The highly anticipated Overwatch 2 undoubtedly has a massive legacy to live up to. Considering the intense and wide-spanning popularity of its predecessor, the game will have to find a sensible middle ground between fresh gameplay mechanics while honoring the same framework and feel that made the franchise so popular to begin with.
Clearly, one of the main ways in which Overwatch 2 is attempting to do this is through the reworking of many of the iconic playable heroes that are available within Overwatch. One of the fan-favorite characters that has been confirmed to be subject to some serious changes in Overwatch 2 is the tank Orisa.
The Basics of Overwatch 2
The upcoming Overwatch 2 promises to continue upon the story of its predecessor on a large scale, with the intricate lore of Overwatch being one of its most captivating aspects. The title will still retain its core gameplay of team-based competition, while altering the capabilities and established metas of the characters from the first Overwatch while giving them fresh new aesthetics.
As well as this, Overwatch 2 will boast a series of action-packed four-player co-op missions within a PvE campaign, which will help inform the fresh narrative even further. Overwatch 2 will predictably also offer a plethora of new maps and heroes to compliment the fresh gameplay. Despite this, online PvP within Overwatch 2 will still remain compatible with the remaining playerbase of the first Overwatch, with skins and progress for the original title also carrying over to Overwatch 2 for returning players.
The Orisa Rework
While Orisa will still remain as a tank within Overwatch 2, the multitude of changes that make up her extensive rework remain to be wide-spanning. With Doomfist being upgraded to a tank role with his respective rework, it is clear that the role of tanks within Overwatch 2 is set to be overhauled and redefined.
The scale of this rework for Orisa within Overwatch 2 can be immediately contextualized by the changes being made to her primary fire. With the rework, Orisa's Augmented Fusion Driver will rapidly fire large projectiles, which will start large and shrink down with extended air time. A major change is present in the fact that this primary fire no longer uses ammunition, opting instead for a heat system that can overheat with prolonged use.
Orisa is also set to utilize a brand-new ability with this rework in the form of the Energy Javelin. This will be a launchable javelin that stuns and knocks back enemies upon hit, with its effectiveness increasing should an enemy hit a wall. The javelin is also key to the new Javelin Spin ability, which can destroy enemy projectiles and increase movement speed. Major changes have also been made to Orisa's defensive Fortify ability. Fortify now also provides 125 temporary health while slowing the player by 20% while active. Fortify will also reduce the heat generated by primary fire by 50% while active.
Orisa will also receive a new Ultimate Ability as a result of the rework. Named Terra Surge, this new Ultimate will see Orisa experience the effects of Fortify and draw enemies in when activated, while then remaining immobile while charging up a massive area of effect attack. To balance out these changes, the Protective Barrier, Halt!, and Supercharger abilities have been removed from Orisa entirely. With the magnitude of changes that many heroes are experiencing for Overwatch 2, it will be fascinating to see how the fresh level of gameplay plays out.
Overwatch 2 is in development.