There is no doubt that “Overwatch” is a great game. Otherwise, it would not be as huge as it is now. Nonetheless, this does not mean players have nothing to complain about it.
Perhaps one of the most interesting topics in the “Overwatch” community is SR or Skill Rating. In the game, Blizzard developed the system in a way that it would consider a number of factors. But really, how does it work? How does the feature determine a player’s SR?
Skill Rating explained in a nutshell
According to Dot Esports, Skill Rating helps determine the ranking of players in the game.
While Blizzard has tried to explain the factors involved in determining the rank, most of them have been kept secret. To understand how the feature works, it is best to know exactly how it runs from top to bottom. First and foremost, players need to undergo 10 placement matches. Afterwards, they will be placed in a rank according to their performance or SR. Below is a breakdown:
- Bronze – 1 to 1,499 SR
- Silver – 1,500 to 1,999
- Gold – 2,000 to 2,499
- Platinum – 2,500 to 2,999
- Diamond – 3,000 to 3,499
- Masters – 3,500 to 3,999
- Grandmasters – 4,000 and above
After being placed in “Overwatch,” the SR could either be gained or lost depending on the performance. However, losing a game tends to lose more SR than winning.
This is where the subtleties become complex. It is worth noting that the system is using a brand new structure. Previously, this was not the type of structure the SR system followed. But for some reason, Blizzard decided to tweak it. While most are comfortable with the newly revamped system, others are simply not.
What determines the amount of SR earned or lost?
Blizzard explained that the system is basically a mixture of things. For instance, it is true that both the “On Fire” and “Matchmaking” systems attempt to track any underlying performance in “Overwatch.” However, the amount of time players spend on “On Fire,” in particular, does not directly affect their SR adjustments.
The latter happens every after match. Kotaku notes that while the two systems correlate with each other, they have no direct link in the game. The game’s principal designer, Scott Mercer said that they can always make changes to one of the systems “without affecting the other.”
Contrary to popular belief, being on fire is actually significant in “Overwatch.” Remember that in the game, it bumps players’ SR exponentially. The only catch, however, is it is not necessarily that huge. Mercer said that to acquire massive SR, the key is to be on multiple win streaks. This is even important when in placement matches.
