PvP What is this matchmaking?

  • Isaac 777777777
    Ship Mate
    Founder

    I fully expect people here to claim skill issue and git gud, and feel free to. Your statements do nothing to actually address a problem. I've played SoT off and on for years. Love the game, but very much a casual. I'd say I'm about mid to average in skill level. I've been able to get a number of rare cosmetics and worked my way up to pirate legend and did a lot in arena back in the day. Love my jacket and ship cosmetics. But this? I find it near impossible.

    The crux of the issue being that I start looking for pvp via hourglass and either it takes too long and the people I'm with get bored, or I'm immediately shunted into a fight with a crew that has skeleton or ghost blessings and are clearly at or over level 100 in either faction. While I'm not even past 10. Who on a design level would even allow a match like that to take place? Levels should help denote matchmaking at their very function, right? It boggles my mind.

    And I know I'm not the only one. They're not upvoted a lot, but I've found a little over a dozen posts of other players on reddit voicing much of the same complaints. It's gotten to the point that most have sworn off the pvp mode, which I assume means the only people playing it now are those that have been doing it non-stop and are very high-level and skilled. So now the population most likely doesn't have anyone to even put on level with and will probably stay that way? Sweats will probably eventually peel off with no variety in player skill and it will bleed itself dry muck like Arena... Apologies, this paragraph became more of a stream of thought than a statement.

    Regardless, I like pvp. I love playing it. I can take losses, especially if I had fun! But it's been loss after loss, with crews of people much higher level than me in faction and in skill, and getting stomped on isn't satisfying nor allowing me to learn where I can improve, and it will do much the same for any others who want to learn and love the game, And I think it might be too late for Rare to even address fixing it, which is an utter shame. I'd like to hear others' thoughts and whether they agree or not.

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  • WolfManbush
    Champion

    Your frustrations are understandable and appear to be shared by many from the feedback I have seen.

    At this point it comes down to waiting to see how their early 2023 changes will effect and hopefully improve matchmaking.

    If it's getting overwhelmingly frustrating I would temporarily participate in different sot content or play other games.

    Personally, I have been playing outside of the content and it's alright. Obviously you and others want to enjoy the new content but until the situation improves, you might have a higher quality experience doing other things within the game for a while.

  • Lem0n Curry
    Vanguard
    Insider

    @isaac-777777777

    Matchmaking is not based on level but more on win/lose ratio. Higher levels might be more experienced, but they can be worse in fighting than you.

  • a10dr4651
    Commander
    Insider

    Most casual or newer crews appear to have left the mode. If no-one of your ELO can be found it will widen the search. This is why you're getting matched with crews well above your skill level. Its rough. I'm sitting at about 50/50 so its not far off for myself but that doesn't represent the average player.

    In order to survive into the future a few changes should be made to maintain a healthy playerbase. The curses aren't enough. The gamemode needs to reward people through experience. Defence mode needs a buff and rework. Most would probably opt in for that if it actually matched you with equal crews and gave a longer grace period so you have time to do voyages to boost allegiance levels like its supposed to do.

  • ExiledMuffin107
    Seafarer

    @isaac-777777777 I have come here to report the very same issue. The PvP matchmaking is not skill based matchmaking because that operates per session, which is leaving out the PvP faction levels of individual players. Sea of thieves needs to take into consideration PvP faction levels when matchmaking and not throw casual/low level players up against sweat lords who already have the curses.

  • ExiledMuffin107
    Seafarer

    @a10dr4651 yep we have stopped, we are all PL ...we play all other sea of theives content but this new mode hasn't been enjoyable for casual players. The matchmaking win loss system isn't working. Time to think of a new system that is specifically for the oceans.

  • Karkona
    Commander

    I normally get way less experienced crews, or hour long queue or both, sometimes get challenged. My "stamp" as they call it, is small and I frequently see the same small group of people, sometimes its like a high school reunion we pull up sails and chat for a while before we have to convince each other to start murdering.

  • Isaac 777777777
    Ship Mate
    Founder

    Went to check because supposedly they fixed it. Nope. First match is against a ship that's already in a streak. Next match is against another that is also way above skill level. Good job, Rare.

  • Poentha
    Rogue

    I feel your pain

    I have the same situation.....
    I really love the game. Im a casual player. I dont have enough time to practice pvp becaus i have a job and cannot play every day.
    I like to collect in game. like the new curses or the shanty, i really wish i could get there but to lose over and over again isnt really helping my feeling to play something else....

    Hope they find something to make it work, or other ways to get the same stuff you get on high level.
    and trying to join a discord crew isnt helpfull, 1 lose and someone will leave and say the issue is the skill level.

  • Look Behind You
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    Deckhand

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