At Blizzcon 2019, Overwatch 2 was officially confirmed and provided a lot of information. With the Hero Missions system, Blizzard introduces a co-op mode including a level system, adding a new depth to the heroes’ abilities with unlockable talents.
What are hero abilities in Overwatch? Overwatch is a fast-paced shooter featuring unique heroes with even crazier abilities. Many of the colorful protagonists have 3 different abilities, where two typically have relatively short cooldowns and one ultimate ability, which cannot be used often but packs a lot of power.
These abilities are an important part of the gameplay and define the play style of each hero. With the next Overwatch, special attacks will be enhanced and will receive unlockable talents through a level system, allowing you to further customize the abilities to match your play style.
Co-op mode introduces level system
How do I get the talents? The new progression system of the co-op mode in Overwatch 2 adds a PvE level to each hero. When you play the hero missions, which are the co-op missions in Overwatch 2, you can earn experience for that hero and level up further.
The developers emphasized at BlizzCon that the presented version of the level system is by no means final and many changes can occur before release. The current version shows the unlocking of 3 talent tiers (Level 1, 10, and 20), with two talents available to choose from for each.
Powerful talents for all heroes
What do the talents do to the abilities? The new ability extensions allow for deeper customization of the favorite heroes to align with one’s play style or that of the rest of the team. Tracer has, for example, the following choices:
Level 1
- Adaptive Reload
- Using an ability reloads the pulse pistols.
- Chain Reaction
- Pulse Bomb causes additional explosions on all affected enemies.
Level 10
- Flash
- Warping through enemies deals damage.
- Hindsight
- Time Loop deals damage again to enemies hit along the way.
Level 20
- Vortex
- Enemies are pulled to the Time Loop point and held there.
- Speed Kills
- Last hitting an enemy reduces ability cooldowns.
The talents elevate one of the most crucial mechanics, the abilities, to a whole new level and make these powerful attacks against PvE hordes even stronger.
Hero missions are supposed to offer high replay value
And how do these hero missions work? Overwatch 2 comes with a large online co-op mode featuring many hero missions. These missions lead you and your teammates to various locations around the world, allowing you to showcase your presence as Overwatch heroes against every threat. The developers compared this mode to the Adventure Mode of Diablo and claim it will provide high replay value.
To keep the missions exciting, Blizzard has incorporated the following functions:
- Many maps spread across the globe
- Including maps from Overwatch 1
- The above-mentioned level system
- Brings progression for the individual heroes
- New talents to unlock
- Missions on the same map vary
- Changing objectives and tasks
- Different enemy types
The expansive scope, the variability of the missions, together with leveling favorite heroes sounds like a really fun experience. However, how the talents and co-op missions fit into the game ultimately remains to be seen.
What other news about Overwatch was shared at BlizzCon? During the opening show and later on the panel for Overwatch, several new details about the shooter were revealed. Check here if you want to know more:
What do you think about the new level system? Fun or do you prefer PvP?
