This week, we announced a limited test of our upcoming Ranked Mode. For more information on what we announced and how this test works, check our most recent Tower Hour or Ranked post.
Since this is an early test of our Ranked Mode, we've pulled together this FAQ to cover most of the questions we think players will have. If you have a question that's not covered here, let us know in our Forums or Discord! Thanks for testing with us, and good luck, have fun!
General Questions
Q: What is this weekend's Ranked test?
A: We're rolling out a limited version of the competitive Ranked Progression System for testing during our weekly playtests. It runs on the current build (0.21).
Q: When can I queue for Ranked?
A: Ranked Ascension queues are open Friday and Saturday, at specific times for each region. Check the Discord schedule (or the announcement post) for exact times in your region.
Q: Will Ranked and normal Ascension have separate queues?
A: Not right now. Splitting a 45-player mode between Ranked and unranked has a pretty big impact on queue population, so we're starting with a single Ranked Ascension queue during the Ranked test windows.
Q: Can I queue with a party?
A: You can only solo queue for Ranked Ascension queues which are running Friday and Saturday. For Spires and Unranked Ascension on Sunday, you can pre-make parties.
This restriction is specific to this weekend's test. At launch, pre-made groups will be allowed in Ranked — we won't be restricting parties once the mode is live.
Ranks & Ascension Rating (AR)
Q: What is Ascension Rating (AR)?
A: AR is the number that tracks your Ranked progress. You earn it through combat, ascending floors, and winning matches, and it determines your division and subdivision.
Q: How do I get placed into a rank?
A: You'll need to complete five matches before the system determines your starting position. (Note: the placement-match counter shown in the client can be inconsistent with the count shown on the end-of-game screen — see Known Issues below.)
Q: What are the ranks, and what AR do I need?
A: There are six divisions (Iron through Titanium), each split into three subdivisions (III, II, I).
Loot pool tied to Ranked is subject to change.
Q: Does my rank ever go down if I stop playing?
A: Yes — this is Rank Decay. Inactive players will lose rank over time, so you'll want to play Ranked matches periodically to maintain your position.
Q: Will I be matched against bots?
A: Only in Iron and Bronze — those matches may include bot-controlled players to help keep matchmaking healthy while the population is still small.
Match Classification & Entry Cost
Q: What do Favored, Balanced, and Underdog mean?
A: Before each match, your team is compared to your opponents based on your relative* AR versus the lobby, which produces an expected win rate. That classifies your team as Favored (likely to win), Balanced (mixed chances), or Underdog (fighting the odds).
*You could be Favored in one match and an Underdog in the next depending on who you're playing against. Players from nearby divisions may also end up in the same lobby when matchmaking calls for it.
Q: Why do I pay AR just to enter a match?
A: Entry cost scales with your expected chance of winning — Favored teams pay the most, Underdogs pay the least. This keeps a win as an underdog worth more than a win as a heavy favorite.
Match Classification
AR Entry Cost
Favored (likely to win)
-75 AR
Balanced (mixed chances)
-50 AR
Underdog (fighting the odds)
-25 AR
Earning AR
Q: How do I earn AR during a match?
A: AR comes from three sources this test:
Action
AR Awarded
Player Elimination (shared team-wide)
+5 AR
Floor Ascension
+25 AR
Victorious (ignores AR cap)
+20 AR
Player Eliminations are shared team-wide — every teammate gets the +5 AR when any kill happens.
Victory AR is added after the per-match AR cap is applied, so a win still gives you the full bonus.
AR gains from Eliminations and Floor Ascension are capped at 50 AR per match. Victory AR (+20) is added on top of the cap, so a win always gives you the full bonus.
Note: For this first version of Ranked, we're intentionally keeping scoring focused on the competitive basics. We don't want Ranked to accidentally reward ‘hiding’ your way up the Tower or farming unrelated objectives.
Q: Does individual performance matter, or does the whole team get the same rating?
A: For this first test, the rating system is mostly team-based, so eliminations will be shared team-wide. We know that it can feel a little strange when one player has a particularly strong game, which is why individual performance is already something we're looking at for future versions.
Q: What is the AR cap?
A: AR gained from Eliminations and Floor Ascension is capped at 50 AR per match. The cap is there to make Ranked feel like a steady climb instead of letting one huge match skip you through multiple ranks.
Known Issues
Q: My AR shows 0/0 — is something broken?
A: This is a known issue that we recently pushed out a fix for. If Ascension Rating isn't showing up, try restarting your client. That clears it in most cases.
Q: The placement tracker says 5/10 — do I actually need 10 matches?
A: No — this weekend's test only needs 5 placement matches. The tracker shows "5/10" because it's using the full Ranked system's 10-match display; for this test, it'll resolve once you've completed your 5.
Q: I saw a rank decay warning during placements — does that affect my results?
A: That was a bug, and we pushed out a fix for it — you shouldn't see it anymore. If you did see it, it had no impact on your placement outcome.
Q: Why are some players getting stuck in Challenge Rifts?
A: A timing bug can leave one player frozen at the arena entrance — invisible, unmovable, and impossible to kill — which stalls the whole match since that fight can never finish. We pushed a fix for this before, but it's still happening for some players. We're working on a fix for our .22 release, and continuing to monitor in the meantime.