After a long period of silence, Blizzard finally wants to talk about the biggest criticism of Overwatch 2 – fans are hopeful.
When Overwatch 2 was announced, a lot was promised. The major PvE mode is long off the table and is now just a sad footnote of the past. The second major change was to reduce the format from “6vs6” to “5vs5”. Instead of two tanks per team, this was reduced to one tank per team.
This sparked many discussions – a big debate for and against. Some found this change great because it brought many advantages. For others, the disadvantages outweighed and it is something that has “ruined Overwatch for them”.
Blizzard has been silent on this topic for far too long and now wants to finally say something about it.
The trailer for the current season of Overwatch 2:
What was said? Aaron Keller, the Game Director of Overwatch 2, sparked a discussion on X (formerly Twitter) about tanks. However, the community repeatedly brought up one topic – 6vs6. This very topic has been avoided by Blizzard in past discussions, which was only received “so-so” by players.
Now, Keller explained that they finally want to discuss and reveal Blizzard’s perspective on it – but only in the next “Director’s Take” or “Dev Update” – depending on where the topic fits better.
What is the discussion about? Since the announcement of Overwatch 2, the community has been actively discussing – and sometimes heatedly – whether the switch from 6vs6 to 5vs5 was reasonable and good. The team composition of 2-2-2 (2 tanks, 2 support, 2 DPS) was reduced to 1-2-2 – one tank was removed. This was supposed to make fights more dynamic and generally reduce team size.
Back then, there was already a lot of criticism about it, especially because professional teams also suddenly had to say goodbye to a teammate.
What are the advantages of 5vs5? With only one tank, the fights have become significantly more action-packed. Towards the end of Overwatch 1, there was a rather boring meta often referred to as “Barrier-Watch” – because you were essentially just shooting at barriers. While one tank blocks, the other charges the barrier again, resulting in a permanent exchange where the attacking team has to run against barriers for a very long time.
With smaller team sizes, the fights are clearer and the performance of each individual hero can have a greater impact on the entire match. Each person can shine more often than would be the case in 6vs6.
What are the disadvantages of 5vs5? Tanks now have a much larger burden to bear. Instead of two tanks sharing the task, one tank now has a large part of the responsibility. When the tank falls, the team usually retreats or gives up the corresponding fight to regroup. Consequently, tanks also receive criticism more often because mistakes in a solo role are immediately noticeable.
Tanks often play “Rock, Paper, Scissors” against each other. As soon as the opposing tank switches their character to counter their own tank, the tank must in turn switch at the next best opportunity. Thus, tanks rarely have the chance to play a character for long stretches or must live with the fact that they have a soft counter as an opponent.
In summary, tanks are currently the players with the greatest frustration in Overwatch 2. They have high responsibility and often low enjoyment because they constantly have to switch their character while feeling more pressure than other roles.
What does the community hope for? The opinion in the community is relatively divided – there are some who mourn 6vs6, while others welcome 5vs5. Finding a healthy solution for everyone is nearly impossible. However, for 5vs5 to truly work, more changes are needed, especially for the tanks – this seems to be a largely agreed upon view.
Whether Blizzard will actually take a step back and reintroduce the 6vs6 format in Overwatch 2 remains to be seen. However, that would be somewhat ironic. Because then one of the last major changes that differentiate Overwatch 2 from Overwatch 1 would also be history – after the PvE mode has long since died.
