The smaller team is the biggest change

The answer to this question lies somewhere between yes and no. The biggest innovation of Overwatch 2 will be the campaign, which is not yet playable in the current beta. Only the PvP mode is included – but this already includes the new maps and the new DPS heroine Sojourn. Those who have played Overwatch before will quickly find their way around again, since the gameplay, many modes and heroes have been adopted without major changes

The quickest thing to notice is that each team now consists of only five players. The second tank is omitted at this point. For me, the games seemed a bit clearer as a result and the team fights also go a bit faster now – after all, there is only one meat shield now.

For the stronger team this is a clear advantage, they can roll over the opponents like a snowball and become stronger and stronger. The weaker team often has no way to come back, because they simply lack the necessary distraction due to the missing tank.

Tanks have to think more carefully about who they want to stand by, while Supports have one less hero to heal. As Mercy, this allows me to shamelessly stick to my tank and keep him alive as long as possible, unless a Pharah takes me to the skies. Also, two supports share the work here, which makes their lives even easier.

Healers are at a disadvantage in one thing, though: There are only seven support heroes, and none of them are really new. The tanks also don’t exactly have a huge pool with nine characters – more like a paddling pool. The number of characters needs to be increased, especially for those returning from Overwatch. Otherwise, it will quickly get boring for them

Quality of life significantly increased

I’ve really come to love the new passive abilities for the heroes. Being able to get a little passive healing yourself as a support is absolutely fantastic. This way the second healer can always focus on the fighting members and not have to throw his colleagues a few band-aids here and there.

DPS heroes are a bit faster, while tanks don’t get pushed around as much by enemy CC abilities and their Ults recharge faster when they take damage or get healed – things that happen to a tank quite often after all

In general, there are fewer CC effects, as they are often very difficult to control for balancing. Unfortunately, Mei can now no longer freeze enemies with her pistol, but only slow them down, Cassidy no longer stuns enemies with his Flashbang… The list is long.

For Mains certainly a reason to mourn, for all other players a pleasant change that makes the game overall fairer and leaves more chances open. I myself enjoyed being able to move permanently more freely, even if Mei was now a little less fun for me

As a human, with horrible orientation, it took me a few matches to get somewhat comfortable with the new maps. Visually, there is nothing to complain about on the maps, but the layout has little quirks here and there, like awkwardly placed sight lines. Fortunately, such small flaws occur rather rarely and can also be fixed quite easily afterwards. So there’s no reason to worry here

A new hero is still too little, Blizzard

Another highlight of the beta for me was Sojourn, after all she is the only new hero and therefore had to be tested in practice first. She is definitely not an optimal entry-level hero and requires some skill, which is perfect for all former Overwatch players who want to quickly get into the second part and are looking for a challenge.

Sojourn is very mobile, which makes her a very fun and flexible candidate in the DPS role. I also find her automatic railgun very pleasant to use, but that’s more my personal preference.

Sojourn can’t carry the release of Overwatch 2 on its shoulders alone. As mentioned above, Blizzard should quickly add a few new heroes here – preferably in the support and tank roles. Depending on how big and elaborate the campaign is, it could keep even old Overwatch hares busy for a while

Overwatch has never had much of a problem with the variety of modes. In the beta, there were only the Ranked modes, but already here was a newcomer that brings a little new freshness to the otherwise rather familiar-looking game. In this mode called “Push”, both teams try to push the same robot to the other end of the map – or at least further than the opposing team.

Has Overwatch 2 earned the number in the name?

So far, the PvP gameplay is compelling. The five roles are firmly distributed, the abilities changed with a clear goal in mind, and the matches sped up. Blizzard’s changes may not look huge, but seem determined and clearly deployed. Overwatch 2 is supposed to have a different tempo, convey a different gameplay, but still remain Overwatch.

Looking back at the PvP beta, I do think that the changes could have been part of a big patch. Especially when you compare them to the update content of other shooters. Apex Legends, Fortnite or Rainbow Six Siege bring new heroes, maps or map updates, new modes, features and a flood of balance adjustments to the game at regular intervals.

Therefore, the innovations that Blizzard brings to the game after release will probably be much more important. The frequency with which new content is brought into the hero shooter will also play a decisive role in the success of the successor. Having to wait years for a new hero is an absolute no-go. Blizzard can’t let that drag on like that again.

Overwatch was never a bad game that needed a successor. Rather, it needed care. With Overwatch 2, everything should now be different. I hope that Blizzard is not just after the child money here, but really wants to raise its new baby with the affection it deserves