Like other MOBA games, ranked matches are an essential part of Heroes of the Storm. Some players may ask, I have just entered this game, how should I conduct ranked matches? How are ranking points calculated? The editor below will answer them one by one for everyone.

where are we today

Heroes of the Storm has multiple game modes for different play styles. From faster, more casual play in Quick Play to competitively ranked modes—League of Legends and Team League. While a lot of progress has been made, we find that players still have a lot of questions about how the system works and future plans for the Ranked Mode experience. We hope to take this opportunity to clear up some of this confusion and discuss some improvements in the work.

Ranking

Let's start by discussing how your ranking appears and what it represents.

Each player (or team) is assigned a Rank, which is a visual representation of their skill in a specific match mode. The lowest rank is 50 and the highest rank currently is 1. Each number represents your approximate percentage position compared to the rest of the player population, with each position accounting for approximately 2% of the player population. For example, level 1 represents the top 2% of players in the region. Not all players can reach the top rank. Players will need to upgrade their skills to defeat stronger opponents and improve their rankings.

However, the current ranked system includes improvements where players initially start at level 50 and move up in rank until they reach a stable level that accurately reflects their skill. Under the current system, if a player continues to progress, their ranking may not truly reflect their skill. This system has caused some confusion in ranked matchmaking. While we like the idea of ​​progressing and improving our rankings each season, we don't want to do it at the expense of accurate rankings. To improve the accuracy of player rankings, we plan to introduce a set of ranked modes that players need to complete before accepting official rankings. Player rankings will not be assigned or displayed during this period. Instead, other players will see that player during their "ranked session."

When they complete their ranked mode, that player will be assigned a rank that more accurately reflects their skills. We haven't decided yet on the exact number of ranked modes players will need to participate in before being assigned a rank. Players exploring Ranked Mode for the first time will have to complete a greater number of Ranked Modes. With each new season, the system will learn more about each player's skills and will need to participate in fewer ranked modes before new ranks are assigned. After qualifying, players will continue what they were doing today. Players will compete against opponents of similar skill level and earn ranking points to move up the rankings.

Ranking points

After each ranked mode, players will gain or lose a certain number of ranking points. The total ranking points at the end of the game are a combination of two types: match points and bonus points.

Depending on whether you win or lose a match, you gain or lose match points at the end of Ranked Mode. The number of match points your team gains or loses depends on the difference in skill between the teams. The winning team in a close match will earn 100 match points and the losing team will lose 100 points. If teams are not evenly matched in terms of skill (and you want to avoid this as much as possible), your team may win up to 200 Match Points after a win, or lose 200 Match Points after a loss. All players on a given team win or lose the same number of match points in a match.

Players will also be awarded bonus points after the match. Bonus points are awarded to individual players on the winning team if their individual skill level (match matchmaking rating) exceeds the team's visible ranking. This happens when a player wins several games in a row and it helps the team get closer to an accurate placement.

master

While the goal of the ranked system is to have each rank represent approximately 2% of the player base, Level 1 is open to players who have currently reached a high skill level. To identify the best players in each region, we plan to add a Master Rank above Level 1.

Players who achieve this impressive level will be assigned a Master Rank, showing their exact position alongside other Masters. For players who want to track the best players in their region, we have in-game leaderboards that are viewable by everyone.

We plan to add Master Ranking to both Hero and Team Leagues.

season

As mentioned previously, Heroes of the Storm will have regular seasons across all ranked play game modes. We are talking about a duration of about 3 months per season. We are currently in the pre-season of ranked mode. We plan to maintain pre-season status and not start the first official season until some time after the game launches. This allows new players who are not participating in the closed beta to get up to speed and qualify for the various ranked modes. This also allows us to make many of the improvements mentioned in this article before the official season.

After the first official season starts, all rankings will be reset, and players will need to participate in the above-mentioned ranking mode all the way. Based on your performance in the previous season and your performance in ranked mode, you will be placed in an appropriate rank that reflects your skills. In addition, we will retain your internal skill level (matchmaking rating) from the previous season to help ensure fair and balanced play.

Finally, you'll be rewarded for your hard work! Make sure you give it your best, as the rewards you'll receive are based on the highest rank you've achieved that season. You will receive recognition for your achievements on the Ranked Prizes Page we will add to your account. This page allows you to track your ranked progress from season to season.

Team League

The newest addition to Time and Space, Team League is a place for the most competitive and organized teams to experience battle in ranked mode. Since launching the feature, we've gathered feedback both internally and from the community. When dealing with feedback, some themes really struck a chord with us:

It's not always easy to team up with the same partners who have different schedules.

With fewer teams, games in team leagues are harder to find.

The team cost of 1000 gold coins is too high.

We'll be making some changes to address these issues.

First of all, the cost of gold coins to form a team is to avoid large fluctuations in team formation. We want the team to have continued consistency across multiple seasons, but we don’t want the cost to be too high to afford. To do this, we recently halved the party cost to 500 gold. We hope this change strikes a balance between cost and low team volatility.

Next, we plan to remove five-man teams from Hero League and move them to Team League. After making this change, you can queue for League of Legends if you have a team of one to four people. If you have a team of five players (either a makeshift team or an official team with a name), you'll be queued for Team League.

We believe this change will have many benefits:

All five-person teams will be in the same queue, allowing us to create higher quality matches in less time. Previously they were scattered across Heroic and Team Leagues.

All teams of five will always be pitted against other teams of five. While our matchmaker has almost accomplished this goal, it is now guaranteed in this change.

We will be able to use different rules in team leagues that are more suitable for teams of five. This means potential selection improvements such as banning heroes.

As for ranking, each pre-group team still has team ranking as it does today. We will have separate Team League rankings for players in improvised teams of five.

Summarize

We want to keep improving Ranked Mode to make it a fun and competitive experience that every player can enjoy. The feedback and testing we received during closed beta has been extremely helpful, and we thank our testers for the time they’ve spent playing Heroes of the Storm over the past few months. Our plan is to continue improving Ranked Mode even after the game is officially launched. While we don’t have a timetable for the release of these changes, we are still actively working on them and will have them in the game as soon as they are ready. As always, we'd love to hear your thoughts on these changes in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

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