Blizzard's multiplayer shooter Overwatch launched on PC, PS4, and Xbox in May 2016. The game itself is strategy based, pitting teams of six players against each other.
In order to adapt to various game modes, players have to choose a character (known as a "hero") and switch occasionally to counter the heroes chosen by the enemy team. Each of the 22 heroes falls into one of four classes: Offense, Defense, Tank, and Support. Additionally, the heroes all have unique abilities, ensuring that every player will find one to fit their play style.
As for gameplay itself, there are two main options: Quickplay and Competitive. Quickplay is always available and there are no restrictions on character selection. Competitive, on the other hand, limits the selection of each hero to one per team and operates on a different set of rules. The first season of competitive play was released in July, ending in August.
During season one, players who completed ten placement matches were assigned a rank from 1 to 100, with the majority of players falling in the 40-50 range. Winning a match after that would earn you a competitive point, which could be then used to purchase weapon cosmetics and potentially raise your rank. Losing, on the other hand, could be devastating and cause you to plummet through the rankings. Fast.
Since competitive closed, Blizzard reworked the ranking system and game modes slightly. These patch notes can be accessed here.
Season two launched on PC and Xbox on September 1st. On console, the second season of competitive play is slated to start on September 2nd, ending in November. Minor changes have been made to the ranking system, now assigning players a rank from 1 to 5000 and a tier. Game play is expected to feel different this season. However, I think the largest changes will come from the community. Most players are young adults who have now headed back to college or high school, meaning that there's less competition during the week. On weekends however, expect to see people scramble onto their PCs or consoles to grab as many competitive points as they can.
Without further ado, here are my tips on ranking up quickly during the next season:
1. Squad Up
Playing with a consistent group of friends means that there's more communication. You'll also be able to rely on team chemistry and will be more familiar with your friends' play-styles than if you were solo queuing. This also allows you to specialize with a hero or class. If it turns out that everyone mains a different class, you'll always have a balanced team composition. Also, it's just more fun playing with friends.
2. Get a Mic
This is something that I can't stress enough, especially for players on console (where there's no text chat or hotkeys). Having a mic means you're able to call out flankers faster and maybe even save your team from a wipe. Just maybe.
If you don't have a mic, you can still take advantage of the voice channel by turning it on. You'll be able to hear listen to your team's chatter even if you can't respond.
3. Be Flexible
Overwatch is structured around team composition and counters. It's designed to be a big game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. This isn't Call of Duty, folks.
If you realize that your hero is being countered, switch off. This sometimes means that you should be able to play at least one hero in every class. It's completely okay to prefer a role or main a character, but if that's the case, make sure that you can play other heroes within that class. This also helps when the Meta changes and one character gets outclassed by another.
If you're unfamiliar, the Meta is basically the hero popularity contest that gets upset every time Blizzard releases a patch. A drastic example of this was how the buff to Zenyatta's health and orb travel time skyrocketed his pick rate from 0% to nearly 100%. Now, Mercy sees virtually no gameplay at high ranks.
As of the last PTR launch, Hanzo has become pretty dominant due to the increase on his arrow's hitboxes and movement speed. Learn to counter him before the season starts.
Additionally, you have to recognize that some heroes are situational. For example, Symmetra works well defending the first objective on Hanamura but is easily countered on the second one.
4. Know Your Counters
Every hero has a counter. If the enemy team is wrecking you with their tanks, switch from Lúcio to Zenyatta. Pesky Bastion? Go Genji. And if you realize that you're not being as effective with your hero, maybe you're the one being countered. It's that simple.
5. Understand Team Composition/Synergy
Overwatch (and strategy shooters in general) boil down to one key principle. You're either going to out DPS the enemy team or you're going to out sustain them. At minimum teams need a healer and a tank, but using a 2-2-2 team composition (two tanks, two healers, two offense/defense heroes) also works well.
As for synergy, some you have to recognize that some ultimates work better with others. For example, AOE damage abilities (like D.Va's Self Destruct or Junkrat's RIP-Tire) pair well with ones that restrict movement (think Zarya's Graviton Surge or Reinhardt's Earthshatter). Consider switching to compliment your teammates.
6. Don't Yell at Your Team
Okay, we all get angry. Especially when the enemy team has a well-placed Bastion and flankers that drop you like flies.
But the only time you should never, ever use your mic is when you're angry. Yelling at your team drops team morale and it has no positive impact on team performance. You're not thinking clearly either and are probably too focused on enacting revenge to play well, which brings us to...
7. Take Breaks
Between tough matches, it's important to relax. Get up and walk around the room. Here's a guide on some handy stretches. Get a glass of water or a snack. Go to the bathroom.
8. Beware of Gremlins
It's no secret that the later you stay up, the more "sweaties" you'll run into. For the uninitiated, sweaties are tougher matches where both sides are incredibly well matched, named for the amount of sweating one tends to do in these scenarios. The number of these types of matches occur because you're getting tired and because the only players up this late tend to be more devoted ones.
Just go to sleep. You probably have school or work later in the week anyway.
9. Have Fun
The game doesn't matter if you're not enjoying yourself. The number of competitive points you earn won't help if you get sick of playing and quit. Competitive isn't for everyone and I know plenty of friends who prefer Quickplay.
Play in a way that makes you happy.
Gloria plays Overwatch on the PS4. She's logged over 200 hours between Quickplay and Competitive since June. Typically playing either tank or support, Gloria was able to move up 17 ranks in season one.
Overwatch will be free to play on console from September 9th to the 12th.
