Highlights
- Overwatch 2 constantly evolves with new heroes and game modes to keep gameplay fresh for players.
- Harsher leaving punishments in upcoming Season 10 aim to combat early exits that disrupt matches.
- Controversy surrounds Blizzard's decision to extend harsh penalties to casual play, sparking debate among fans.
The core experience of Overwatch 2 is constantly changing, with Blizzard periodically introducing things like new heroes, game modes, and maps to shake things up for players. These changes usually impact the mechanics of the title's gameplay, but can also address more implicit things like how players are rewarded or punished for certain behavior.
This was at the core of the recently announced "Defense Matrix" changes that are set to come to Overwatch 2, which aim to improve things like matchmaking, player reporting, and punishments for habitually leaving games early. While leaving a match in progress is a huge issue that can ruin the experience of competitive gameplay in Overwatch 2, the harsher upcoming punishments for this behavior have been extended to casual quick play, with many players feeling like this is a contentious move on Blizzard's part.
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Harsher Leaving Punishments Are Coming to Overwatch 2's Quick Play
The complex metas and game mechanics of Overwatch 2, combined with its intimate player count of 5v5 gameplay, has made seeing games out to their completion more important than ever. A player leaving early can completely ruin the dynamic of even casual Overwatch 2 matches, with early exits in competitive games usually leading to matches being disbanded altogether.
Like many competitive titles, Blizzard has always implemented punishments for players who consistently leave games early, but changes that are set to come with the upcoming Season 10 of Overwatch 2 will take these punishments to an even higher level. For competitive gameplay, the following leaving punishments will soon go into effect:
- One game left = 15-minute ban
- Two games left = Two-hour ban
- Three games left = Eight-hour ban
- Four games left = 20-hour ban
- Five games left = Ban for the entire competitive season
All of these bans are calculated from the most recently played games of a player, with another seasonal competitive ban also being given to players who leave ten games across an entire season. While many fans will welcome these increased measures to counteract players who consistently leave ranked matches, similar punishments will also come to casual play when Season 10 launches:
- One game left = Warning
- Two/three games left = 5-minute ban
- Four/five games left = 20-minute ban
- Six-nine games left = four-hour ban
- Ten+ games left = 48-hour ban
These casual punishments are based on how many games have been left over the course of a player's last 20 games, meaning fans may find that severe punishments creep up on them over time. A lot of controversy is already brewing around these impending changes, with some fans stressing how casual play is supposed to exist away from the higher expectations and stakes of Overwatch 2's ranked play.
Of course, empty player spaces in casual games can also be filled by other players, unlike in competitive play where a dropped player will permanently leave one team at a disadvantage. While Overwatch 2 is a competitive game at its core, it is important that the tile should still offer spaces where players can quickly dip in and out of fun experiences, and the harsh punishments that will come to casual play in the near future are understandably not sitting well with certain fans.
