Some Overwatch 2 players have been literally trapped in 'elo hell' for weeks - and Blizzard only just told them

Junker Queen - Overwatch 2 — (Image credit: Blizzard)

Many Overwatch 2 players only learned of a major bug in the game's competitive mode after Blizzard issued a fix.

With Overwatch 2 taking the series in a free-to-play direction, a lot has changed in Blizzard's multiplayer FPS. The original Overwatch's skill ranking system has been put out to pasture, replaced with a competitive mode that can be a real grind if you're looking to rank up. Since launch, many players have found themselves unable to get out of Bronze 5, which it turns out is actually a bug, something which Blizzard neglected to mention until now.

As shared by user SeeOurTea on the Overwatch subreddit, the latest Overwatch 2 patch notes contain the following fix, "Resolved an issue where some players could be stuck in Bronze 5 even after several rank updates". While this is welcome news for players who found themselves unable to progress through the ranks, Blizzard's silence surrounding the issue has been met with a good deal of frustration. "So you're telling us that instead of warning people that this was an issue, you just left them to pointlessly grind in comp?" says SeeOurTea.

so_youre_telling_us_that_instead_of_warning from r/Overwatch

One player writes, "It's the kind of gross oversight that a finished competitive product should never launch with." Another says, "My friend uninstalled the game because he couldn't rank up from bronze 5 for weeks, even with a positive win rate," adding, "I understand the frustration, and I can see why a lot of people stopped playing." Moreover, some say that the issues with competitive mode caused them to quit playing, and despite the fix, they won't be returning to the game.

In other Overwatch 2 news, Blizzard says the game's lengthy load times are due to the unpopularity of support characters and is introducing changes to make the role more enticing for players. Despite the game's teething problems, Overwatch 2 has more than double the daily number of players compared to the first Overwatch in its first month after launch.

See what else is new in Blizzard's revamped shooter with our guide to all the Overwatch 2 hero changes and reworks.

CATEGORIES

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.