Here’s how Overwatch 2’s new avoid system works

Overwatch 2 is constantly evolving as a game. From new heroes to new features that are meant to make the gaming experience more fun and streamlined for players, Blizzard is constantly bringing new updates to the game. One of the newest ones adds a new avoidance system that gives players more control over who they play with.

Here, we’re about to go through everything you need to know about Overwatch 2’s new avoid system. This includes how the new system works, the priority ranking and management, and how to use the new avoid system in the game.

So, without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about Overwatch 2’s new avoid system.

How Does the New Avoid System in Overwatch 2 Work?

The latest update in Overwatch 2 brings a massive change to the Avoid slot system. The previous number of 3 slots has now been increased to a whopping 15, giving players more control than ever over their team composition. Players can now avoid playing with a larger number of toxic and uncooperative teammates, which guarantees a better gaming experience. The slots are divided into 2 categories, 3 Pinned slots, and 12 Recent slots.

The pinned slots allow a player to permanently block a certain player from teaming up with them. The Recent slots on the other hand, now have a priority ranking. The list is automatically reset after 7 days so that it stays relevant and up-to-date. The priority ranking system determines whether an avoided player can be matched with you by taking several things into account. 

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Added priority ranking and management

The new avoid system contains priority ranking that's a key feature in Overwatch 2. Whether an avoided player can be placed in a match with you depends on a few factors. The ranking helps prioritize which players to avoid in a scenario where the list is full, that way the most relevant players are always avoided.

While the system aims to avoid matching you with these players, there are a few exceptions where you might still encounter players of lower priority. These mainly include the scenarios like high ranks, or low population regions during off hours.

Moreover, the system automatically gets rid of the player with the shortest duration on your Recent list, if it's full. This keeps your Avoid list optimized by ensuring you won't need to manually adjust it yourself. You can still reset the duration of each player on the Recent list individually to send them back to the top of the list. This gives you a lot more control over your team composition.

How do you use the new avoid system in Overwatch 2?

Using the new avoid system is pretty straightforward. To access it, head over to the social menu from the main screen, which shows you players from your recent matches. Look through the list of players for the teammate you want to avoid, and once you find them, click to see player options. From there, select ‘Avoid as Teammate’ to add them to your Avoid list. 

This new system allows you to manage the Avoid list in a better way, thanks to the separate Pinned and Recent slots. To permanently avoid a player, you need to add them to one of the 3 Pinned slots. For temporary avoidance, add the player to the 12 Recent slots. The slots will automatically reset after 7 days, but you can still reset their individual duration to keep them on the list for longer.