I’ve now played roughly 10 hours since the beta launched. Of that, I’m sure I’ve spent 3 hours cursing how much everything bugs me before I’ve been able to enjoy every moment.

Overwatch 2 is a big change, although everything looks absolutely familiar. The same maps, the same heroes, and yet a completely different feel to the game. How does a game manage to reinvent itself and do it well?

At the moment, only the PvP modes are playable, so not the full game yet. But this already shows how different Overwatch 2 really is, even though it somehow remains the same game at its core.

The story trailer for Sojourn serves to get you in the mood for the new game:

Overwatch 2 is a completely new game without changing much

What’s new? Overwatch 2’s beta patch brings with it some new features, though these could simply be patch notes from a larger update. Among them are:

• Revisions of several heroes like Bastion and Doomfist
• A new heroine: Sojourn
• Push as a new mode that replaces attack along with new maps
• minor balance adjustments
• each role (tank, healer, DPS) now has special properties
• a new UI as well as the famous ping system of Apex Legends for better communication.

So why is it necessary to create a new game right away for such an update? That’s because of how these changes end up fitting into the game.

How does the game change? Actually, there is only one really big change that Overwatch 2 brings to PvP: speed. A fight is decided much faster than in the predecessor. The reason for this is that there are now only 5 heroes per team instead of 6.

The change to 5 players per team is huge. Overwatch 2 plays more like a fast-paced old-school shooter and less like a big hero battle. A team now consists of:

• one tank
• 2 healers
• 2 DPS heroes

As a result, each team is missing a decent chunk of combined health. In addition, many tanks’ shields have been completely removed from the game, and those that remain are significantly weaker than before. As a result, fights are over faster because less damage is enough to wipe out teams.

And this is where Overwatch 2 suddenly becomes a whole new game. Those who are still used to the fights from the predecessor will have to adjust quickly to get along.

Faster and more intense – But you have to get used to it

This is how Overwatch 2 plays: Whereas in Overwatch a fight can last up to a minute or even longer, in which the opponents dance around each other with Ultis and skills, in Overwatch 2 the outcome is usually already decided after a few seconds.

Heroes die much faster, most skills have less cooldown, and almost all heroes deal more damage. The life of a single player is also more important. Because winning a 4 vs 5 is much harder than winning a 5 vs 6.

This makes flanking attacks more important, but also your choice of heroes. If you can counter an opponent completely, that may be more important than relying on great synergies with your own Ultis.

You’re basically fighting all the time, while still somehow trying to fulfill the map’s objective. Unlike in Overwatch, where teams sometimes face each other forever until both sides have charged up the Ultimates and then decide who wins in a big bang.

How hard is the transition? It takes some time to get used to how fast everything is. I’ve often cursed how quickly critical hits from the enemy Soldier can send me into the dust.

The meta has been neatly upended by the change, and there are new heroes at the top, some of which were previously handled as absolute troll picks:

In the end, however, all this is not much harder than to change after a new update with rework of some heroes. For those who remember the switch between Tank, Dive and GOATS meta – that’s about it.

Overwatch 2 changes the meta, just a bit more than any update so far. If you let yourself go with it, you’ll definitely have fun in the new part as well. And you can take the experience you’ve gained so far with you,

Overwatch 2 remains the same game at its core

If you’re now afraid that you won’t be able to cope with Overwatch 2, I can reassure you. Most maps are the same, heroes are also almost identical. You can even take over your skins from Overwatch.

From my experience, the most important thing is still to know your hero and everyone else. If you know which opponent can and will use which ability and when, you’ll have a huge advantage.

This was already important in Overwatch and is even more crucial in Overwatch 2. Unlike in the predecessor, however, you don’t have to focus so much on team synergy. Your own performance counts more – but your own death will punish your team more severely.

Those who already have experience from Overwatch have an advantage here. If you know the maps and strategies, you can also use them in Overwatch 2. Most of the modes are still identical and it’s still about winning as a team in the end.