There’s plenty of videos out there showing the system is abused. People have gotten banned in the middle of matches for doing nothing wrong.
Better not be too good at the game or the enemy team will mass report you.
8 Likes
Even Siege’s all char unlock didnt even give the base roster only the premium/dlc characters lol. You had to MANUALLY grind for all 20 characters.
1 Like
So are we going to actually be able to punish streamers when they’re engaging in toxic behavior or are they going to remain exempt from actual consequences?
28 Likes
Like the new onboarding system for new players. A long time coming. Great idea!
I wonder how many of the new Defense Matrix programs will actually apply to console players. I suspect a few might have integration issues with the existing console ecosystems.
1 Like
Well rip this account. I thought existing accounts would be grandfathered in to any possible SMS changes.
It was good knowing you Boshy
8 Likes
Ok, ok, i get it but important question, since endorsement stays, and lootboxes are out, is there any reason to keep it up high anymore?
6 Likes
I’m glad they’re putting more effort into fostering a more positive community. I hope their systems accomplish what they intend to do, and they have methods to mitigate abuse.
I don’t fully understand the “first time user experience,” but I hope it’s well received by its intended audience (too late to change it now). I’m fundamentally opposed to locking heroes, but… maybe that’s just because I understand the game better. I can only hope this gradual introduction is useful for players with an outside perspective.
8 Likes
Yeah to look down on others 
1 Like
Could we get some clarification for the SMS protect with pre-paid phone numbers? If I don’t have a “monthly subscription/bill” for my phone, I am unable to use it for SMS protect? Lots of people outside of NA have “pre-paid” phones where you put a couple euros in a month, instead of paying a bill.
25 Likes
But there is no loot in that!
This helps one of my concerns as I mentioned here: https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/overwatch/t/for-the-last-time-the-matchmaker-system-is-broken/692389
Its just a question of if its enough or if they change comp.
The real loot is the toxicity we create along the way
4 Likes
Yet they still won’t be able to do anything about the Junkrat on my team that sat in defenders Route 66 spawn as we got full held on first point attack.
Or the leavers. How about make SR losses for these matches very minimal. Do something about this garbage ‘competitive’ environment. QP feels more competitive than comp because at least you essentially always have a full team.
3 Likes
Great stuff! While playing 100 matches to unlock normal heroes and modes is kind of strange, I think its the right thing to do. “Overwhelming” is a good word for OW if you see it the first time ^^
Great changes, very cool!
2 Likes
They mentioned that having high endorsement lets you progress through battle passes faster.
4 Likes
Do we have any idea how much of the base roster is locked for new players or who is unlocked by default?
Like if I have a friend I think would love Ana and he’s interested now that OW is free do I have to convince him to play 100 games on heroes he might have no interest in to unlock Ana?
Do Arcade modes count? Could a new player just play 100 Mystery Heroes and unlock the base roster that way?
4 Likes
So new players don’t have access to 34 heros from the beginning?
Oh dear
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A phone number can only be used once when making a new account, and certain types of numbers, including pre-paid and VOIP, cannot be used for SMS Protect.
rip smurfs 
5 Likes
Sounds fine for the most part but I have few issues with this:
Even if you own a previous box version of the original Overwatch, you still need to activate SMS Protect to play Overwatch 2.
Really? People who bought the game can’t access the game anymore unless they add a phone?
We found this to be a pain point for Competitive as some players were passing judgement on their teammates before the match began, causing either explicit or implicit bias to occur immediately.
This is pretty much hiding information from players for how bad the matchmaking is.
24 Likes
I use prepaid phones because I’m hard on them and it’s the best choice for me, looks like I can uninstall.
20 Likes