Hello everyone & Blizzard: With the addition of RSS (Ranked Solo Shuffle), I was happy to see that it’s a fun way to play arena especially if not able to find a group. It’s a nice addition to the game. My hope was that it would enable more of the WoW userbase to PvP and in turn encourage more players to also play in the 2v2 and 3v3 brackets, making for healthy and active ladders.
The Issue:
Unfortunately it seems RSS has done the opposite and made the 2s and 3s brackets quite deflated. Due to the deflation, rating is much harder to come by than usual in these brackets. I have seen many threads (referencing the WoW forums & World of PvP Reddit) with people complaining or feeling demoralized about not being able to achieve their average/usual ratings in these brackets (no I’m not taking into account the overinflated SL S2) which I believe causes a sort of negative feedback loop: Because the ladder is deflated already from RSS and players aren’t happy due to rating gains feeling insurmountable, players stop playing in it which further decreases participation.
To sum the above:
-2s and 3s are deflated
-Rating is very hard to come by in the above brackets due to the deflation
-This deflation leads to even less players wanting to play
-Participation is very low and the game isn’t as enjoyable
The Solution:
Although rating is “just a number,” it is clear that being able to play/grind and see noticeable improvements of rating does feel good and make for a happy player base which of course leads to more gameplay and a healthier ladder. There’s plenty of threads of exhilarated players posting about their “first 1800” or “Elite” achievements from RSS. Some argue that the RSS bracket is even a bit overinflated, but that’s not the point of this thread. Achieving Gladiator would actually be easier with the old “top 0.5%” system than now… The point is that the 2s and 3s bracket could use a bit of an MMR injection from Blizzard and I think it would be an overall positive for the ladders. It doesn’t need SL S2 levels of inflation or even RSS levels, but something to help with pushing rating and keeping players interested in the team-based gameplay I think is just as important as RSS - and hopefully a simple change.
I know there could be other ways to try and help or “fix” the 2s and 3s ladder such as making LFG less of a pain etc., but those would take more time and effort which I wouldn’t expect from Blizzard right now. Henceforth, all I’m asking for is some increased MMR to the 2s and 3s arena bracket, even if half comparable to RSS levels of rating inflation.
To sum the above:
-Gaining rating and achievements is what a lot of PvPers strive for
-LFG in itself can be seen as an issue, but the 2s and 3s bracket could use a quicker and simpler solution for now
-2s and 3s deserve some extra MMR from Blizzard
-A healthy ladder leads to more gameplay and a happy player base
TLDR; RSS is great but it unfortunately has made the 2s and 3s bracket very deflated, which I also enjoy, especially because there’s not much of a queue time. I do believe if rating was more attainable on the averages of how most seasons progress in these brackets, (unlike now) that it would encourage healthier ladders and more gameplay across the board. Please consider adding a bit of MMR into the 2s and 3s ladder; deflation feels bad.
Thanks Blizzard!
