Overwatchfans have been waiting forOverwatch 2updates for a long time, and many expected BlizzConline 2021 to be the game’s moment. Although not as much was revealed at the conference as fans hoped, there were still a fair few details revealed about the game’s PvE experiences.Overwatch 2promises to be a significant departure from the first game as a more narrative-focused experience with a significant story mode. However, at its core,Overwatchwill always be known for the PvP that Blizzard built the game’s brand on. Blizzard didn’t explore the PvP inOverwatch 2extensively, and fans are already speculating about some major changes.
Specifically, some fans aretheorizing thatOverwatch 2will have 5v5 PvPinstead of the 6v6 fare thatOverwatchfans are used to. The theory is largely based on comments by lead designer Jeff Kaplan andOverwatchdevelopers concerning the future of Tanks inOverwatch 2.It sounds like Kaplan and company want to make tanks much hardier and more self reliant. Fans believe that, because of that angle, Blizzard will cut down the team sizes so that there’s only one tank with two DPS heroes and two supports. This rumor is interesting, but it’s probably not true. IfOverwatch 2PvP only had five players on a team, it’d hurt an important part of the game: the pro scene.
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Overhauling Overwatch
While team compositions come and go,Overwatchhas always been a 6v6 game, and professionalOverwatchteams have always been groups of six. Althoughthe originalOverwatchwill still be aroundafterOverwatch 2releases, pros are probably planning on switching over to the new game in droves anyway. Blizzard’s support will most likely be largely focused on the new game, so pros will get more out of any maps, characters, and game mechanics exclusive toOverwatch 2.The one thing that would certainly keep pros from playingOverwatch 2is if the PvP doesn’t have party sizes big enough to accommodate these teams.
The last thing pro teams want to do is to cut players across the board because they suddenly only need one Tank player. That would upset pros and fans alike, and put a lot of talented players out of work. It would be extremely unwise for Blizzard to rile up the very people that bring their game tons of publicity and have some of the sharpest insights on the state of the game.TheOverwatchLeague wouldn’t bethe only people affected by a change like that, anyway; Tank mains everywhere would probably have a much harder time getting intoOverwatch 2if they’re discouraged from playing their role.
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Keeping it Comfortable
It’s only natural that the sequel toOverwatchwill have some major differencesto distinguish it from the first game. If it were practically identical but with additional content, then it might as well have been an expansion for the first game. However, it seems unlikely that Blizzard would totally rewrite the main mode of the game and risk alienating players from the first game. There’s just not enough to be gained by convertingOverwatchinto a 5v5 experience. It’s more likely to cause trouble for everyone involved. Blizzard’s innovations are more likely to come in the form of creative new heroes and the PvE modes.
In fact, most ofOverwatch 2’s coverage at BlizzConline 2021 had to do with PvE, making it clear that Blizzard is proud of its work in this department and wants PvE to be a big selling point forOverwatch 2.It seems likely that Blizzard wanted to focus on these new parts of the game instead of rehashing details about the PvP. 5v5 PvP is a major changethat Blizzard would have addressedby now. It’s certainly clear that Tank players should expect some significant changes inOverwatch 2.However, they should also feel safe that Blizzard isn’t going to make it harder for them to find matches in the new game.
Overwatch 2is in development for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
