Last December, Blizzard’s highly anticipated shooter Overwatch went into lengthy period of hibernation to undergo various bug fixes, balance changes, and other mechanical and aesthetic tinkerings. Fans of the game eagerly awaited another opportunity to get their hands on the game, more so considering how hush Blizzard was on what changes were being made to the game. As of yesterday, Overwatch’s closed beta is back online, with a slew of changes both big and small (though mostly big) that are discussed in patch notes posted on Overwatch’s official discussion forums.
The most prominent among Overwatch’s new features is a progression system. Players now gain experience points from completing matches, which allow them to rank up over time. When a player ranks up, they earn a Loot Box, which contains in-game credits that can be used to purchase alternate skins, emotes, sprays, Play of the Game animations, and other cosmetics (all of which can also be found in loot crates). Blizzard’s intention is to promote long-term play by offering long-term goals for players.
Forbes published an article that previews some of the new cosmetics. While by no means comprehensive, the article showcases some of the more notable costumes that players can find in Loot Boxes or can purchase with credits.
Another significant change has been made to the Ultimate system. Players no longer gain Ultimate charge from taking damage. Instead, Ultimate meter will slowly build over time for every player. Several Ultimate costs have also been altered for several heroes, for the sake of balance. Blizzard explains the change in a side note:
Allowing heroes to generate Ultimate charge when taking damage created several balance issues. For example, it was often a bad idea to attack an enemy hero if they were being healed, since that would charge up the enemy’s Ultimate and their healer’s Ultimate much more quickly. To help address these issues, we’ve removed the ability for damage taken to generate Ultimate charge and made it so that all heroes will now generate Ultimate charge at a slow and constant rate.
Two new maps have also been added: Nepal and Lijiang Tower. Nepal is home to a sect of transcendent Omnic robots, who reflect upon their existence high atop the snowy peaks. Lijiang Tower, meanwhile, is a corporate superstructure in the heart of China that offers markets, stores, and other forms of entertainment… when it’s not being blasted apart by mercenaries, that is. Both of these maps will follow the new Control game mode, which tasks players with capturing a control point located somewhere on the map. The mode is similar to a multi-layered king of the hill; each team will attempt to hold the point for as long as possible to accrue capture points. When one team reaches a 100% capture rate, the round is finished, and a new capture point will appear somewhere else in the next round.
Notably, Blizzard has made several improvements to Overwatch’s UI. In response to fervent demand, Overwatch now features a toggle-able kill feed in the upper right corner of the screen, much like a standard FPS. The post-match scoreboard has been diversified as well, and now displays more intricate details about your individual performance over the course of the match.
Perhaps the most anticipated changes of the new Overwatch patch are those made to the heroes themselves. Two characters generally considered weak at high-level play – Bastion and Torbjörn – have undergone significant overhauls to help emphasize the strong points of their gameplay. Bastion is now more durable, and while his turret mode no longer possesses a shield, he has gained a full 360 degree turning radius while in this form (which also now possesses a weak point that can be struck for x3 the regular amount of damage). The transition period between his turret and humanoid form has also been sped up, making him a much more flexible combatant.
Tobjörn’s rivet gun now deals more damage. In addition, his sentries now deal more damage per shot, at the cost of firing at a slower rate. Turrets are quicker to build and, most importantly, no longer cost Scrap. Scrap is instead now purely used for Torbjörn’s Armor ability, which slots him better into a supporting role by allowing him to constantly provide his teammates (and himself) with armor. His turrets now only upgrade to level 3 when Torbjörn activates his Ultimate, Molten Core.
Several other heroes have undergone balance tweaks. Soldier 76’s Pulse Rifle is now more accurate upon initially firing it, for example. Mercy’s Resurrection Ultimate’s range has shrunk from 40 yards to 15 yards, which is intended to encourage Mercy players to thoughtfully gauge when to leap into the fray to revive their allies. Healing effects now work on all shields, which indirectly buffs Zenyatta, who relies on his shields to pad his meager health pool. This change in particular opens new doors for the character as a complement to a main healer.
Not listed in the patch notes are minor visual tweaks intended to reduce screen clutter. Winston’s walking arm takes up less screen space during his client-side walking animation, for example, and Torbjorn’s arm has been raised during his reload animation so as to let players see more of the screen.
Those interested in reading the patch notes can do so here.
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Blizzard also announced on Twitter that more closed beta invites will be sent out to applicants over time:
Check your e-mails and Battle.net clients frequently to see if you got in!
Overwatch is currently set to release some time in Q2 2016 for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One platforms. Those interested in joining the beta can do so by checking the Overwatch box on this page, but please be aware that you will need to create a Battle.net account first if you already haven’t. The closed beta also selects applicants through lottery, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t receive an invitation right away.
No plans have currently been discussed for an open beta period.