Yesterday, Blizzard shared the first look and provided some new details regarding Overwatch 2. When it was initially revealed, Blizzard detailed the new single-player campaign component coming to the game but didn’t really go into any details regarding PvP. Blizzard revealed how things will be changing for the sequel and provided the first look at some of the new ways to play, new looks for characters, and new maps.
The biggest change coming to Overwatch 2 is that the core PvP experience will shift from six players per team to five players per team. In the standard game modes of Overwatch 2, each team will have one Tank, two Damage, and two Support heroes. “At the heart of this change lies the change in mentality surrounding the role of Tank, previously discussed during BlizzConline, towards one more focused on brawler-style gameplay,” Blizzard said.
Changing from teams of six to five also impacts other roles for the game. With that, Blizzard has introduced Role Passives. These are new passive abilities that will have Damage heroes moving slightly faster than other roles, Support heroes regenerating health automatically after staying out of combat for a short period, and Tanks taking reduced knockback and providing less ultimate charge to opponents who damage them compared to other roles. The live stream also provided a first look at some hero-specific changes that Blizzard is making. Mei’s Endothermic Blaster slows and deals damage but will not freeze enemies in Overwatch 2. Blizzard will also be making adjustments to heroes like Bastion who will be reviewed and reworked from the ground up, which will result in major changes to how the heroes play. The shift is going to result in rebalancing and adjustments across the board.
Overwatch 2 will bring in new game modes to the series. The live stream provided a new look at the new game mode Push. In Push, players will clash to take control of a robot that starts in a central location and “push” it toward the enemy team’s base. Blizzard is also working on another new game mode that will be revealed later. Blizzard also confirmed that the Assault game mode will be leaving from the Competitive playlist in Overwatch 2 and will be replaced by a new game mode.
The live stream showcased five maps including the first look at Rio’s Escort PvP map, New York City (hybrid), Rome (Push), and the never-before-seen Monte Carlo (Escort). Blizzard also showcased the new look for Torbjorn, McCree, and Widowmaker. You may also notice some changes to the UI and HUD for some heroes like Mercy and Zenyatta.