He hit #482 on the leaderboard.
A deaf Overwatch player has made it onto the top 500 leaderboard, peaking at position 482.
Streamer Maxim76 achieved the feat over the weekend. With a skill rating in the region of 4,000, he’s already a very talented player, but breaking into the top 500 is a triumph for anyone in the Overwatch community.
Overwatch conveys much of its information via sound; there are voice lines for practically every situation, and each of the game’s characters has unique sound effects for their movement and weaponry in order to aid players assess the battlefield situation. Being able to be counted among the world’s best Overwatch players while not having any of this information is quite a feat.
As reported by PCGamesN, a comment thread on Reddit about Maxim76’s triumph saw another deaf player, pepsivi, explain how they play the game without the use of audio. Apparently it comes down to understanding the rhythm of the game and “constantly spamming tab” in order to see the stats screen.
They also note that it’s wise to play characters that stay with the team, such as Mercy, Brigitte, and Reaper, rather than tanks who are often on their own, in need of constant communication, and at risk of flankers.
If you’re looking to improve your Overwatch skills, you may want to dive back in when the Storm Rising event begins next week, as part of the Overwatch Archives. And if, like Maxim76, you want to play team-focused characters, why not check out new support character, Baptiste?
Matt Purslow is IGN UK’s News and Entertainment Writer, and stands no chance of every entering the Overwatch top 500. You can follow him on Twitter.
