So earlier today I was scrolling through reddit while drinking coffee when this question popped up: what’s actually different with rank resets in Overwatch 2 compared to the old days? Got curious since I’d dropped two ranks last season and felt pretty salty about it. Decided to dig into my own gameplay history and patch notes to compare.
What I Remember From Back Then
First, fired up my dusty external drive where I kept old OW1 gameplay clips and notes. Remembered how seasons used to work:
- Placements mattered less: Skipping your placements didn’t murder your rank instantly. You’d decay slowly over weeks if inactive.
- Soft resets only: After each season, your rank dropped a bit (like 100-200 SR) so you had to climb, but it wasn’t brutal.
- No weird mystery drops: If you ended Season 20 in Diamond, you’d start Season 21 in high Plat/low Diamond. Simple.
What Happened This Season
Logged into OW2 this morning. Checked my current rank: Gold 5. Last season? Plat 3. Massive facepalm moment. Started testing theories:
- Played zero games last season? Yep, totally skipped it. My buddy who also skipped dropped from Diamond to Silver. Brutal.
- Finished placements? Nope. That 5-win/15-loss thing is garbage – didn’t bother.
- Checked patch notes: Blizzard literally said if you’re inactive, they slam your rank down HARD to “refresh” matchmaking. More like “get wrecked.”
Comparing the Pain
Hopped into quick play to test my Silver/Gold lobby matches. Felt like chaos – smurfs, newbies, me screaming at healers (sorry). Here’s the difference:
- OW1 Reset: Like getting a gentle tap on the shoulder – “hey, climb back up.”
- OW2 Reset: Feels like getting shoved down a staircase. Dropping 1-2 FULL ranks (Plat → Bronze??) if you skip a season.
Why It Sucks Now
Played 8 comp matches tonight. Won 5, still stuck in Gold 5. Progress bar barely moved. Realized:
- The system hides your actual SR, so you’re grinding blind
- Every reset now feels punitive – like you’re being punished for not grinding non-stop
- Climbing back takes twice as long with unclear win requirements
Bottom line? Old resets were annoying but fair. OW2 resets? Pure pain. They want you playing constantly or they dropkick your rank into the abyss. Guess I’ll go cry into my coffee now.
