Some Overwatch 2 players who logged in to season nine were undoubtedly shocked to find out they had no Competitive Play rank.
Fear not, gamers. Your account is not bugged, you were not shadow-banned, and you did not lose anything. But there is an explanation as to why this has happened, and it’s come straight from Blizzard as part of season nine’s overhaul to the game.
Here’s why your rank was reset in Overwatch 2’s season nine.
Overwatch 2 rank reset, explained
Overwatch 2’s season nine is about as transformative of a season that the game has ever had, with sweeping changes to the game’s heroes and roles, along with a Competitive Play rework that includes an all-new top rank called Champion.
Competitive Play itself is getting overhauled with more frequent rank updates and more information explaining why SR was lost or gained between each match. Reasons given include winning and losing streaks, winning or losing a match you were or weren’t favored in, and more.
With OW2 getting such a massive facelift, Blizzard feels that now is the time for a soft reset on everything, including ranks in Competitive Play.
OW2 itself as we know it is also in for some big tweaks. Along with the size and speed of projectiles changing, the other biggest additions in season nine are increased health across the roster and new role passives, both of which can be seen below.
“With both the changes to Competitive Play and the broader changes to gameplay starting this season, we feel this is a perfect opportunity for everyone to start fresh as they compete on the ranked leaderboards,” Blizzard said. “To accomplish this, we’re reintroducing Placement Matches and resetting everyone’s competitive Skill Rank.”
That’s right, placement matches are returning, too. In OW1, placement matches were played at the beginning of every season. This time, with the rank reset, you’ll need to play 10 matches again to place you in a new starting role. Your predicted starting rank will be shown throughout the placement process.
“With everyone’s ranks being reset, these 10 Placement Matches provides you with a high-stakes opportunity to make big gains in determining your new starting rank,” Blizzard said. “As you progress through placement matches, there will be a predicted starting rank after each match. You’ll only have one chance this year to run your Placement Matches, so pick your best heroes and stay hydrated because these games count for a lot.”
Blizzard thinks these changes to Competitive Play will introduce “a better system that’s more accurate while also helping convey the meaning behind the mathematical complexity of a modern matchmaker and bring clear insights about what impacts your rank in every match.”
OW2 season nine begins on Feb. 13.
