BAR gives you chevrons to show how much time you put into the game. A lot of players expect chevrons to climb faster than they actually do.
Tags: beyond all reason, BAR chevron rank, BAR experience points, BAR progression, BAR multiplayer bots
Chevrons in BAR are tied to time spent in the game. Each chevron threshold requires a certain number of hours played. If you are sitting on chevron one after fifteen hours, the system is probably still counting correctly. Chevron three usually takes significantly more time than most players estimate.
The confusion comes from how bot matches count. Playing against the AI on a multiplayer server and playing single-player skirmish may count differently for chevron progression. The hours tick up when you play on the official multiplayer server, not in local offline matches.
If you started by playing bot games in single-player, those hours may not count toward your chevron total. The same applies if you used a local server or a private lobby without the official server connected.
Check where you played those fifteen hours. If they were all in private or offline sessions, you will need to queue into the public multiplayer server to start earning chevron progress.
Chevrons show experience. Your skill rating, powered by OpenSkill, shows how well you play against humans. The two numbers move independently. A player with chevron four can be rated at the same level as someone with one chevron if they started rated matches at different times.
New players should ignore chevron count and focus on learning through scenarios, then jumping into multiplayer once the controls feel natural.
Try the first few scenarios to learn the controls. Play one-on-one against the AI to practice building and unit management. Then join a public lobby. Many players look for lobbies labeled with lower skill ranges to ease into PvP.
Watching a couple of games as a spectator before queuing helps you read what is happening without the pressure of controlling units yourself.
Learning BAR takes time. Playing with people who tolerate mistakes and offer actual tips accelerates your progress dramatically. Creed of Champions runs team games where newer players get paired with experienced teammates who coach instead of criticize.
[Crd] "The removal of toxicity, the goal of fun and learning, makes for a refreshing spot to play and spend time. It has also made a game with plenty of complexity a bit less daunting to dive into."