Overwatch 2 hotfix reduces matches needed to unlock game modes to 5 & adds AI opponents in Quick Play for new players.

These changes are intended to improve the onboarding experience for new players and reduce loopsided matches at first.

Blizzard's change aims to address smurfing issues, influenced by Marvel Rivals' use of bots.

A new Overwatch 2 hotfix shakes up the new player experience, only requiring 5 matches played to unlock other game modes while also adding AI-controlled opponents in Quick Play. The latest update for Overwatch 2 takes a few lessons from Marvel Rivals by utilizing bots, though Blizzard has taken the time to highlight it rather than have fans figure it out for themselves.

Specifically, the update makes a big adjustment to the new player experience, requiring only 5 matches to be played in order to unlock all other modes, have the Overwatch 2 Quick Play Role Queue available instead of Quick Play Open Queue, and more importantly, encounter bots in the first five matches while playing Quick Play.

Overwatch 2 January 28 Hotfix Patch Notes

1) Hotfix Feature Update

This is a feature hotfix. Replay codes from the January 21, 2025 patch are still available.

2) New Player Experience

Players new to Overwatch 2 may encounter AI-controlled opponents in the first five opening matches of Quick Play.

New players will now have Quick Play Role Queue available instead of Quick Play Open Queue.

The total number of matches required to unlock all other modes has been reduced from 10 to 5.

Players on new accounts that demonstrate clearly experienced performance may be immediately seeded to higher MMR faster.

Those on seasoned accounts who have already played multiple games are not subjected to this rapid MMR adjustment.

Developer Comment: 

We have noticed that genuinely new players can sometimes be paired against players who are starting alternate accounts which can create a poor first-time experience for those new players.

Also, to help keep players on alternate accounts from playing at a high level on lower skill matches, we are starting to roll out a new system which will rapidly adjust the initial matchmaking rating of new players to match their skills significantly faster.

Source - Gamerant 

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