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  1. #1
    Stood in the Fire Pipboi's Avatar
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    How long do I have to play before smurfs stop ruining the game?

    Decided to pick up Overwatch on PC today and the number of glaringly obvious smurfs at low level is shocking to say the least.

    Is there a certain level where I can expect the game to actually become enjoyable or should I just seek to get my refund now before it's too late?

  2. #2
    no real info to elaborate on to assess your issue. own game for less than a day and complain about other players with no statement beyond you seem to be under the impression that you're playing against people with much greater understanding of the game than what you think the game is showing.

    I'd say give the game at least a week before you try chucking it in for a refund or leave immediately if you so feel the need to get away from it.

    Also maybe elaborate on what "obvious smurfs" are rather than asserting an opinion with no examples.... I personally didn't really notice any obvious smurfing when I was last playing, but that may be due to avoiding comp (which throws you into some random skill range to assess your relative skill level unless I'm mistaken) and account level isn't really affected by every aspect of gameplay.

  3. #3
    I don't know if there's any level at which smurfs stop being an issue, but to be honest there's 100 trolls, throwers and fuckwits for every smurf.
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  4. #4
    Wherever you are (level 1745, Bronze or GM), you will always, ALWAYS, have trolls, throwers and smurfs, just like any other game. I'd rather be faced against a smurf than a troll though.

    Also play with friends : it makes the experience more enjoyable. Arcade mode tends to be the chilliest places out of all modes as well, imo (By "chilliest", I mean where you have the least risks of encountering trolls/salty people).
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  5. #5
    Orcboi NatePsy's Avatar
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    Way I see it, playing with smurfs just helps you become a better player because you're forced to adapt to it. Queued up with a friend who gets matched with people their skill level and it just improved my play.

  6. #6
    I mean you can get smurfs at any elo. You can have a top 500 smurfing masters and you can have a gold smurfing bronze

  7. #7
    Fluffy Kitten xChurch's Avatar
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    Since the game has been out for awhile, odds are you're not likely to run into many genuinely new players. It will take some time to get used to the maps and characters so it's really something you just have to play through. Once you get better at the game you won't care as much, it'll still be an issue but you'll be compensating better.

  8. #8
    The Lightbringer Battlebeard's Avatar
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    Well, the term smurf is very vague and relative. A Gold player who get another account and play at a level 1 char with new players, can surely dominate in a game and "ruin" it for new players. And a Grand Master player can do the same, but at even higher levels, like up to Platinum+ he or she can prolly dominate. Point is, a Gold player, or even a Silver can be a smurf vs worse players, just like a GM player is.

    However, MOST smurfs don't spend hundreds of hours on the smurf, cause the fun is to dominate vs. noobs. My point is, get some levels and you will see less and less smurfs. If you get higher levels, you will be matched with other high levels, even in Competitive to a certain degree, and this will be less of a problem.

    I have faced a few "smurfs" at Platinum/Diamon (pending at +- 3000 rating) but they don't really ruin any games, as people start to play decently. It's not that easy to dominate here.

    I also have a smurf myself, that is like level 5, I play it very rarely, mostly after losing a game on my main, to get all the anger out. And yes, playing like Moira, you can solo games, so I do understand your frustrating.

    However, there is nothing "illegal" about playing a smurf, and why would Blizzard ever want to fix an "issue" that would prolly lead to less bought accounts, aka money loss for them.
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  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Pipboi View Post
    Decided to pick up Overwatch on PC today and the number of glaringly obvious smurfs at low level is shocking to say the least.

    Is there a certain level where I can expect the game to actually become enjoyable or should I just seek to get my refund now before it's too late?
    More you play, the better you get, the less smurfs matter.

    Also, 99.9% of smurfs aren't smurfs, they are just better then you.

  10. #10
    Not sure why people are still thinking there are others out there willing to drop $40 to play a few games with slightly easier opponent before the MMR boosts them back up to where they would normally be.

    If Blizzard knew there really were people like that, I don't think they would be all to pressed to stop them.

  11. #11
    Banned Gandrake's Avatar
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    once you are about level 10 your MMR should be calibrated and you should stop being placed with new players who arent smurfs but just players with new accounts

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Pipboi View Post
    Decided to pick up Overwatch on PC today and the number of glaringly obvious smurfs at low level is shocking to say the least.

    Is there a certain level where I can expect the game to actually become enjoyable or should I just seek to get my refund now before it's too late?
    You have to put up with smurfs just like the rest of us have to put up with noobs. Grow a thicker coat.
    If you push a button that finds you a 'random group' and it gives you a random group of people with random skill and random knowledge then you have no right to complain that a 'random group' button did what it was designed to do. The fault lies in your inability to make friends to play with instead of relying on a button designed to be random. It is a 'random group' button, not a 'best of the best' button.

