All Warzone 2 Ranked Play changes in Season 4: SR changes, ranked rewards, deployment fee update, and more

The latest patch for Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is out, bringing many changes to the game. The developers have kept a keen eye on the community's wants and needs from introducing new maps, weapons, events, and so much more. Much-needed balancing changes have also been implemented in the game to provide for a competitive and balanced battle-royale experience.

Besides all these changes, multiple tweaks have been made to the Ranked playlist in Warzone 2. The following article takes a deeper dive into all the changes made to Ranked Play in Season 4 of Warzone 2.

Everything that Warzone 2 fans need to know about a fresh season of Ranked Play

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A brand new season of Ranked calls for the most challenging and most determined crowd of Warzone 2 to finally restart their grind in the game. Season 4 of the game introduces many rewards for the fierce competitors and a variety of quality-of-life updates that were missing in the previous iteration of Ranked Play.

What are Skill Rating(SR) and Divisions in Warzone 2?

Warzone 2 players must grind through the rank ladder from the ground up. Starting from Bronze, each player will begin their competitive journey with 0 SR and progress through the ranks to establish dominance in the ladder. Players will earn SR based on Kills, assists, match performance, and outlasting other squads.

Breakdown: Earning SR

Kills and Assists

Players gain SR throughout each match each time they get a Kill or assist, with Kills and assists being treated equally to encourage teamwork between Squadmates.
Players will also receive some SR if they are alive when their Squadmates get a Kill they didn't contribute to.
To reward high-stakes Kills late in the game, SR increases throughout each match based on the number of Squads left alive:
21+ Squads Remaining: +5 SR per Kill/Assist, +2 SR per Squadmate Kill
3 - 20 Squads Remaining: +7 SR per Kill/Assist, +3 SR per Squadmate Kill
1-3 Squads Remaining: +15 SR per Kill/Assist, +7 SR per Squadmate Kill

Final Placements

Additionally, players earn SR based on final placement at the end of the match:
Top 40: +10 SR
Top 30: +20 SR
Top 20: +30 SR
Top 10: +40 SR
Top 5: +50 SR
3rd: +60 SR
2nd: +80 SR
1st: +100 SR
Players will see this SR added throughout a match. Reach the Top 40, and you'll gain 10 SR. Reach the Top 30, and you will see another 10 SR for 20 SR.

SR Tracker

Players can see and track SR earned via Kills, Assists, Unassisted Squadmate Kills, and Placements on a visible tracker in-game.
The SR Tracker will be visible while alive or spectating a Squadmate and will always display your own SR for the current match.
If your team is eliminated, the SR Tracker will be hidden when spectating an Enemy Squad, and your final earned SR will be shown in the After Action Report.

What are Deployment Fees in Warzone 2 Ranked Play?

A deployment fee will be deducted from players at the beginning of each Ranked match. This fee upscales with a player's rank. The higher the player's SR and Tier, the higher will be the deployment fees. This ensures a balanced competitive sphere among players and gives an additional stake to fight for.

Players must earn a certain amount of SR in the next game to advance toward the subsequent Skill Division or Tier. Here is a list of all the deployment fees for each rank:

Bronze I-III: No Deployment Fee
Silver I: -10 SR
Silver II: -14 SR
Silver III: -18 SR
Gold I: -23 SR
Gold II: -28 SR
Gold III: -33 SR
Platinum I: -39 SR
Platinum II: -45 SR
Platinum III: -51 SR
Diamond I: -58 SR
Diamond II: -65 SR
Diamond III: -72 SR
Crimson I: -80 SR
Crimson II: -90 SR
Crimson III: -100 SR
Iridescent: -110 SR + 10 SR for every 500 SR above 10,000, up to a max Deployment Fee of -230 SR.
Max Fee increased from -210 to -230

Players can progress through eight Skill Divisions in Warzone 2 Ranked Play by reaching the following SR milestones:

Bronze – Starting Division
Silver – 900 SR
Gold – 2,100 SR
Platinum – 3,600 SR
Diamond – 5,400 SR
Crimson – 7,500 SR
Iridescent – 10,000 SR
Top 250 – 10,000+ SR

What are Warzone 2 Season 4 rank rewards?

Newbies and veterans of the game will receive numerous awards for simply participating in the latest rendition of Ranked Play. Throughout Season 4, players will receive the following rewards for competing in the Ranked ladder:

Placement Challenges

Finish 'Top 15' 25 Times: 'Cash Out' Large Decal
Finish 'Top 5' 25 Times: Pro Issue Lachman Sub Blueprint
Finish 1st Place: 'Team Wipe' Weapon Charm

Kill & Assist Challenges

Get 25 Kills or Assists: 'WZ Season 04 Competitor' Sticker
Get 250 Kills or Assists: 'WZ Ranked Play Season 04' Loading Screen
Get 1000 Kills or Assists: 'WZ Season 04 Ranked Veteran' Camo

What are the End-of-Season Division Rewards for Warzone 2 Season 4 Ranked Play?

