5 replies to this topic

[R3pl1c4nt]

Hi everyone, I need to vent my anger today because what's been going on since the 8vs8 is really not good anymore. If PGI is going to open up matchmaking so that tier 1-3 players have to fight against tier 4-5 pilots, then please close the damage cap that low tier pilots have. I fought my way up to tier 3 by the 8vs8... but since the 8vs8 I've been losing nothing but because I have to fight against tier 1-3 pilots and my mech builds do little to no damage to them... They, in turn, do so much damage to my mechs that I'm usually on a crit torso after one hit and am therefore of little to no help to my team. But that's not even the worst part...it seems like the new mechs and loot bag event have lied to a lot of old and new players...I mean, OK, it livens up the game, but the matchmaking itself is more broken than ever...either you get top players on your team and then chase after damage, or you're unlucky and get a bad team and don't do any damage because after 3 minutes you're alone surrounded by 5 enemy mechs...so my request to PGI is to fix the matchmaking system and this damage cap between the tiers...that's it for me for now...I just deleted MWO from my hard drive...with that in mind, have a great rest of the week everyone!

[epikt]

There would be thing to say about how weird tier 3 can be to some players doing ok in low tier lobbies do learning the hard truth when they finally meet good enough opponents. Or about the experiments and monitoring with the matchmaking that are currently underway.

But those points would be moot until we explain something apparently confusing you: What exactly do you mean by "the damage cap that low tier pilots have" ?

The only reason better players are dealing higher damage than you is because they are better: better positioning, better aim, better builds, etc.
New players and those unable to perform well are kinda protected from them thanks to the tier system, but if you go up in tiers you'll eventually face them.

[martian]

R3pl1c4nt, on 20 August 2025 - 01:36 PM, said:

please close the damage cap that low tier pilots have. I fought my way up to tier 3 by the 8vs8... but since the 8vs8 I've been losing nothing but because I have to fight against tier 1-3 pilots and my mech builds do little to no damage to them... They, in turn, do so much damage to my mechs that I'm usually on a crit torso after one hit and am therefore of little to no help to my team. But that's not even the worst part... this damage cap between the tiers...

There is literally no damage cap between the Tiers.

All weapons do exactly the same amount of damage per shot, no matter if used by a Tier 1 player or a Tier 5 player. If I fire Gauss rifle, it does 15 points of damage, just as if a freshly registered Tier 5 player would fired it.

[R3pl1c4nt]

I'm referring to the "unofficial" damage bonus-penalty that exists. Weapons do slightly more damage per tier level than at tier 5. I once tested this with a friend. I was tier 5 at the time, and he was tier 1. We both used the exact same 'Mech with the same weapons and skill tree. He did about 10-15% more damage to my 'Mech with the ERLarge lasers, while I did almost 18% less damage with my weapons of the same type...we both targeted the torso, and the armor was the same. So there must be either a penalty to weapon damage or a bonus to armor at tier levels.

[epikt]

R3pl1c4nt, on 21 August 2025 - 11:01 AM, said:

I'm referring to the "unofficial" damage bonus-penalty that exists. Weapons do slightly more damage per tier level than at tier 5. I once tested this with a friend. I was tier 5 at the time, and he was tier 1. We both used the exact same 'Mech with the same weapons and skill tree. He did about 10-15% more damage to my 'Mech with the ERLarge lasers, while I did almost 18% less damage with my weapons of the same type...we both targeted the torso, and the armor was the same. So there must be either a penalty to weapon damage or a bonus to armor at tier levels.

Sorry, but I'll need to see footage before I believe that.

[Tiy0s]

The matchmaker will prioritize matching you with players in your tier. However, in times of lower population/longer search times, tier gates may start to gradually open. It won't immediately open with the flood gates of tier 1s coming into matches with tier 5s, the search times have to get pretty dire for the matchmaker to reach that contingency. Another note is that it will still attempt to accurately balance players on each side. If it does put tier 1s and 4s in the same match, it won't put all the tier 1 players on one side and all the tier 4 players on the other side. The game will attempt to equally distribute players by tier in an attempt to ensure the match has a fair outcome, regardless of the skill disparity between top and bottom player in the lobby.

There is no mechanic that changes the amount of damage your mechs do or health they have based on your skill level. All players have the same mechs, weapons, and equipment at their disposal. Where higher tier players may end up having an advantage is more optimally built mechs or skill trees. But that is a disparity driven by player choice, not some secret stat that reads your tier to decide how effective you are.

We do not buff/nerf players based on skill ratings. Players earn their tier by their gameplay.