  13. #13
    ok maybe I am too old, but what are "smurfs"?
    I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by akaTheDude View Post
    ok maybe I am too old, but what are "smurfs"?
    Usually refers to a secondary account that's newer than the person's main account, for the sake of being at a lower ranking.

    As in, for example, if I bought a copy of Overwatch to play at Silver ranking, that would be a smurf, since I'm normally up at Platinum.

    Blizzard does have odd ruling on it though. If my second account was at silver because I purposely rigged it by playing worse, or partnered with worse players to get a lower ranking, that account could be shut down for manipulating the MMR. On the other hand, if I was platinum from solely playing supports/tanks, and my "smurf" account got silver from solely playing attackers, that's fair game then.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Jester Joe View Post
    Usually refers to a secondary account that's newer than the person's main account, for the sake of being at a lower ranking.

    As in, for example, if I bought a copy of Overwatch to play at Silver ranking, that would be a smurf, since I'm normally up at Platinum.

    Blizzard does have odd ruling on it though. If my second account was at silver because I purposely rigged it by playing worse, or partnered with worse players to get a lower ranking, that account could be shut down for manipulating the MMR. On the other hand, if I was platinum from solely playing supports/tanks, and my "smurf" account got silver from solely playing attackers, that's fair game then.
    I gotcha, that makes sense why I see level 8 tracers wrecking people in some games. Thank you
    I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by akaTheDude View Post
    ok maybe I am too old, but what are "smurfs"?
    Had to look it up. The best definition I saw was "A TV show featuring 100 little blue communists, two of which are female."

    Oh, and it's like high rating arena people who tank their rating to get easy kills, except using a fresh account.

  17. #17
    Are you talking competitive rating, or the level which displays on your player medal, that you increase by getting exp from playing any game type? If it is the latter, then that level has no bearing on skill. It is purely an indicator of how much someone has played, and you'll get terrible people who are level 564, and awesome people who are level 78, purely due to how good people are at FPS'
    RETH

  18. #18
    The Lightbringer Battlebeard's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ravex View Post
    More you play, the better you get, the less smurfs matter.

    Also, 99.9% of smurfs aren't smurfs, they are just better then you.
    You can quite easily notice a smurf. They are 99% of the time DPS, mostly Soldier, Tracer, Genji, McCree, Widowmaker, Hanzo etc, And they tend to wipe the floor with the entire team, not just get lots of kills. Almost basecamping them as well.

    Yeah, 99,9% might just be better, BUT you can clearly see a proper smurf
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  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Pipboi View Post
    Decided to pick up Overwatch on PC today and the number of glaringly obvious smurfs at low level is shocking to say the least.

    Is there a certain level where I can expect the game to actually become enjoyable or should I just seek to get my refund now before it's too late?
    Report them, every time.

    The team has already stated they are anti smurf. Strictly speaking it isn't a bannable offense unless they are intentionally placing in a lower elo. For example, intentionally playing awful 'accidentally not getting on the point or payload' when it's overtime. It's called deranking and that's a ban-able offense. a TLDR version, I sucked donkey dick in S1 and deserved to be in bronze - since then I'm always floating around the 2k point, my low point was 1.1 and my high point 2.4k and I see smurfs everywhere. From my point of view the only way a smurf stays in low elos is from intentionally losing otherwise they'd climb quickly to 3k+.

    So report them all, if they are genuine and just stuck in low elos from shit team after shit team they won't be effected, if they are deranking to stay there they'll get found out as a result and be in the shit. Smurfs are the only time I report people and I've had 4 on screen messages from blizzard now saying my reports has led to actions against someone.

    Besides that, get some good hours under your belt on 76, D.va, Roadhog, Mercy / Lucio and bastion you'll gradually climb

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    Quote Originally Posted by akaTheDude View Post
    ok maybe I am too old, but what are "smurfs"?
    Tools who like to buy a 2nd account, intentionally play low to dominate new players / shit players. Pure scumery is all

    You'll also come across a few who advertise at the end of the game "Look how good I am, I'm a masters and can carry you to plat, message me at x to discuss prices"

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Rotted View Post
    You'll also come across a few who advertise at the end of the game "Look how good I am, I'm a masters and can carry you to plat, message me at x to discuss prices"
    People pay for plat carries.. ..... . ...... .. .. .. . .........?

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