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At the end of each Season, players will be awarded Skill Division rewards representing their highest attained Division in that specific Season. These rewards include:

Seasonal Division Rewards

Each Ranked Play Season will have a unique set of Division Rewards awarded at the end to celebrate the player's highest Skill Division reached that Season.
The Season 04 rewards are as follows:
Top 250: 'WZ Season 04 Top 250' Weapon Charm, Emblem, and Calling Card
Iridescent: 'WZ Season 04 Iridescent' Weapon Charm, Emblem, and Calling Card
Crimson: 'WZ Season 04 Crimson' Weapon Charm and Emblem
Diamond: 'WZ Season 04 Diamond' Weapon Charm and Emblem
Platinum: 'WZ Season 04 Platinum' Weapon Charm and Emblem
Gold: 'WZ Season 04 Gold' Weapon Charm and Emblem
Silver: Emblem
Bronze: Emblem
Ranked Play First Place: The player who finishes Season 04 in the #1 position on the Top 250 Leaderboard will receive a unique, one-of-a-kind Calling Card and Emblem for the ultimate bragging rights.

Top 250 Leaderboard & Division

The Top 250 leaderboard has been introduced to Warzone 2's Ranked Play to showcase the fiercest 250 players in the world. Players can directly view this from the Ranked Play lobby. This leaderboard will be active from day 1 of each Season.

For players to qualify for the Top 250 leaderboard in Warzone 2, they must surpass 10000+ SR. Only the top 250 with over 10000+ SR will compete for a spot on the leaderboard in Warzone 2 Ranked Play. The #1 Ranked Play player will receive a unique, one-of-a-kind Calling Card and Emblem at the end of each Season.

Competitive Integrity Features

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Numerous quality-of-life features have been added and adjusted for a balanced and competitive experience for Warzone 2 Ranked Play players.

Rejoin

Players that unintendedly disconnect from a match in Warzone 2 Ranked Play can reconnect to the game within 4 minutes.

To uphold the Competitive Integrity of Ranked Play, specific criteria must be met to rejoin a match:
Players must have at least 1 Squad member remaining.
There must be at least 5 Squads remaining in the match.
Players can only rejoin the exact match once.
To protect against abuse, players can have their ability to Rejoin temporarily limited if they repeatedly disconnect from matches.

Callouts

Players that have been eliminated for over 3 minutes and intentionally disconnect via 'Leave Match' will not be presented with the option to Rejoin.
Players that disconnect while operating a vehicle will be ejected from the driver's seat.

Squad Backout / Match Cancel

If you lose a matchmade teammate before the match begins, your squad will be returned to the lobby so you don't start the match shorthanded. If too many squads get backed out before the match begins, we will return everyone to the lobby to find a better match.

Suspensions & Penalties

Disconnecting from matches early and not rejoining will result in SR Penalties and Matchmaking Suspensions. Repeated disconnects will result in higher SR Penalties and longer Suspensions.
Note: Players that have been eliminated for over three minutes can disconnect from the match via "Leave Match" without penalties.

SR Forgiveness

If a matchmade teammate disconnects during a game and does not rejoin, you won't lose any SR for the match. You'll still be able to gain SR if you manage to achieve more than your Deployment Fee.

Demotion Protection and Division Stickiness

Every time you are promoted to a new Division, you'll gain three games of Demotion Protection, where you won't lose any SR. Once those games have passed, if you lose enough SR where you would typically get demoted, we will set you at the Division SR floor (Gold would be 2100 SR, for example) to give you one more chance before getting demoted.

Party SR Restriction

To ensure competitive fairness and balance of matches in higher Skill Divisions of Warzone 2, players in certain Divisions can only party up with players around their current SR. The player with the highest Skill Division in the party determines which Party SR Restrictions are used:

Iridescent (Including Top 250) & Crimson: Can party with players within 1 Skill Division
Diamond: Can party within 2 Skill Divisions
Bronze - Platinum: Can party up without any restrictions

Additional Features

Find A Party

Warzone Ranked Play players can utilize the 'Find a Party' feature to find Squadmates of similar Skill before searching for a match.

This feature includes the following preference filters:
In-Game Communication Style: No Preference, Voice, Ping Only, and Text
Main Language: Select up to 3 language preferences: English (EN), French (FR), German (DE), Italian (IT), or Spanish (EU) (ES)

Playstyle

Competitive has been pre-selected and will remain locked for Party Finder.

Hot Streaks

Win a Ranked Play game to earn Victory Streak Flames that appear behind your Rank Icon in the lobby and in-game. Extend your win streak to progress the flames. Victory Streak Flames expire when you are eliminated or after 72 hours without playing a Ranked Play match. Go on a roll, and the competition will know the heat is coming.