Black Ops 2's League Play — which matches players based on skill and features a more comprehensive leaderboard — went live earlier this week, and to celebrate Activision has announced a Double XP weekend. The introduction of League Play was a major selling point for Black Ops 2, at least to the MLG crowd, but the fact that it didn't launch alongside the Call of Duty title deflated that enthusiasm a little bit.
However, leave it to Activision to find ways to lure wayward gamers back into the fold — in this case with the promise of Double XP. For those gamers that are on the cusp of a Prestige level, a concerted amount of playtime over this weekend could push them over the edge.
But most importantly the advent of League Play could bring those players who feel like they are always trounced in matches — or conversely always dominating — a competition that is more on their level. The feature functions much like StarCraft 2's matchmaking system — players are initially set up in a group whose in-game performance matches theirs, and they move up or down based on their success against said group.
There's an initial set up, where players are placed in divisions based on a few early matches, but from there the goal is make it to the top. With this being the early stages of League Play we don't expect things to run "as advertised" just yet — there will still surely be uneven matches — but in time this could be an important addition to the multiplayer landscape.
Its viability overall, however, is going to be hard to determine, as there are a lot of Call of Duty players whose sole focus is on a positive kill-to-death-ratio. League Play is almost like public enemy #1 for K/D because it should match players with opponents who they can't "run the table" on.
The end goal should be for players to find opponents that are formidable enough that most K/D ratios will hover around the even mark. That is, if it works correctly.
So give League Play a whirl if you like, or just reap the benefits of Double XP, but Activision hopes you log a ton of hours on Black Ops 2 over the weekend.
Have you been waiting for League Play? Do you like what it brings to the Call of Duty multiplayer environment?
Black Ops 2 is out now for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.
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Source: Call of Duty - Twitter