Explanation of Recent Ranked Battles Matchmaking Experience

Warlords:

In today's live update, you may have noticed some changes to Ranked matchmaking.

Recently, rank gaps in some matches were wider than expected, while queue times for higher ranks and certain time slots were longer than usual.

We've been monitoring these issues and listening to your feedback. Ranked matchmaking must always balance queue times against match quality—a challenge that becomes especially pronounced after the start-of-season rank reset.

Today, we want to update you on the current matchmaking situation and our adjustments moving forward.

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Why was the matchmaking range temporarily widened at the start of the season?

At the start of the season, some Warlords who were originally at high ranks climbed very quickly, and there were not enough matchable players nearby. Therefore, we first widened the range so everyone could enter matches normally.

After each season update, Ranked Battles scores are reset according to the rules. After restarting, the speed at which Warlords return to their respective ranks varies.

Some Warlords who were already at higher ranks were quite familiar with the version and ranked pacing, so they climbed up quickly at the beginning of the season. However, when they were the first to enter high ranks, there were not enough Warlords within a similar rank score range available for matchmaking in the same queue at the same time.

As a result, some high-rank Warlords experienced very long matchmaking wait times. Sometimes, the problem was no longer "whether the opponents in this match are suitable," but rather that after a long wait, it was still difficult for a match to start normally.

Therefore, at the start of the season, we temporarily widened the rank restrictions in Ranked Battles matchmaking.

Doing so allowed the system to find more matchable Warlords, shortening the wait times for some high-rank Warlords and letting them enter the battlefield normally first. At the same time, with a wider matchmaking range, the rank score gap between Warlords in the same match might also be more noticeable.

At that time, we preferred to first solve the problem of "waiting a long time without getting a match." This was a temporary measure aimed at the special matchmaking environment at the start of the season, not a permanently fixed state for Ranked Battles matchmaking.

We would also like to clarify in passing: the rank score reset after a season update and Character level are two different things. Ranked matchmaking references the Warlord's current rank score; Character level is not used as a basis for Ranked matchmaking.

Why is the range narrowed again now?

After more than a week of ranked progression, the distribution of each rank has gradually stabilized, and the matchmaking pool is more sufficient than at the start of the season. Therefore, we want to narrow the range somewhat to make the rank scores in matches closer.

Currently, after more than a week of settling, the distribution of ranks has gradually spread out, but the overall gap is not yet so large that it is difficult to find a match. Compared to the very beginning of the season, the high-rank matchmaking pool has stabilized quite a bit, and the system's difficulty in finding suitable matches has decreased accordingly.

Therefore, after this update, the Ranked Battles matchmaking mechanism will be adjusted:

The Ranked Battles matchmaking mechanism has been adjusted. The matchable range between players is relatively narrowed, making it more possible to match with teammates and opponents of closer skill levels.

The "narrowing" here does not mean that all Warlords' rank scores in every match will be exactly identical. Factors such as online player count, matchmaking time periods, and team status may still affect the final matchmaking results.

We also want to mention the other side of this in advance: after narrowing the range, wait times for certain ranks or certain periods may increase slightly. This is an impact that must be borne to make matchmaking more concentrated and closer, and we will continuously monitor the impact it causes.

Ranked matchmaking rules still need optimization

Widening the matchmaking range usually makes it easier to shorten wait times; narrowing the range provides a better chance to match with Warlords of similar rank scores. We will continue to seek a more suitable balance based on actual feedback from different ranks and periods.

We understand that changes to the matchmaking range will not necessarily make all Warlords feel better immediately.

For Warlords who care more about starting a game quickly, wait times during certain periods might become longer; for Warlords who care more about how close the match is, narrowing the range might bring a matchmaking experience that better meets expectations. The situations for different ranks, different time periods, and different queues are not necessarily exactly the same.

Therefore, this adjustment is also an attempt on our part at the current stage.

Whether it was temporarily widening the matchmaking range at the start of the season or relatively narrowing it now, the starting point is the same: to make Ranked Battles as fair as possible and to provide Warlords with a better gaming experience. It is just that it is very difficult to achieve the best in both aspects simultaneously through a single adjustment or a fixed matchmaking range. Different ranks, different time periods, and even different Warlords care about different things. A truly suitable balance still requires us to continue observing in actual operation, and it also requires Warlords to tell us your true feelings.

Next, we will continue to pay attention to matchmaking wait times across different ranks, the rank score gaps in matches, and Warlords' actual experiences after narrowing the range. If the new matchmaking state brings issues that need to be addressed, we will continue to adjust according to the situation.

In the longer term, we will also continue to consider whether the matchmaking mechanism can be adjusted more flexibly based on the season stage, rank distribution, and online player count, in order to minimize the adverse effects brought by a single solution.

Moving forward, we will continue to make adjustments based on matchmaking data and everyone's feedback. If you encounter overly long wait times in subsequent Ranked Battles, noticeable rank score gaps in matches, or if you have a better experience after the range is narrowed, please feel free to give us specific feedback. Whether it's how long you waited, what rank and period it occurred in, or what it actually felt like to play a match, it will all help us judge more accurately how to adjust in the next step.

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The ranks have spread out again. We will see you on the battlefield for the battles to come.