Leavers are way too common, here's a fun solution.
I recently came back to this game after taking a break from video games in general when the season dropped. I've noticed in the 100ish games that I have played since I returned, that (not accounting for the 20ish matches where I was in a premade squad), I have been solo in about 70% of all my matches due to early leavers. If you do the math of (100-20)*7≈X, I have been forced to play solo in roughly 56 games out of 80 random queue games. Of the solo games, it's been about 60% people who have left before we even jump. The other 40% have been the other style of toxic leaver (the sort of person who leaves when they get knocked even though you just wiped two squads solo and are trying to revive them).
I'm a moderately skilled Mirage main with triple digit eliminations and nearly 4 digit knocks, just to go ahead and prevent the "People leave because you bad, they good" excuse that a lot of early leavers seem to give and an excuse. Also, the rudest I get to other players is muting their chat audio/pings, so the "they'r leaving because you are toxic" excuse I see so often on other posts about leavers is also invalid
Here's what you clicked for:
May I introduce: D.U.M.M.I.E. (Digital Utility Mock Man Intelligent Example)
Yes, the same D.U.M.M.I.E. From the training area and the Grand Soiree event, just modified slightly.
If you leave early more than three times in ten games (not counting disconnects), you lose the ability to play as a legend. You also get "DUMMIE Status," which means you can't earn XP, complete challenges, or earn Battle Pass levels (even in ranked) and can only squad up with other DUMMIEs (although you still get put in the normal lobby with normal squads). Instead of being able to play as a legend, you have to play as a DUMMIE (and everyone knows it too 🙂)
Here is DUMMIE's kit:
Passive: Take +15% damage from all sources. Shield and health kits take 15% longer to apply, this ability negates gold armor bonuses.
Tactical: You reveal yourself on the world map for 20 seconds. Now everyone can find the DUMMIE. (This would be similar to the Bloodhound/Crypto scan effect)
Ultimate: You have no ultimate, instead a sad trombone plays. Everyone within 40 meters of you can hear it. You also get revealed for thirty seconds in exactly the same way that your tactical reveals you.
Any player who gets DUMMIE status can only remove it by playing ten games in a row without leaving early for any reason except getting disconnected. If a DUMMIE leaves early for any other reason, it resets the DUMMIE Status counter.
I feel that this is the perfect solution for early leavers. It stops the leavers from ruining the games of people who aren't toxic, which is the most important part, but it also keeps the spirit of casual pubs. It also provides and negative deterrent for people who engage in this specific toxic behavior. Forcing DUMMIE Status players to queue into regular lobbies of non-DUMMIE Status players also acts as a deterrent while preventing the need for a separate lobby.
PSA:There's really no excuse to leave early unless you get disconnected or your team mates are being toxic to you by refusing to respawn you (there should be a time until you can leave safely cooldown for when your banner gets picked up).
