Overwatch 2 is far more than a set of fresh maps, modes, and heroes, as Blizzard details changes being made to some of its heroes. Aside from sound and visual updates to make each weapon feel more unique, the iconic tank hero Reinhardt could be getting a whole new playstyle in Overwatch 2.
This would not be the first rework for the shield tank, as an experimental update late last year saw the German knight getting a huge boost to his damage output. With some considering that Reinhardt change overpowered, it will be interesting to see what players think of the Reinhardt rework that Blizzard is currently toying with for Overwatch 2. While Jeff Kaplan warns fans that it could be canceled during development, it is certainly intriguing.
Overwatch 2 fans may be wreaking havoc in New York with a version of Reinhardt that has two Fire Strikes stored away, with Blizzard highlighting the change as a way to make Rein more aggressive in big team battles. Since the original game launched, Reinhardt has only had a single Fire Strike in his inventory, with every use leading to a lengthy cooldown time. In the sequel, Brigitte’s mentor may be throwing two balls of fire at his enemies before waiting on a recharge, allowing him to hurt foes more often and charge up his Earthshatter ultimate faster.
The other possible change mentioned by Jeff Kaplan is even larger, however, as it would see Reinhardt players able to cancel their charge after it has been started. This is huge for a few reasons, with the first being that Rein’s charge has always heavily punished players that use it without careful positioning and planning. In the sequel, players will be free to use it more often, with the risk potentially being removed — something that Blizzard cited as a major reason for the change.
With the goal of the Reinhardt rework being to let players lean into the feeling they get when they see a high risk, high reward charge, charge cancellation would be a great way to do this. Expert Rein players could also pin enemies off the map, stopping the charge at the right moment so only their foes fall off the edge. Both changes would make Rein more aggressive, intimidating, and fun to play. That said, they would certainly require balancing, as the community has been quick to call out any unfair changes to Overwatch’s tanks.
While it would be great to see more tank heroes added in the sequel, Overwatch 2 making the current tanks more fun to play would be great as well. After all, changing up tanks like Reinhardt so they are more exciting to use in a fight could be a great way to encourage DPS fans to finally play another class, something players have been wanting for some time.
Overwatch 2 is in development for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.