What is FACEIT’s soft Elo reset?
The Soft Elo Reset is an adjustment to your FACEIT Elo at the start of each season. Your Elo is adjusted based on your current Elo, recent activity, and performance in the previous Season. At the start of a new season, you play placement matches, and they set where you start that season.
When does it happen in Season 10?
Season 9 ends on Tuesday, December 08 at 17:00 CET. Season 10 starts on Wednesday, December 09 at 13:00 CET. The reset applies when Season 10 starts, and your placement matches begin with your first queue after the season starts.
What’s the point of resetting FACEIT Elo?
Level 10 has no upper limit, so over a season the best players keep climbing. Left alone, that pulls everyone below them upwards too: players stop meeting the best on the way up, every level gets easier to reach, and reaching one would mean less.
A reset at the start of each season creates a fresh grind for the top spots, keeps the highest levels competitive, and gives lower Elo players a chance to fast-track closer to their level.
How heavy will the Season 10 reset be?
FACEIT Season 9’s Elo reset was lighter than Season 8's, and Season 10 uses the same approach as Season 9.
What happens to my Elo
How much does my Elo move?
It depends on where you are. The highest Elo players are always reset more significantly than other players because that is what helps manage inflation. Most players see a smaller adjustment, especially if they are more active.
Who is affected most?
The top of the Elo ecosystem. If you finished Season 9 at a high Elo, expect a bigger adjustment than an average player would see. That's deliberate to keep the highest levels competitive rather than letting them drift upwards every season.
Does staying active change my reset?
Yes. Players who were active through Season 9 see a smaller adjustment than players who stopped playing.
Is the reset based on my peak Elo or my final Elo?
The Soft Elo Reset is based on the moment Season 9 ends. Matches you play up until the end of Season 9 will shape your starting Elo for Season 10.
Can I lose my level?
Possibly. Where you land after placements can be the same as, lower than, or higher than where you finished Season 9. Your level is hidden during placements, but last season’s Elo is still used as part of the calculation.
Placement matches
What are placement matches?
Your first 10 matches of Season 10. Elo moves more per match during placements than it does afterwards, so they are a chance to move faster than the same games in the following weeks.
Can placements put me higher than I finished Season 9?
For most players, yes, if you play well you will end up higher than where you previously ended. At the very top, the reset takes you below where you finished, and placements decide how quickly you climb back. This is due to the highest Elo players being reset more to manage inflation.
Do I have to play my FACEIT placement matches?
Your Elo is adjusted whether you play or not. Placements are how you set your Season 10 level, so until you've played them, your profile will not show a new level.
Do party matches count as placements?
Yes. Elo in a party is adjusted for the skill gap between players, the same as in normal matches, so a Level 2 queueing with a Level 10 gains less per placement than they would at their own level. Queue near your level if you want placements to count for the most. The scale that each match moves will be shown by hovering over the match on the matchmaking page.
Other questions
I'm new. Does the reset affect me?
If you haven't played a match yet, there's nothing to reset. You start Season 10 with placement matches like everyone else.
I didn't play in Season 9. What happens to my old Elo?
If you have not played at all, you will face a more significant Elo reset because you will likely return at a different skill level than when you left.
What happens to my level during placements?
Your FACEIT level is hidden while you are in placements, but your previous Elo is displayed in the matchmaking tab of your profile.