5 Overwatch 2 tips to escape Elo hell

Blizzard Entertainment’s fast-paced first-person shooter (FPS) title, Overwatch 2, has been out for four months now. The game has been completely revamped, and you are now granted a new ranked system instead of a skill rating system.

Ranked match victories (or even losses) depend on the number of points you earn in each round. For this reason, newer or even moderately experienced players may be stuck in lower-tier ranks. This is popularly known as ‘Elo hell’ - the game’s most populated and sweaty level, climbing out of which seems impossible.

Overwatch 2 now has a win-loss method for rank adjustment. The game also uses the same system to determine the base rank for a new player.

The system rewards you with ranks based on your performance between seven wins or 20 losses. When ranking up after seven wins, and if you perform exceedingly well, you may skip a few levels and get a higher placement.

There are seven ranks, which start with bronze and end with Grandmaster. They are subdivided into five tiers within each rank, with 5 being the lowest tier and 1 being the highest. The system is broken down as follows:

• Bronze 5-1
• Silver 5-1
• Gold 5-1
• Platinum 5-1
• Diamond 5-1
• Master 5-1
• Grandmaster 5-1

If you take a longer break from queuing ranked, your matchmaking rating (MMR) will slowly decay, which means that Overwatch 2 will correspondingly place you in easier games. This is to help you brush up on your mechanics.

Listed below are five important Overwatch 2 tips to break free of the dreaded Elo hell.

Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer

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Positioning and 4 other crucial tips to escape Overwatch 2's Elo hell

1) Learn to play different characters

Having a ‘main’ in a game based on characters with unique abilities seems like a good idea until you realize you might have to fill in for your team or give your character up to someone who plays them better. Different characters also provide various advantages in certain scenarios, such as playing Ramattra to counter irksome shields.

Therefore, knowing and mastering at least a few characters you can switch back and forth from might give you a competitive edge. You can only climb so far by playing your main hero. To truly rise through the ranks, understand your strengths, and grow as a player, you need to switch to different characters.

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2) Queueing up with players better than you

This one might feel like a bit of a cheat in terms of the fundamentals. However, nothing will help you rank up faster than queueing up with players who have more experience than you. They will have more practical knowledge about almost every aspect of Overwatch 2, ranging from the meta to hero ‘Ult’ combos and all the other tidbits you may not know.

This, aside from the expected carry that they will provide in each game, will place you on a level above your opponents. However, don’t assume that your ‘smurf’ teammates will simply carry you out of Elo hell. Try and learn whatever you can from them, and utilize your newfound knowledge yourself.

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3) Positioning

An overlooked aspect of competitive play, positioning might be one of the greatest factors in decreasing your chances of death and increasing your team’s time on the objective. With time and experience, you will become comfortable with map knowledge, which means knowing where to hide when a D.Va bomb drops or a Junkrat tire is vrooming towards your team.

Certain characters like Torbjorn, Pharah, and Junkrat are designed to force players out of position or take them by surprise. With patience and proper analysis of your plays, you can learn proper positioning and help counter these plays or make them yourself. This can be the difference between you and your opponent.

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4) Playing the objective

As the genre suggests, FPS means shooting, and shooting means killing. We’ve seen it in Counter-Strike, Valorant, and countless other FPS titles — eliminate the enemy team, secure the round.

In Overwatch 2, however, emphasis is placed on completing the objective, and kills only complement the process of doing so. Hence, chasing kills and out-fragging the enemy team should be your secondary objective. The goal of your game and the simplest secret to ranking up quicker is to remember to prioritize your objective. Doing this will see you ever closer to breaking free of Elo hell.

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5) Managing your timing

Like positioning, timing is a simple but effective measure of gaining the upper hand in Overwatch 2. Ultimates charge up quickly when dealing damage or healing as a Support, which means that some players will get their ultimates faster than others. This doesn’t mean that you should pop your ults as soon as you get them. Instead, read the situation and play around your teammates.

Try to learn different combos and communicate them to your teammates so that they are executed at the right time. A properly timed, coordinated push will always have the upper hand. This will elevate your plays and let you rank up faster.

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Overwatch 2's rank system (Image via Sportskeeda)

With these five tips, players might find it a bit easier to climb out of Overwatch 2’s grueling Elo hell. However, being consistent in your plays and practice may just be the biggest difference in your growth as a player.

Over time and with patience, you are likely to slowly and steadily ascend the ranked ladder.