Overwatch Competitive Play Season 2 has begun

After testing numerous changes on the PTR, Blizzard has now launched Overwatch‘s Competitive Play Season 2.

There are big changes for this Season with the skill rating now moving from a 100 point scale to a 1-1500 scale. The skill rating decay system will also be active so players who have a skill rating above 3000 will need to continue playing regularly to keep their rating. One match will have to be played every seven days or 50 points will be removed every 24 hours they are inactive. Start playing again and the decay stops.

Blizzard loves icons for players and so the tier system is now sporting shiny skill tier icons for the seven tiers which range from Bronze to Grandmaster. The higher Master and Grandmaster tiers are only going to end up playing other players within a 500 skill rating. The lower five tiers will have 1000 skill rating range.

There’s no Sudden Death this Season with Blizard adding what they call their “improved version” of the time bank system which is now being used in Escort and Assault/Escort maps.

Competitive Play points have also changed with 10 being dished out for winning and the cost of golden weapons has also increased by 10. This is so players in matches that end in a draw can be rewarded. There’s also a cap of 6000 Competitive Play points, hit that cap and no more will be rewarded.

A total of 50 games will now have to played to make the top 500 list and players in that list will have to remain active.

Finally, and this is an important change, anyone who leaves a march will be penalised with a 10 minute penalty and repeat offenders could end up with a season ban.

The new lengthy Overwatch patch notes also cover other changes that have changed and you can read the full Season 2 update for more pics and blurb.