What are the fastest ways to level up in Overwatch?

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All Overwatch players know that feeling when they missed just a few XP to reach the next level and claim their free Loot Box, and it’s always just as annoying. With this guide, we’ll make sure that such scenarios will not bother you anymore. You’ll learn the fastest and most effective ways to maximize your XP gains. Whether you need to level up to get free Loot Boxes or unlock a Competitive Mode as a new player —  this guide is sure to help you. Let’s get started! 

Fastest ways to level up in Overwatch

The basics of the XP progression system

Before we get into the best methods of earning XP, let’s discuss the fundamentals of the progression system in Overwatch. The base XP amount received looks like this:

  • About 210 XP for every minute spent in the game
  • 150 XP for finishing a match
  • 500 XP for winning a match
  • 300 XP for a consecutive match
  • 1500 XP for the first win of the day
  • 400 XP for Backfilling (joining during a game)

Fastest ways to level up in Overwatch: Essential facts about leveling up 

  • After reaching level 22, you’ll need to earn 20,000 XP for every next level up.
  • If you aim to maximize XP gain, you’ll need to focus on two specific game modes — Quick Play and Competitive (where you have a 15% XP boost). Playing any Deathmatches, Arcades, or vs AI in terms of your level progression is simply not worth it. 
  • To unlock Competitive mode, you must reach at least level 25, which requires you to earn a total of 308 500 000 XP.
  • Every time you level up, you’ll get a free Loot Box (This is the most popular reason why some players focus on leveling up their Overwatch profile).

How to get the most XP?

Now that we’ve covered the basics of leveling up in Overwatch, let’s talk about the methods that will significantly increase the amount of XP you earn.

  1. Play with your friends (20% Group Bonus)

Every time you play with your friends, you and your other team members will be guaranteed a 20% XP bonus. This is probably the best option to earn some fast XP. When we play with our friends, aspects of the game, such as communication and teamwork, are better than usual, and winning games is, after all, our main source of XP. See how it works in practice: 

  • Let’s say you get a 5850 XP for winning a competitive match that lasts 20 minutes — The same game with your friends will give you extra 1170XP. If that’s been your first win of the day, then you’d also get an additional 2025XP. 

If you don’t have any friends who play Overwatch, it might be a good idea to join some community groups (e.g., via Discord or Reddit).

  1. Go for medals

At the end of each game, players get medals for their efforts. You can receive them for things such as:

  • Elimination
  • Healing done
  • Hero damage done
  • Objective kills
  • Objective time

There are three types of medals. For each of them, you’ll collect a different amount of XP. 

  • Bronze Medal (50 XP)
  • Silver Medal (100 XP)
  • Gold Medal (150 XP)

The nice thing about these medals is that they combine with any additional XP boost. For example, earning 3 gold medals, 1 silver medal, and 1 bronze medal in a Competitive mode match will guarantee you 699 XP. 

                                                                                                          (image source: webstockreview.net)

  1. Play every day

As we’ve mentioned earlier, you’ll get a base of 1500 XP for your first win of the day. The average Overwatch game lasts about 15-20 minutes, so most of you should be able to find a short while to claim your daily XP. If you have friends who also care about leveling up, line up with them and take advantage of the extra bonuses for playing in a group; you might get your victory way faster and benefit from it together.

  1. Avoid quitting games

If you leave the game at an inappropriate time, you can get punished with a 75% reduction of the XP received. This penalty can last up to several days. Whether you lose or not, if you want to level up, you should play until the very end of the match. If you’re about to have a long session of Overwatch, make sure you don’t have any connection problems.

(image source: reddit.com)

Summary

We hope you found this guide useful. We wish you the best of luck in leveling up your account and getting the best drops from your free Loot Boxes.

                                                                                                                                       (image source: seekpng.com)