Call Of Duty: Vanguard Makes Significant Changes To Ranked Play Skill Ratings

Call of Duty: Vanguard's competitive Ranked Play game mode received some significant changes to the Skill Rating system. As of March 28, Treyarch said that players' Skill Rating gains and losses should be more consistent.

Vanguard's Ranked Play went live with the Season 2 update, allowing players to compete in matches with the same maps and rulesets as used by the pro players in the Call of Duty League. Players start in Ranked Play by participating in five placement matches to determine their initial Skill Rating, which is a number that determines a player's skill level within a specific Ranked Play season. The Skill Rating is a score that rises with each win or falls after every loss. Wins and and losses have been inconsistently affecting a players overall Skill Rating, but according to a tweet from Treyarch, improvements have been made to the overall impact each match has on a player's Skill Rating.

The Ranked Play update allows players to now earn more to their Skill Rating after wins and lose less of their rating after losses. Additionally, Treyarch said the update reduces the impact that match performance has on the amount of Skill Rating won or lost, and players should experience more consistent gains and losses overall.

Treyarch developer Lawrence Metten also used a long Twitter thread to give a detailed explanation of how Skill Rating is calculated in Ranked Play, saying Skill Rating is a visible representation of a player's skill, but behind the scenes the developer tracks a "Hidden Performance Range" for each player that drives the Skill Rating. Players are initially assigned a Skill Rating that's at the low end of their HPR, which Metten said starts low so the rating can climb as the system gets a more accurate read on a player's ability.

"HPR is a range of how good we think you are and how we predict you'll stack up against other players," Metten said. "Beat players with a higher HPR than you and your HPR goes up, fail to meet expectations and it goes down."

The developer ended the Twitter thread by saying Treyarch is continuing to collect Skill Rating data and feedback as it tunes and improves the system, and that feedback is always appreciated.

Following the 2022 Call of Duty League guidelines also means that Ranked Play comes with a lot of weapon, perk, and attachment restrictions. For those looking to test their skill in the competitive mode, we have a guide with the best perks and weapons available to use in Ranked Play.

In addition to Vanguard's Ranked Play improvements, Sledgehammer Games recently added an experimental playlist in an effort to test better spawn point options. Players are encouraged to leave feedback for the playlist in a special survey. Those who don't own Vanguard can enjoy select parts of the game's multiplayer during a Free Access event that runs from March 30 until April 13.