As per the latest update to Overwatch‘s PTR (Public Test Realm) servers, it appears as if Blizzard is on the cusp of rolling out a few changes to the way in which players level in the competitive shooter, but will the result be more balanced than the system we currently have?
As of now, the amount of experience needed to level up your account steadily rises in small increments until you reach rank 23, upon which the required number plateaus until level 100 and then essentially reverts back to the early levels, where ranking up is considerably faster.
[zergpaid]Following the implementation of the changes proposed by Blizzard, levelling past 100 will no longer reset the amount of experience required but instead continue to request the same amount indefinitely. While some players have accused Blizzard of making the change in order to incentivize the buying of more Loot Boxes with real money, game director Jeff Kaplan says the opposite is actually true, and that the changes are being introduced in the hopes of discouraging players from exhibiting “binge behaviour.”
In a forum post (via Kotaku), Kaplan said:
“This change has nothing to do with a desire on our part to drive more or less interest in loot box sales. This change is to prevent players from binge behaviour or halting play… and to prevent players who are not close to prestiging from feeling like they somehow missed out on ‘bonus’ items. This change exists to add levity to the leveling experience.”
What’s more, Kaplan says that had the changes been in effect for the recently-concluded Halloween event, Blizzard would have “given out MORE loot boxes. More players would have gotten more stuff.”
So that’s all, folks. There’s no sinister ulterior motive at play here, Blizzard just wants its playerbase to take a healthier approach to its games.
“We want you playing Overwatch or not playing Overwatch when you want/don’t want to. That’s the entire reason for this change… nothing else,” said Kaplan.
Expect to see Overwatch‘s next new character – Sombra – release along with the shooter’s next update later this month.