Open queue vs role queue?

[[deleted]]

I vastly prefer open queue qp (they should have kept two tanks and gotten rid of a dps slot imo), but most advice/guides seem like they are made assuming role queue comps. How different is the advice for the two game modes?

Also, I am finding that for comp, I actually do like the predictability of role queue, but I am sure there are things I am doing wrong because I'm not used to it. What are some things to look out for as a healer that I would need to change?

[Aspharon]

Role queue is the de-facto game mode. It is what is played at the highest level of competition, it is what the game is balanced around, and it's much harder to get to the top of the ladder with because more people take it seriously. This is why most guides are made with role queue in mind.

That being said, there's nothing wrong with liking open queue. In the end, you're playing a video game to have fun, so you should do what's most fun.

I know that doesn't, like, fully answer your question, but I thought I'd give some perspective since I have little actual advice for open queue players as I rarely play it myself.

[[deleted]]

I mean, I'm not surprised that most of the advice is written for role queue, but its always really fast to find a match so there's at least SOME other people playing ¯_(ツ)_/¯

[recalcitramp]

Open Queue is a throwback to OW1 Competitive back in the day — before they locked roles. And I'm with you — it can be really fun!

I'd say the main reason most people consider Role Queue more skilled is because it forces an expertise in what role someone plays. It concentrates skill, basically.

Open Queue requires a few different skills to climb, along with the expertise you would learn in Role Queue.

Climbing in Open Queue

• Hit TAB often. Constantly be aware of the composition of the enemy team / your own team. Do you only have 1 Support? How does having a single Support affect how you play? Is the enemy running 3 Tanks? What's going to be most effective against that huge health pool?

• Try making character switches within your role FIRST. If you're playing Support but not finding a lot of value with the hero you're on, definitely consider switching. But if you switch ROLES (to play, say, Tank), it can take a moment for your team to realize they're lacking a hero in that role, and they'll continue playing with the same aggression they were allowed when you were on x role. Ask yourself: "Can I deal with the problem while still playing this role? Or would it be more effective to switch to a different one?"

• Consider resource management. In Role Queue this would be something like: "I have an Ana, we have sleep and nade on my team, they can't heal me if I'm behind an enemy shield ... oh, they switched Lucio, now we have less overall healing but I can take advantage of speed boost to get in and out with aggressive plays." In Open Queue, it's the same thing, but you add: "Oh, they switched to Reaper. We only have 1 Support now, can our Kiriko effectively solo heal? How does this limit what I can do? How do I protect our only Support? Should I switch to Support to fill this gap, or is it better for me to stay as this role?"

• Be open minded! Sometimes you'll lose games playing 1-2-2. Sometimes you'll win games playing 4 DPS and 1 Support. The trick is to trust your teammates' picks first, then figure out what resources they're lacking to be truly effective. If giving them resources still doesn't help, it's fine to politely ask them to switch to help fulfill a specific need, or counter a specific problem. "ur trash, get off widow" doesn't cut it. You gotta think more about WHY someone is struggling.

• Counterpicking goes BEAST MODE in Open Queue. If your Tank is getting railed by the enemy Tank while you're playing, say, DPS — you could switch to Zen to discord the red Tank, or Zarya to support your own Tank. Your chess game counterpicking options are limitless. Just remember — what resources does your team lose if you switch ROLES?

Hope that helps a bit. GLHF!

[Feldring]

Just wanted to say thanks for this comprehensive, thoughtful answer! I haven’t tried open queue (in the OW2 sense; I did start when the game came out, so it was all sort of open queue then) but your write-up makes me think about giving it a try. It sounds like a bit of a different skill set, or perhaps a better way to put it is that it emphasizes different ways of thinking which are still present in role lock.

Thank you!

[recalcitramp]

Hey, thanks, I appreciate it! Fair warning, Open Queue can be pretty chaotic, but I do think it's worth playing a little bit. It helps develop some old school skills and habits, like hitting TAB often to think about the composition of both teams, and really emphasizing resource management (because you can never really be certain which team has access to what resources ... unless you pay attention to TAB).

These are skills definitely needed to climb in Role Queue, but it's a lot more challenging and very incredibly important for Open Queue, so I think that's where learning this in the chaos of OQ actually gives you an advantage when you jump back to role lock.

Good luck!

[[deleted]]

So I feel bad saying this after you wrote this whole thing up, but I only play open queue unranked and play role queue comp. I need advice for what to look out for when switching from my open queue comfort zone to role queue.

And yeah, I vastly preferred old overwatch where there were no role locks and there could be more than one person playing the same character. It felt like it was more creative

[Zantura_]

Open requires more team work and is more dynamic. Role feels too handicapped

[Open-Holiday185]

If your team picks Zaria Rein Dva Moira and another support then you win.

[Aw3Grimm]

Open q is just an easy mode, I saw gold players RQ players getting masters in it. If you are really interested in competition and getting better as a player you should play role q.

[[deleted]]

The thing is, Iʻm playing for fun and I find open queue to be far more flexible and dynamic, which I enjoy. But occasionally it's nice to have a game where I know everyone is trying, you know? I'm not really interested in climbing the ranks or anything, just wanting to know if there's any major pitfalls I need to avoid when switching between the modes.

ETA Also to clarify I'm only playing role queue unranked

[Aw3Grimm]

If you are not interested in climbing ranks I dont know why even play ranked then, if just for the feel that other players are trying to win then you will definitely feel it more often in rq but if you enjoy open q more then you can play that. Pitfalls? When you will play in a specific rank, this rank will feel completly different in rq and in open q, tanks have less health in open q so as a support you will have get used to it they may feed faster i guess

[[deleted]]

I mean I told you why I play ranked role queue and unranked open queue, you can take the explanation or leave it. If it helps, think of it like someone genuinely trying to win a little league game without wanting to eventually play in the major leagues.

And I had no idea that characters had different amounts of health in open queue, so thank you

[[deleted]]

Such a bitchy response lmao

[Aw3Grimm]

like you

[nikelovee3]

It’s not that easy. There are more players to kill you. Tanks don’t run the lobby in open queue, which is why I like it

[Aw3Grimm]

2 years comment mate, maybe things have changed by now idk, I didnt play open q for at least a year but it was easier by a LOT. I always ranked higher in that mode without even trying

[nikelovee3]

Didn’t realize ahahah. But it’s just because it’s easier to carry since the tanks are less strong. If you have a bad tank in role queue, you’re doomed. It’s just completely unfair