DD? Tank? Healer? In Overwatch, you will soon have to decide

In Overwatch the choice of role will soon be more important. Once decided, you cannot change during a match.

A leak on the Overwatch subreddit is causing a stir and confirms one of the rumors that have been circulating for a few weeks. Soon there will be a fixed role distribution in Overwatch. Teams will ensure a “2-2-2” setup – that is, 2 tanks, 2 damage dealers, and 2 healers. This “Role Queue” is intended to eliminate many problems.

Please note that this has not yet been confirmed by Blizzard, but the leaks are quite clear.

How will this work? Anyone who registers for a match in Overwatch must choose which role they want to fill at the time of registration. In the game, they can only choose characters that belong to that role. So, if someone registers as a “Tank”, they must choose between Reinhardt, Zarya, Wrecking Ball, and others. Other characters, such as Mercy (Healer) or Junkrat (Damage Dealer) will not be available.

It is speculated that this feature will be introduced in ranked mode. However, it is effectively confirmed for the Overwatch League, as indicated by this leaked excerpt from a video and a screenshot.

Update: Streamable mirror of Role Lock being confirmed for main game. (From leaked OWL Watchpoint) from r/Overwatch

What has been the problem so far? There are several problems in Overwatch that lead to difficulties, especially in the ranked game mode. There are combinations that are very hard to overcome, such as 3 healers and 3 tanks, which are nearly unbeatable, especially among professionals.

In the more “casual” area, it is often the case that hardly anyone is willing to play as a healer or tank. This leads to disagreements in the team even before the match starts. Often, players end up sulking, and a round starts completely without a healer.

These changes would benefit all players. This way, the system ensures that all players can play a role they have previously selected.

Fans fear longer wait times: However, the downside is that there may be longer wait times for players who choose a popular role – typically damage dealers (DDs). Therefore, anyone who always wants to play a damage dealer in ranked should ideally join a group that also has tanks and healers. This should reduce wait times.

Please consider that it is still unclear in which modes this fixed role distribution will be used. However, it seems logical that it will be used in the ranked game mode. Whether it will also be implemented in Quick Play is something Blizzard will surely reveal soon.

When exactly this change will go live is still unknown. At least for the Overwatch League, it is likely to bring new excitement.

What do you think about this “role requirement”? Is it a good thing? Or does the ability to change freely belong to the identity of Overwatch?