rather reflects if you have frequently left games in a short period of time.
The manner in which the new leaver penalties will function in Competitive Play is outlined below:
- 1 game left: 15 minute ban
- 2 games left: 2 hour ban
- 3 games left: 8 hour ban
- 4 games left: 20 hour ban
- 5 games left: Competitive Season ban
- 10 games left throughout the season: Competitive Season ban
The 20 game window that the developers are using to track Unranked penalties will include all completed matches in Competitive mode.
These Competitive matches are typically selected from your most recent gameplay. However, if you abandon 10 games throughout the entire season, you will receive the same Season ban as if you had left five games in rapid succession.
Enhanced Streamer Mode in Overwatch 2 Season 10
The upcoming season of Overwatch 2, Season 10, will introduce modifications to the Streamer Mode, allowing all players who desire greater anonymity to utilize it.
Currently, Streamer Mode is only client-side, but this is changing in Season 10.
The developers of Overwatch 2 are updating the Streamer Mode in order to give players more control over who can view their Battletag.
Currently, Streamer Mode is only available on the client-side, meaning that it only affects the appearance of players’ names on your own screen. However, in Season 10, the developers will be making it server-side, allowing you to customize how your name appears on other players’ screens as well.
This modification aims to assist players who might face harassment due to their Battletag. Even if the feature is utilized by someone, reporting them will still be possible in the usual manner, even if their tag is not visible.
Endorsements in Overwatch 2
In Overwatch 2 Season 10, players who have an Endorsement Level of 0 will have their text and voice chat privileges revoked.
Endorsement Level 0 is only reached if you have previously received a penalty in-game. Therefore, new players should not be affected by this.
According to Natash Miller, Senior Research Scientist for Overwatch 2, players with Endorsement Level 0 will still have the chance to increase their level to 1. The motivation for this change is to give these players a mandatory break from exhibiting toxic behavior in chat.
This is all the information we have regarding the upcoming changes for Season 10!
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