Patch date: . Guide reviewed 2026-11-03. Historical changes can be superseded; use current definitions for a match today.
How this guide was prepared: AI-assisted analysis with a separate source-check pass against archived official notes. Practical decisions are reasoned suggestions, not player-tested results or measured win-rate evidence. A small hotfix receives a short guide rather than a reconstructed full build.
Original update sources
Recorded topics: Heroes, Items, Gameplay, Fixes. Dates refer to the update named in the notes; a mirrored post can be published later.
Standard and Ranked access
What changed: Standard is unranked, has no party-size or skill-spread restrictions, and can adjust match placement for experience when practicing less familiar heroes. Ranked requires 60 Standard wins, at least three heroes unlocked, and 15 Standard wins on each hero selected. Ranked parties are solo or duo; duo players must be at most one Rank apart, while Eternus players must be within three subranks. Calibration lasts eight games and is solo-only. Active account sanctions block Ranked access.
How to adapt: Use Standard for unrestricted party sizes or to practice unfamiliar heroes; before Ranked, confirm your wins, eligible heroes, party rank spread, sanctions, and calibration status. Expect the initial Ranked pool to have longer queues and weaker match and composition quality while players unlock access and calibrate.
Ranks, points, and loss protection
What changed: Each Rank has six subranks, I–VI. The ladder is Obscurus (uncalibrated), then Initiate, Seeker, Acolyte, Sentinel, Mystic, Ritualist, Emissary, Oracle, Phantom, Ascendant, and Eternus. Wins and losses change Rank Points by about 250 on average, with some variation. Promotions usually require 1,000 points per subrank and 2,000 for the final subrank before a new Rank. Eternus thresholds are updated daily on a percentile basis. Loss protection is five games at a full-Rank boundary and two at a subrank boundary.
How to adapt: Use the point values as averages rather than guaranteed match rewards, and account for the boundary protection before expecting a loss to drop your displayed Rank or subrank. At Eternus, check the current threshold because it changes daily.
Coordinate in the Ranked pre-game phase
What changed: Ranked shows the Ranks of all players before a pre-game phase. Players can swap once to an unselected hero they have unlocked for Ranked and adjust starting lanes. Enemy swaps are not shown live; the feature is described as primarily for improving team composition, not counter-picking. Zipline swaps are unavailable afterward, and pause is disabled until two minutes after the game starts. Ranked bans increase from two to three, with an improved algorithm.
How to adapt: Use the waiting area to coordinate team composition and starting lanes, and, if another eligible unlocked hero is available, consider it when your intended swap is already taken. Since enemy changes are not shown live, avoid relying on the phase for reactive counter-picks.
Check abandon outcomes before leaving
What changed: Before five minutes, a match is safe to leave and voided for everyone except the abandoning player and their party; that player and party receive a loss, and the leaver receives penalties. After five minutes, the leaver receives penalties and their party takes a loss. Other teammates may leave safely, or stay and receive a win if they win. If all players on the abandoning team leave, the match ends as a win for the opposing team. The opposing team normally plays on; if a player there also abandons, the rules apply to that team too. In that case, remaining players on either team do not receive a loss, and a win requires finishing and winning. Penalties escalate from queue timeouts to low-priority games.
How to adapt: Check the timing and whether you are in the abandoning player’s party before leaving: the party is treated differently from other teammates. After five minutes, teammates can leave safely, but staying only results in a win if they finish and win; a second abandonment also changes outcomes for both teams.
Season records and leaderboard eligibility
What changed: The announcement describes its first season as starting “today” and ending October 7. At season end, the highest Rank achieved is permanently saved in Rank history, and a hideout item commemorates that season’s highest Rank. The Ranked Hub includes current and past season information, leaderboards, and Rank history. Global leaderboard eligibility rises to 75 games in the last 30 days; hero-specific eligibility rises to 30 games on that hero in the last 30 days and requires 100 lifetime wins on that hero.
How to adapt: Check the Ranked Hub for season records and leaderboard progress; a high Rank alone is not enough to meet the stated recent-game and hero-specific lifetime-win requirements.
Follow the affected decisions
Verify your match build · How current recommendations are checked
Earlier and later records
Archive coverage currently ends 2026-10-30; sources last successfully checked 2026-11-01. A source check does not establish a post-patch win rate.