I play Overwatch almost every night with a bunch of friends and we are all definitely looking forward to Overwatch 2. While there are some design decisions that will need some time to sink in (like going 5 vs 5 or making the game feels more arcade-y), I did enjoy my time trying out Overwatch 2 PvP beta.
Everything definitely feels more modern (a fresher UI, improved graphics, etc) but ultimately, the gameplay is all that matters. And yes, it does matter here in Overwatch 2.
The big difference is definitely the 5 vs 5 compared to 6 vs 6 in the original Overwatch. When playing as a tank, it matters much more now if you die. Whereas before, sometimes the off-tank can provide an extra space needed for your team to survive and secure a kill – at least until the main tank arrives from spawn.
With the Orisa rework (and other tanks’ rework), playing tanks is definitely more fun in Overwatch 2. This is because most tanks can now do good amount of damage and you’ll feel that you are actually doing something for the team (apart from just shielding your team from damage or as a bullet sponge). Generating less ultimate meter for the enemy team also means you can be more aggressive without feeling sorry for the team.
And with Doomfist as a tank, it is super fun if you can play him (I can’t) and he definitely brings something fresh to tanking in Overwatch 2 (both as his team and the enemy team).
Deep down though, I still miss playing an off-tank and no matter how good the reworks are, D.Va, Zarya, and Hammond still feel like an off-tank by design. It’ll definitely take some time before I get used to this change.
As for playing support, it is definitely harder in a sense now because when I play a DPS, I always opted for Cassidy (McCree) whenever we have flankers from the enemy team. His flashbang stun was my go-to for both protecting our support and killing the flankers. With the flashbang changed to sticky grenade, I find it much harder to protect the support players.
This is true as well as Mei can no longer freeze people, Brigitte can’t stun with her Bash ability, and no off-tank Roadhog to protect and hook flankers. But thankfully all support heroes get health regeneration, so that’s cool.
As a Zenyatta main when I played support (as much as I can), he was very weak because without stuns and ccs from your team, it is harder to survive. But a recent patch makes his kick do a bit more damage but more importantly, knocks (or boops) people back. That’s definitely a game changer and I embraced this update!
But overall, there are less shields in the game and yes, that apparently matters – more than I thought it would. Less shields mean your shots connect more and that gives a good impression in your brain, compared to shooting shields over and over to break them. While the original Overwatch’s shield war is tactical in its own sense, it is definitely more fun when you can damage or kill an enemy.
What excites me the most about Overwatch 2 PvP
But what excites me the most about Overwatch 2 is the amount of updates and new features being thrown regularly into the game – which is what the fans wanted. The new ping system is great and very useful, especially in Quick Play where not much people want to talk (including myself). The team seems to be listening to feedback more this time too and can make changes quicker than before. And there are newer things in the pipeline rumoured like Guilds, customised Legendary Skins, and many other.
And yes, Overwatch 2 feels more fun than Overwatch, thanks to the hero reworks like Bastion and the little changes here and there by the team.
What is not so exciting about Overwatch 2 PvP
While it feels more fun to play Overwatch 2, I definitely miss the slower-paced Overwatch and where it feels more satisfying when you win. Team compositions, strategic moves, ultimate management, etc seem to be more prominent in Overwatch than Overwatch 2. Overwatch 2 makes me feel somewhat playing Call of Duty or an Arcade shooter where all you need to do is secure kills.
It might still be early days and people might just be trying out all the rework and Sojourn but I definitely miss the slower-paced Overwatch.
But here’s the thing. If you are solo queueing, you’ll most likely get frustrated when your tanks, DPS, or supports not doing their job. I did miss all of those I mentioned above, but that’s because I usually play with a group of friends and obviously, we communicate and strategise (ok, sometimes).
With Overwatch 2, it’s less frustrating because you don’t rely on team composition too much like before (or at least, it feels that way – probably because of the 5v5, or that we have less shields on choke points). It’s a game where you can hop in and have fun, rather than feeling frustrated because of the ccs, shutdowns, and bad team composition.
Nevertheless, I’m quite excited for Overwatch 2 and if they can keep the updates coming, the regular communication and all, I’m sure we can win new players and hopefully the old players back too.
There will be more updates coming on June 16 as the first Beta had now been closed. Is this the second Overwatch 2 Beta release date? I don’t think so, because it’s more like an announcement about the next steps to do (their roadmap, which definitely includes when the second beta will start).
