The three-year wait for the PvP half of Overwatch 2 is finally over as of October 4, much to many eager fans' relief. Despite player connectivity issues and a DDoS attack on Blizzard's servers, the game is attracting plenty of attention in terms of players queuing up and viewers on Twitch. For those that managed to play the first two betas, or just got recently got a taste of it, they may have noticed a few notable changes from Overwatch prime.
Overwatch 2 came in the form of a game update rather than a new download for those that already owned the first game. This may have confused some players, because while the sequel does feel like several upgrades and improvements were made, it may not feel like a new title. Still, it's clear that Blizzard is putting more time and effort into making updates and communicating with fans, which unfortunately was lacking for the past few years in the original Overwatch. The available new maps, heroes, and game modes are perfect examples of this.
Overwatch 2 Builds off its Predecessor
The biggest change has to be in the team compositions, since Overwatch 2 has been reduced to 5v5 rather than the previously seen six-man teams. With one less tank in the game, this lowers the chances of facing off against the previous meta of double shield, unless one counts Brigitte's personal defense barrier.
Of course, this means that there have been plenty of tank buffs and alterations, such as Orisa becoming more of an off-tank, losing her shield and Fortify but gaining Energy Javelin, Javelin Spin, and her ultimate Terra Surge. It seems that tanks are being encouraged to pressure the other team more in Overwatch 2, especially since the newest tank to be added to the game is the Junker Queen, who wields an impressive kit that's most effective when used aggressively.
New heroes other than Junker Queen have also appeared, with the damage category adding Sojourn, while support players have gained Kiriko. Sojourn is best seen as a damage-dealing Zarya, or a leaping Soldier 76 who also has the same headshot damage power as Widowmaker, though typically she needs to be at a closer range. Her railgun is extremely powerful and is even more so when charged up, which can be done by dealing damage to enemies.
Kiriko, the newest ninja hero with relations to Genji and Hanzo, plays a bit like Zenyatta when aiming her kunai. The Overwatch 2 developers have stated that she's meant to appeal to DPS players while also being able to keep her allies up with Healing Ofuda and Protection Suzu. Her ultimate, Kitsune Rush, is being well-received for the most part, as its speed boost and health buffs can be extremely influential at the right time.
It's likely that Blizzard will continue to add more characters to each category as new seasons roll out since the company has promised to balance its characters and introduce more content in each season. After all, it was for balancing reasons that transformed Doomfist into a tank character, rather than DPS, and the removal of most stuns in the game, such as Cassidy's flashbang grenade being replaced with a sticky grenade.
On top of these new heroes, Blizzard has launched six new maps, some of which are specific to certain game modes and others that are hybrid in nature. This includes Esperanca, New Queen Street, Paraiso, Midtown, Colosseo, and Circuit Royale. Several of these maps also introduced the newest Overwatch game mode, called Push, which is similar to Escort/payload maps combined with some tug-of-war elements. The goal is to push the objective, which happens to be a large robot, all the way to the enemy's spawn.
Many players were pleased with the Push mode, as it replaced Assault, also called 2CP (two-point capture) which used to be one of the most controversial game modes. However, this change also means that Hanamura, Temple of Anubis, Horizon Lunar Colony, and Volskaya Industries will no longer be playable, though Activision Blizzard could bring them back for some nostalgic arcade gameplay if it wanted to.
While more changes are expected to come to the game, it's unlikely that anything quite so major as new game modes and entire Overwatch character kits being redesigned will be made, though it has happened before. Still, Blizzard could benefit from adding a game mode of the original Overwatch with 6v6 for those that want to duo with their tank partners and relive memories. For now, players have plenty of time to grind the free or premium tracks of the Battle Pass before Season 1 comes to an end.
Overwatch 2 is currently in Early Access and free-to-play for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.