New players see chevrons next to names in the lobby and wonder how ranking works. Are they skill-based or just playtime? Here is the full breakdown.
Tags: BAR chevrons, rank explanation, playtime rank, tech points, player progression
Player chevrons in BAR reflect total playtime, not skill rating. A six-chevron player has spent more hours in the game than a one-chevron player. This says nothing about whether the six-chevron player wins more often.
The official BAR guide at beyondallreason.info/guide/rating-and-lobby-balance explains the rank icon system. Refer to it for the exact hour thresholds at each chevron level.
Active gameplay counts at full rate. Online spectating counts at half rate. Total hours equal playtime plus half of spectating time. If you play for ten hours and watch for four hours, your playtime count increases by twelve hours.
This matters because a player who watches a lot of games will have higher chevrons than their actual play experience might suggest. Judge teammates by their actions in the lobby, not just by their chevron count.
Your OpenSkill rating measures actual gameplay performance. This is the number that determines matchmaking quality. Chevrons and OpenSkill are completely independent. A new player with fifty games can have a higher skill rating than a veteran with three thousand hours who never studied strategy.
Hidden OpenSkill ratings show question marks instead of numbers until your uncertainty value drops below six point six five. This happens after your first few placement matches settle.
Tech points are a separate progression system that occasionally bugs out. If your tech points display seems wrong, it usually fixes itself in the next stable release. Check the patch notes for tech point system updates.
Creed of Champions does not care about your chevrons. We care about your willingness to learn. A two-chevron player who studies replays and communicates well is more valuable to the team than a ten-chevron player who plays on autopilot.
[Crd] I have learned more from my time with Crd, than the dozens of hours on youtube or trying to grind matches with random uncooperative teammates.