For the 2nd Beta Season, we reexamined the rank system, matchmaking rules, and overall setup to ensure the highest standings go to those who earned them by showing great performances, week in, week out. Claiming a stake will be more challenging this time round, and, as the playing field leveled, so did the rewards!

Ranked Battles underwent significant changes after the 1st Beta Season. We acted upon the majority of requests and will continue making adjustments to the mode based on what is happening in the community. We genuinely hope that the revised setup will ultimately make the experience better, but we also realize that not everything may work out and garner the type of response we’re hoping for. That’s why we’re once again calling on all of you to work with us as we continue fine-tuning the mode. Hit the forum to share your thoughts on the 2nd Beta Season! It will help us understand how the tweaks are performing, the impact of the interplay between them, and if there are any other areas for improvement.

Joining the Competition

Mark September 18 in your calendars now! Starting 18:00 CEST, select “Ranked Battle” in the drop-down menu, choose a Tier X vehicle, and hit the battlefield.

Keep in mind that Ranked Battles only run during Prime Time: 18:00–00:00 CEST (Monday to Friday) and 16:00–00:00 CEST (Saturday and Sunday) . We’ll keep you informed on changes to Prime Time (if any).

Primary Changes

Over the 1st Beta, we were amazed by the performance and perseverance of top players. The sheer intensity of competition was astounding! Most importantly, we received a lot of feedback from our community and collected a substantial sample of stats. With your help, we learned what the mode needs to thrive, changes that need to be made, and how to better organize seasons to deliver a truly enjoyable experience for all willing to test their mettle. Here’s a detailed look at the improvements you made a direct impact on.

Season Length

Stretching the season over four stages undermined the fun factor. Ranked Battles aren’t a marathon. Each season is designed more like an intense sprint where you’re to show your worth over a short distance. Four weeks are way too long for a “sprint.” To liven up the experience, we shrank a season to three seven-day stages.

Chevrons

The initial chevron earning mechanic blurred the very idea behind Ranked Battle, which showed during the 1st Beta Season. We wanted to build the mode around a great individual contribution that leads to victory. At the same time, we didn’t want the lack of team effort to drag you down. That’s why we gave chevrons to the top 3 players on the losing team. Seems fair. Upon a closer look, however, this proved to downgrade the value of victory, which is the primary goal of any battle, regardless of game mode. It also somewhat streamlined progression through ranks, making the entire fight for Rank V a lesser challenge. We revised the rules to put victory back at the core of it and ramp up the challenge.

Earning chevrons in the 2nd Season:

If your team wins and you are in the top 10 by the number of XP earned, you gain a chevron.

Ranking in the bottom 5 of a winning team or among the top 5 of a losing squad leaves you with the same number of chevrons.

Those on the losing team who don’t make it into the top 5 lose a chevron. These changes promote tighter teamplay as a great individual performance alone won’t always grant you a chevron. Yet it most definitely will take you further when combined with well-coordinated team play. One more important issue this should fix is the unfortunate trend we saw during last season. Turned off by poor team performance, many would stop playing along and focus on generating great stats instead, which often harmed the team and kept it from winning. These changes promote tighter teamplay as a great individual performance alone won’t always grant you a chevron. Yet it most definitely will take you further when combined with well-coordinated team play. One more important issue this should fix is the unfortunate trend we saw during last season. Turned off by poor team performance, many would stop playing along and focus on generating great stats instead, which often harmed the team and kept it from winning.

Personal and Vehicle Ranks

Climbing up to Rank V did not provide a real challenge to experienced players. Tweaking the way chevrons are earned won’t solve it. So we went further and changed the mechanics behind earning ranks, revising the number of chevrons it takes to level up a rank:

Personal ranks: 1-3-5-7-9. You need one chevron to kick-start your ascension, but as you progress, the difficulty grows, too. Leveling to Rank III takes 5 chevrons, Rank IV requires 7, and making it to Rank V costs 9 chevrons. The number of ranks remains the same.

Vehicle ranks: Now you need 5 chevrons to get to the next one regardless of the rank your vehicle is at.