An online game isn’t really complete without toxicity these days. As a way to counter that, developers have adopted various methods ranging from bans to rewards for good behavior. Overwatch also adopted a similar system, Endorsements, which carries over in Overwatch 2 with some tweaks.
If you are confused about how the new endorsement system works in Overwatch 2, allow us to shed some light on the changes to the “good behavior” mechanics in OW2.
How endorsements work in Overwatch 2
Endorsement is kind of a reward that you can give to your teammates (random players not friends you queue up with) for showing good behavior in the game.
It varies from game to game. Blizzard Entertainment adopted the Endorsement feature in Overwatch 1 and that is being continued in Overwatch 2 with slight changes.
In Overwatch 1, there were 3 categories to endorse a player Shot Caller, Good Teammate, and Sportsmanship. Sportsmanship could also be given to an enemy. In Overwatch 2, the categories have been reduced from 3 to a single general one.
In addition to it, players will only be able to endorse allies. You can no longer endorse enemies which is kind of a bummer.
As long as players continue to get endorsements after matches, they will gain endorsement ranks or levels. There is no way to determine how many endorsements are required till players rank up.
Leaving in the middle of a match negatively impacts your endorsement rank as it puts the team at a disadvantage so it is possible to lose your endorsement rank too.
How does the endorsements level reward system Work?
Endorsements in Overwatch 1 were only for social purposes. On the contrary, in Overwatch 2 they play a major role in directly benefitting the receiving player. Notably, it helps get through the new battle pass in a significantly short period.
Overwatch 2 endorsement system currently has 5 levels with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. The system occasionally awards the player with extra battle pass XP.
The amount of XP received directly depends on the endorsement level. The higher the endorsements are, the higher will be the endorsement level which then results in getting more XP.
Players getting maximum XP bonuses will get through the battle pass more quickly. It is in favor of solo players and those buying the premium battle pass.
There is no fixed time or endorsements required before a player gets their endorsement rank reward. It is all completely random and as long as players keep their endorsement level consistent they will continue to get periodic rewards.
With the endorsements playing significant promoting roles in Overwatch 2, Blizzard Entertainment introduced some safeguard features in this system to prevent it from exploitation.
Limits of endorsement system
The endorsement system is equipped with the following limits/restrictions to avoid fraudulent activities.
- At most two players can be awarded general teammate endorsement at the end of each match
- The same player cannot be endorsed before 12 hours
- The enemy players cannot be endorsed at all
- You cannot endorse people on your Friend list
