The Top 500 players in Overwatch get a special Player Icon that shows how good they are to the world.
The Top 500 players in Overwatch get a special reward. They get an icon that shows everyone how good you are and now you can get your icon for Season 2.
Overwatch is a competitive game that encourages you to constantly improve yourself, to become the very best there ever was. But to reach that 99th percentile you have to be better than over 15 million other players. Reaching the Top 500 is something to be proud of (but you might not want to tell your parents). Not only that, but those in the Top 500 love competing against each other to see who is the best among them. It adds more competition outside of tournaments and eSports matches.
So what did Blizzard do to reward those dedicated few? Let them show off how good they are of course! If you reach the Top 500 players in the world, you get the Player Icon.
But because that Player Icon is such a coveted item Blizzard had to create rules to govern the system. Let's delve into the system to give you an edge on reaching that lofty goal:
First of all, you only need to get to the Top 500 once to get the icon. Just like the previous Season, you are not guaranteed to stay in the Top 500 after first reaching it, but you will permanently unlock the matching icon reward. There are also more factors than just the Skill Rating you see at play. Behind every Skill Rating there is a hidden more precise rating. That rating is what is used to determine the Top 500. So you might be tied with someone with a Skill Rating of 3641 but still not get the Top 500 because of that hidden additional Rating.
The Top 500 system was delayed this season to give it more relevance and credence. You first have to get people to play enough games to find out who are the best players around. It prevents people from just getting 50 wins and being included in the system, without having the skill to normally be in the Top 500.
Now the system is active and you can qualify for the Top 500!
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