Explaining how the matchmaking works [ Edited ]

[Cheese9Man]

Of course this is not a definitive explanation of how the MM works and should not be considered as 100% factual but it’s a compilation of experiences and quotes from developers. They’ll never reveal really why you’re placed in that lobby since it can be abused.

Here are the highlights of the video if you don’t want to watch it but I suggest to still go through the video since it contains a lot more informative stuff and more context to the explanation about MM.

BR matchmaking:

• I’ve said this multiple times. The MM’s #1 priority is SHORT QUEUE TIMES.
• Prioritize making matches quickly rather than creating a perfect match. This is most noticable in smaller populated regions or at late night sessions. Quantity > Quality
• The MM system is exploitable if people knew how it really works.
• The MM system changes often and they make tweaks all the time and these tweaks are not broadcasted (like that region lock thing).
• “Game is best when you are trying to play “for real” even in pubs. We’ve seen real data that shows people who lose or win too much have a much higher chance to stop playing forever.”
• Players don’t want to sweat in pubs but they also don’t want to lose at the same time.
• ”If you have a VERY tight skill based matchmaking, you’ll have sweaty matches because it’s like a mirrior match fight-yourself boss fight.”
• If they don’t implement any sort of MM, you might get some free kills but someone in that lobby will easily steamroll you and your team. We all experienced that one squad killing the whole lobby. 
• They’re always working to improve the MM. 
• It’s a very complicated system with so many variables affecting the MM.
• Your KDR, rank, recent matches and etc are factors why you’re placed in that lobby. 
• Joining in a pre-made squad is the only way to reduce the frustrations that you get from random teammates. 
• Play at peak hours in highly populated servers.

Arenas ranked MM:

I’ve already made a post about this a few weeks ago but for the sake of completion, here’s what a dev said on twitter:

• You can have the same MMR but have different ranks
• If you solo queue at high levels, there’s isn’t enough solo queue enemies as well since most arena preds/masters 3-stack.

The content creator suggested to play at highly populated servers at peak times so that the matchmaker would have an easier time picking similarly skilled players but this isn’t always the case for me. In fact, I find Saturdays and Sundays sweatier. I think @KelRiever said it best in one his posts that it’s almost impossible to create a perfect MM system since there’s so many variables and so many players (60 players/match) to consider to have a well balanced match.

Do you agree with the video?

What other variables or stats do you think Respawn should consider when placing you in a lobby?

If you were Respawn, what changes do you want to make?

Dev’s most recent statement on MM: https://answers.ea.com/t5/General-Discussion/Respawn-admits-that-MM-is-broken/m-p/11119368#M193240

[Axs5626Sxa5001 · Accepted solution]

@Cheese9Man

Matchmaking remains the topic of most interest to me. Like others, I have conducted tests and data pulls using a multitude of accounts (ranging from high to low ELO). Even though I’m conducting hundreds of test matches, my sample sizes are relatively small (in comparison to how big the community is). So ultimately I consider my findings “suggestive” and not solid proof. All of my tests were for non-ranked. I am confident in the following:

-Queuing with a full squad tends to put you in lobbies that are mostly full squad teams.

-Playing with friends will place you against opponents based on your highest skilled teammate. So a Masters-level teammate with two new players will be dropped into a lobby of other high ELO players. This is bad and deters people from playing with friends.

-Matchmaking is using values such as KD, average damage per game, placement, and possibly accuracy to construct lobbies.

-Matchmaking will look at your performance over your last games and drop you into lower difficulty lobbies. But there is a caveat here. If you have a lot of data on your account (my main has 61,000 kills), this effect takes FAR FAR longer. I can lose 150-200 consecutive games (with little to no damage) and not get dropped into easier lobbies. However, on several occasions I noticed that losing many matches with low performance results in me getting another high ELO player as a teammate— sometimes two, as the game pairs me with two pre-made players. This suggests that the game is acknowledging your struggle and trying to adjust for it by giving you strong teammates. Conversely, I feel like my teammates are noticeably worse after winning a match. More attention needs to be spent exploring this.

-Matchmaking prioritizes fast matching in BR ONLY. It will make high ELO players wait in Arenas and LTMs like Winter Express. I ran a test last summer that saw me waiting an average of 7 minutes for an Arenas game over 100 games. And because the system is being very strict with who I play with, this often resulted in games that weren’t the most fluid to play (lag was noticeable).

-It’s entirely possible (and in my opinion likely) that the SBMM is dialed up or down intentionally around key times, to make the experience slightly better for the largest player group (casual players). The reason for this is to increase the likelihood that these players make purchases.

