This morning, a group of 35 players on Steam, including myself, logged into Concord and decided to dive into the competitive mode known as Rivalry, which offers the highest experience points (XP) available. After a five-minute wait, during which I was matched with PlayStation players, I finally entered a game—though I hesitate to call it that.
In mere seconds, the first round concluded as the opposing team leapt into the ocean just beneath the spawn point, resulting in instant deaths. This wasn’t a strange glitch or a case of players acting recklessly; rather, with Concord set to go offline in a few days, players are seeking to maximize their XP by deliberately dying in Rivalry matches.
Our opponents continued to eliminate themselves throughout the four rounds, leading my team to victory without any eliminations, damage, or healing. I walked away with 15,000 XP for the win, leveling up after just one quick game. It’s a clever strategy—acquiring a lot of XP while investing only a few minutes in the game, as the matchmaking times were longer than the actual matches.
However, not all matches followed this pattern. In a subsequent Rivalry game, the rival team opted for a different approach—rather than jumping off a cliff, they decided to go out in a firing squad style. Initially, I thought we would engage in a legitimate game, so we positioned ourselves to secure the objective. But after a couple of minutes without any sign of the enemy, we realized they were immobile at their spawn point, and we swiftly dispatched them. In the following rounds, my team and I quickly targeted their spawn instead of focusing on the objectives.
Despite the trend, not every match turned into a farce. In some games, a few players attempted to play seriously. While many remained stationary or jumped off the map, one or two competitors engaged in a genuine fight. Yet, even in these cases, matches ended almost as fast as they began.
In one match where my entire team went AFK, I attempted to put up a defense and managed to take out a couple of opponents per round. However, this was insufficient for us to secure a win, and I sensed that my teammates were frustrated with me for delaying their XP-grabbing efforts. Even so, a loss still granted me another 15,000 XP, allowing me to level up three times over the course of five games.
Some players have reported mixed success with this strategy. One player shared on Twitter, “I’ve been doing this for an hour and only went from Level 44 to 45, I am NOT getting this Platinum, bro.” While some gamers are trying to maximize their XP in Concord’s final days, others aim to reach Platinum status.
Attaining level 100 indicates that a player has completed the game, and PlayStation users will receive a prestigious platinum trophy for their efforts. Currently, this trophy is incredibly rare, achieved by just 0.1% of players, with the title “Living Legend” aptly remarked on by some players on social media.
Apart from the allure of the platinum trophy, there are additional incentives for leveling up. Players can unlock a range of free cosmetics and items through gameplay. Concord features impressive customization options, including stylish hero skins and weapon charms. One of my favorite custom items is the business card, a customizable name card where players can choose icons, backgrounds, and mottos, crafting a unique representation of themselves in the game.
As of now, all customization items can be acquired for free through playtime. However, if Concord makes a return, it may transition into a free-to-play model, potentially placing these customization items behind a paywall.
If you have some time to spare and wish to partake in this final push toward level 100, acquire stylish skins, or enjoy watching players take drastic measures in-game, there are just a few days left to participate.