Skill-based matchmaking has been a controversial topic in the Call of Duty series for many years. However, in Call of Duty: Vanguard, some players are calling for it to work harder to put an end to the ‘sweaty’ matches they are experiencing.
Whatever your thoughts on skill-based matchmaking, there’s no doubt that it can help players who aren’t highly skilled to enjoy a game by tailoring the difficulty. This has been the case in the CoD series for many years, as a developer recently confirmed.
Vanguard is no different. In the absence of a ranked mode, SBMM works behind the scenes to ensure that you’re coming up against players that you stand a fighting chance against.
However, some players feel that the placements in this year’s CoD are actually too lenient, and there have been plenty of reports of incredibly sweaty lobbies.
Despite SBMM doing its best to level the playing field in every Vanguard match, one player took to Reddit to share his experience so far this year. They reported that enemies were deploying advanced tactics, despite the player having an “average” K/D.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
“[Riot] Shield on back, vitality STG, Dead Drop glitch abusers who mop up 100+ kills a match,” the player ranted describing the kind of opponents they are facing. “Do I have to play with these guys? Why am I lumped in with them?”
As you can probably imagine, matches like this appear to be spoiling their enjoyment of the latest CoD title. “It’s just not fun getting massacred.”
Many other fans responded in agreement, saying they were also coming up against players who used tricks and skills they can’t compete with. One response said there was little chance of competing unless you “bunny hop into a drop shot and then slide cancel around a corner.”
The sheer number of lobbies that turn out this way has caused players to ask questions of skill-based matchmaking, wondering if it has been “toned down” compared to previous years. They also reiterated calls for a ranked mode, to help separate the elites from the casuals.
SBMM has definitely been a hot topic in the gaming world in recent years but based on these calls from Vanguard players, making it slightly stricter could make the game more fun. We’ll have to wait and see if Sledgehammer Games takes these concerns into account in a future update.