[hayhor]

@Cheese9Man Speed is definately number one but it takes into account other stuff too. Premade squad is very easily taken into account with speed. Long term and short term performance (finishes, kd, etc) also have an effect and they are noticeable to me. For me, if I solo queue my teammates are more random that anything.

[Axs5626Sxa5001 · Accepted solution]

@Cheese9Man

Matchmaking remains the topic of most interest to me. Like others, I have conducted tests and data pulls using a multitude of accounts (ranging from high to low ELO). Even though I’m conducting hundreds of test matches, my sample sizes are relatively small (in comparison to how big the community is). So ultimately I consider my findings “suggestive” and not solid proof. All of my tests were for non-ranked. I am confident in the following:

-Queuing with a full squad tends to put you in lobbies that are mostly full squad teams.

-Playing with friends will place you against opponents based on your highest skilled teammate. So a Masters-level teammate with two new players will be dropped into a lobby of other high ELO players. This is bad and deters people from playing with friends.

-Matchmaking is using values such as KD, average damage per game, placement, and possibly accuracy to construct lobbies.

-Matchmaking will look at your performance over your last games and drop you into lower difficulty lobbies. But there is a caveat here. If you have a lot of data on your account (my main has 61,000 kills), this effect takes FAR FAR longer. I can lose 150-200 consecutive games (with little to no damage) and not get dropped into easier lobbies. However, on several occasions I noticed that losing many matches with low performance results in me getting another high ELO player as a teammate— sometimes two, as the game pairs me with two pre-made players. This suggests that the game is acknowledging your struggle and trying to adjust for it by giving you strong teammates. Conversely, I feel like my teammates are noticeably worse after winning a match. More attention needs to be spent exploring this.

-Matchmaking prioritizes fast matching in BR ONLY. It will make high ELO players wait in Arenas and LTMs like Winter Express. I ran a test last summer that saw me waiting an average of 7 minutes for an Arenas game over 100 games. And because the system is being very strict with who I play with, this often resulted in games that weren’t the most fluid to play (lag was noticeable).

-It’s entirely possible (and in my opinion likely) that the SBMM is dialed up or down intentionally around key times, to make the experience slightly better for the largest player group (casual players). The reason for this is to increase the likelihood that these players make purchases.

[BlairNines]

There's genuinely nothing that makes sense about the matchmaking.

Every single game I'm killed by Master/Predator players with their 4k & 20 bomb badges.

I average 300 damage per match, I have less than a 1.0 K/D, I have a 0.6% win rate for games played, and I've never made it out of Silver.

It feels like this game WANTS me to quit playing and tell everyone how terrible it is.

[guvstar]

As a solo que player im sick and tired of playing against masters and preds in my pubs lobbies even switching to rank which i barely play im up against the same sweats, while im handicapped with trash teammates. ive no desire to link up with a dedicated team to sweat my life away, at the end of the day i just want some fun not this sadomachacist matchmaking. im just instaquitting every match now to till eventually i won't see masters champions  at start screen. Then if i do half decent in a match after having a horrid time for say an hour then im back into masters champion games, horrendous matchmaking if you ask me.

My compromise would be a playlist with no squads allowed to team up only allow every team to have solo added players, at least give it a try respawn something drastically needs to change its highly unfair in the current state. 

[Axs5626Sxa5001]

@BlairNines Why aren’t you playing ranked exclusively?

Will you see some high skilled players there? Yes. Some

But this will be infinitely better than only playing 4k 20 Master/Preds like you are in pubs.

[hayhor]

@BlairNines I agree with axsnumbers. Play ranked.

[Axs5626Sxa5001]

@hayhor You know, I cringe when I see someone try to type out the name, LMAO. I don’t even know why I stayed with this name— I didn’t pick it, its the auto generated name that the forum gave me. So random lol

[HappyHourSumwur]

@BlairNinesYour experience is the same as mine. I seriously doubt that any type of personal measurement of "skill" is used in Apex's matchmaking. Otherwise, a trash can like me wouldn't get insta-melted as often as I do. Nothing makes me rage more than dying instantly to squads or solos with perfect aim and coordination.
They always know exactly where I am and never seem to miss shots no matter what I do. Why TF is a solo like me in a match with these guys? No possible answer will be satisfactory to me when I'm on the wrong end of it 90% of the time.

[BlairNines]

@Axs5626Sxa5001
The reason I don't play ranked exclusively is because every single match gets dominated by a Plat, Diamond, Master, or Predator TEAM that for some reason is in Bronze. They have their ranked badges, they have tens of thousands of kills, but for some reason they're in Bronze.

It doesn't matter what game mode I play. I will find extremely experienced players every single game. I either get * on by a Plat/Diamond 4k 20 bomb team in Bronze ranked or I get * on by a Master/Pred 4k 20 bomb team in pubs.