Ranked ladder FAQ

Getting started#

Do I need the Vespene Companion app? No. It is optional. With it, your replay uploads itself and the result lands automatically, and you get an in-game queue overlay. Without it, either player uploads the replay by hand after the game. See The Ranked Ladder add-in.

Is this the same as Blizzard's ladder? No. It is Vespene's own queue played on the Patch Clash balance mod in custom games. It has its own rating and leagues and does not touch your Blizzard MMR. Your SC2 league only decides where your rating starts.

Does it cost anything? No. Playing is free. The prize pool is funded by optional community contributions.

The FIND MATCH button says something else. It names the first thing blocking you: sign in, link Battle.net, verify a region, pick a race or pick a server. While your account setup is incomplete, the SETUP tab lists what is missing. See Your first ranked match.

Why is a server locked? You have no verified Battle.net character on that server's region. Log into that region in SC2 at least once, then run the Battle.net link again from your settings. See Servers, regions and ping.

It asked me what league I am. Does my answer lock me in? No. It only sets where your rating starts, and wins and losses correct it fast during your ten placement games. If you are unsure, pick "not sure": you start at 600 and climb.

Queueing#

Why is the queue taking a while? Your search range widens on a timer, and the longest waiter is always paired first, so you will get a game. To speed it up, select more servers you can tolerate, clear your backup race if you do not mind mirrors, or queue when the counters show more players. See Queueing and matchmaking.

Can ranked and unranked players meet? Yes. They share one queue. An unranked player is matched on a hidden rating, and a ranked opponent's game counts normally for them.

I set a backup race but still got a mirror. The shield only switches races when it keeps the game fair. When the switch would open a big rating gap, it asks you first; accepting the mirror holds until you leave the queue or are requeued. See Queueing and matchmaking.

My queue disappeared. Either no Vespene tab checked in for 90 seconds (browser closed, laptop asleep), or the Companion saw you start another SC2 game and pulled you out. Both are shown on screen.

Why am I locked out of the queue? You were paired into a match and missed it: you ignored the match-found window with the site open, or you were away when an AFK challenge ran out or when the clock took every one of your bans. Lockouts start at one minute and triple with repeats; finishing any match clears them. See Fair play: voids, strikes, AFK and disputes.

The match#

Can I see which maps my opponent banned? Not while you are banning. Bans are blind and simultaneous, and duplicates count once. After the draft the lobby chat lists the bans. See Match found and the map draft.

We got matched but could never find each other in SC2. Almost always the region. Both players must log into the match server's region: Brazil, Singapore and Australia are Americas servers. Then use /lobbylink in the patchessc channel instead of invites.

My opponent never showed up. If they never answered the match-found window, the match voids and you go straight back into the queue with your wait kept. If they accepted but never arrived in SC2, use Opponent AFK? on the match screen. See Fair play: voids, strikes, AFK and disputes.

We cannot finish the game (crash, disconnect). Once the game is under way, either player can offer a draw. If the replay shows a clear winner, upload it and it counts.

We agreed not to play this match (a patch, a crash before the game). One of you presses Can't play? Call off match and the other agrees. The match ends with no rating change and no penalty, and nobody is put back in the queue. It is only there before the game starts. See Hosting, playing and reporting the result.

Results#

My result never arrived. Check the Companion is running and signed in, or upload the replay by hand from the match: the newest file in Documents > StarCraft II > Accounts > ... > Replays > Multiplayer. You get a reminder 20 minutes after the match goes live, and a match with no result voids after three hours. See Hosting, playing and reporting the result.

My replay was rejected. Common causes: the game was hosted without Create with Mod (a plain SC2 game), the replay is from a different game, or the game lasted under a minute. The rejection message says which.

My result says "held for review". The replay looked suspicious: usually the wrong map (often a ladder map instead of its PCE edition) or a race that does not match the queue. A moderator will confirm, overturn or void it. You can keep queueing meanwhile, and no rating moves until then.

The recorded result is wrong. Use Result is wrong on that match in your HISTORY tab within 72 hours. A moderator reviews it; filing alone never changes a rating. See Leaderboard, player cards and match history.

How do I report a player? Report player on the match in your HISTORY tab, within 14 days.

Ratings and leagues#

My league changed and I did not play. Leagues are shares of the whole field, so other players climbing past you can move you down a sub-rank, and players dropping can move you up. Your rating itself only moves when you play: a win is always worth at least +1. See Ratings, placement and leagues.

My rating on the board looks different from what I expected. During your ten placement games on a race, the board shows a walking number that moves toward your real rating (and never above it). The matchmaker always uses the real one.

Why do I have a different rating on each race? Each race has its own book, because being good with one race says little about another. Random counts for whichever race you were rolled.

Why does my peak show a dash? Peaks only count after your ten placement games on that race.

The season and the community#

How does the prize pool work? It is funded in vespene by the community and paid in Minerals at the end of the season to the top ten plus the most active player and the top Diamond and top Platinum players. You need at least 50 ranked games. See Clash XP and the season prize pool.

Does this count for the Patch Clash Circuit? No. The Vespene rating and rankings are independent and do not count toward the Patch Clash season final.

Can I get the ladder into my Discord server? Yes. Invite the Vespene ladder bot from the ranked screen and run /vespene setup. See Ladder chat and the Discord bot.

Can I get a ranked ladder for my own mod? Not self-serve yet. Mod ladders are set up by the Vespene team together with the mod's team. The mod needs to be published on Battle.net so players can Create with Mod, with a map pool and the mod team on board. Reach out to the Vespene team on Discord. Anyone can already run a tournament on Vespene, including on Patch Clash: see Organizing a tournament.