From a low ELO player: High ELO should decide the balance

General Discussion
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Continuing the discussion from High and low elo players can't get along on this forum:

Balance is still, in my opinion, an impossible state to achieve in a game that has so many concepts incorporated into an FPS but it’s even harder across different levels of ability.

Don’t get me wrong, I celebrated the Reaper nerfs and was scared at the Bastion buffs like any low ELO player but I understand that it’s best for the game.

The game should be balanced around its potential. The pinnacle of the game should be when the game is best.

It would make the game significantly worse if you balanced around low ranks:

  • the player base gets better and the game will get worse as people progress
  • you will limit the potential on what the game could be
  • you will lower the skill ceiling

The fact is, even low ELO players have moments that are amazing - the position, aim and gamesense difference is a gap that can be closed with time.

I don’t have the stats for this but although a large percentage of the player base are low ELO - I think that the time spent actually playing the game might actually balance out the high and low ELO.

Makes more sense to balance for serious players that love Overwatch enough to play everyday than balance it for casuals.

Lastly, I’m low ELO because of aim - it’s my first FPS and I’m old. My gamesense is very good as I play a lot. Many players in my elo simply don’t know the game yet so balancing around them is a terrible idea.

Why balance Bastion because D.Va doesn’t know you can’t dive a Bastion solo if he’s behind an Orisa shield with Orisa and Mercy nearby?

This is not to say we shouldn’t listen to low ELO players - I, for one, am happy that Torb’s turret was nerfed for console because my aim is shoddy - but I think it makes sense to prioritize those that play the game the most.

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I agree with you" By trying to make overwatch a game for everyone you’ll end up making a game for no one "

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There are many games that can balance for low und high elo players, why cant blizzard do that ? bcs they dont really care for anything below masters. Blizzard is bad at balancing since ages and that will probably never change. We had many stuff with buffs/reworks/new heroes that were “bad” at high elos but destroye the game below diamond.

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A wise man said “Balancing for the bests players while respecting the others players”

Blizzard is just balancing for the 0,1% playerbase without giving a damn for the other 99,9%

That’s why i think the actual balance sucks whales poop

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They probably have already been balancing for high ELOs.

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While high ELO should decide the balance, they shouldn’t let go of low elo totally. Im thinking about when Bastion and Reaper already reigned supreme in low ELO and they gave them raw buffs so there will be more of them in high ELO.

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I always find it strange to hear people complain about blizzard catering to OWL. We’ve spent the majority of the past two years stuck in metas that pro players absolutely hated playing.

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you seem like a very salty person, all of your post are about how blizzard is ignoring low elo and how their destroying the game for low elo when it’s actually the oposite.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN OVERWATCH
that i’d rather be plat or gold just to not play against and with this stupid meta.

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I agree. It should primarily focus on the higher ranks.

However, I do think low ranks should always be considered. Like, the way OW is designed, it’s very possible to let heroes get out of hand, and make something overpowered in the low ranks just to make it viable in the higher ranks.

So they do need to at least think about that, and try to avoid it if possible. And I think they do do that - that’s why Sym 2.0 was changed. So as long as they just kinda keep us in mind and don’t let things get too insane down here, I’m fine with it. I don’t expect perfect balance, just don’t tip the scales too much.

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What ?

20 characters lul

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No one but the Dev’s should decide the balance ultimately.
If you want to make a reasonable argument then asses what that hero is like in all ranks.
I know its not always accurate but check Overbuff for a rough estimate.

If a hero has a near 50% winrate among all ranks with a reasonable winrate then they are deemed balanced statistically.
If they have a low win rate in the lower ranks compared to high ranks then they are not balanced statistically. (skill floor could be too high for example)

But really we all know its just some bronze boarder player with two stars complaining how they could not counterpick or play around certain heroes without considering the above.

Edit: They do not understand that low elo is broken by the placement system and is boosted.

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There are plenty of heros that need tons of gamesense but require comparatively less aim skill - Rein, Zarya, Winston, then you’ve got spam heros like Pharah and Junkrat than can get a lot of value by just spamming their left click.

As an older gamer too, my aim is not the hottest, but I’ve developed good gamesense and I take advantage of that.

Aim isn’t everything in OW

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I like to use Pharah’s concussive blast to peel flankers off my supports :smiley:

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What do you mean ? what are you talking about

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My position is to have two balance areas. So that you can than make Reaper work in GM.

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Yes but it would be a lot of work for them and i don’t know a single game that does that. Do you ?

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That doesn’t mean it’s wrong or a bad thing. Since no one has tried it.

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I always wanted that make brig with 600 shield and 7 amor pack in low elo and delete her from the game in high elo that would be the dream. Yes it would be the best option now since no one can agree

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They hate all metas. Blizzard didn’t nerf Zen because of even gm. They nerfed him because of owl. It’s called a jonak nerf not a “n7warrior nerf” because me, and my like aren’t the concern.

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Hi there I’ve own a copy of overwatch for about 1 week now and to be honest, In my short experience playing Quick play (not as much as) and Quick play classic alot with my friend who gifted me the copy, I have noticed that it isn’t as much the balance that isn’t ok it is more the 80%(rough guess) of players that join your 2 player group to fill in for the other 4 missing players and then when you try to coordinate or say in voice of team voice what or who you see going where like a Pharah you see high above for example notify your team thennone of them do anything to the pharah, Pharah joins the fight see the rockets flying annihilating most of the team and then they get salty and start saying stuff like your not doing your job ect. while just 2 min before that you told them were pharah was… Those moments really ruin my fun of that game round then so Derping around players in set 2 or 3 man group is for what i experienced as a new and low level player a major negative and those who like to derp around mostly are the 5 stars gold and platinum players actually so idk but that is for me way less fun to play then bastion and mercy having in a enemy team…