What you need to know
- Overwatch 2 developer Blizzard has released an update for the game that fixes a bug with its Competitive mode that was causing players to place in lower ranks than they should have.
- Affected players will experience a rank boost in Competitive, allowing them to climb to where they should be next time their position changes.
- The update also includes a nerf to Zenyatta that prevents him from getting a faster attack speed buff when affected by Kiriko's Kitsune Rush Ultimate.
In the days following Overwatch 2's rocky launch, many players have been noticing that compared to the Competitive rank they held in the original game, their placement in Overwatch 2 has been significantly lower. Players normally in Diamond or Masters found themselves in Gold or Platinum, for example, with players typically in those ranks placing in Bronze or Silver at the bottom of the Competitive ladder.
Some wondered if the lower placements were due to Overwatch 2's restructuring of the rank system, though most in the community assumed that this was yet another Overwatch 2 bug or launch issue. In the patch notes for a new update to the game, developer Blizzard confirmed that the latter hypothesis was correct.
"Many players were ranked too low during the first week of Overwatch 2, so we are implementing a boost as players continue to play games for those affected by this issue," the studio said. "Players who were ranked too low could have the feeling of being stuck in this rank. Moving forward, players should be able to climb the ranks in their first rank update assuming they’re supposed to be higher based on their performance."
If you engaged with Overwatch 2's Competitive ranked play before this update and placed lower than you normally did in Overwatch, you can expect to climb back to where you should be quickly thanks to the boost Blizzard provided. However, if you haven't played Competitive yet, this boost won't be in effect for you since the original bug has now been fixed.
Ultimately, it's great to see that this issue has been resolved, as it's important for competitive shooters like Overwatch 2 to maintain a fair and accurate ranking system. The only players that won't be happy with this update are Zenyatta mains, as Blizzard also snuck in a nerf for the character that prevents his attack speed from increasing while he's being affected by Kiriko's Kitsune Rush Ultimate.
Overwatch 2 is available now on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch. It's arguably one of the best Xbox shooters available, and since it's free-to-play, it doesn't cost anything to check it out. Alternatively, players can purchase the Overwatch 2: Watchpoint Pack that provides access to Season 1's Premium Battle Pass, 2,000 Overwatch Coins, and a bundle of unique Legendary skins.
