The big changes for Overwatch 2 are already available for you to try out. A player has simply implemented them as a “Custom Game.”
What is so controversial? Overwatch 2 recently dealt a heavy blow to professional teams and especially their tank players during a presentation. There were three announcements that affect tank players and thus the entire matches:
- The team size decreases from 6 to 5. Instead of 12 players, only 10 will now be found in a match.
- The new, fixed group composition is 1 tank, 2 DPS, and 2 support. So one tank will be cut.
- Tanks will be significantly reworked, no longer intended to be flesh shields, but rather somewhat sturdier “Bruiser” characters.
Many professional players are therefore worried about their jobs, as the new team size could simply eliminate their role or the changes to the tanks are so massive that their performances may simply not be sufficient anymore.
The new 5vs5 mode – Already playable
If you don’t want to wait for the release of Overwatch 2, you can already experiment with the adjusted rules and get a first feeling for how the game feels with altered team sizes.
How does it work? Overwatch has offered players the possibility to create their own modes for quite some time now. It is possible to adjust pretty much all factors a bit, create completely new abilities, and make a lot of modifications.
The Reddit user Ajfis3 took this as an opportunity to create a mode with the corresponding adjustments. The corresponding code is Y4AY9.
What is new there? The changes in this custom game mode correspond to what has already been seen in the stream:
- The team size decreases from 6 to 5
- Reinhardt has 2 fire strikes, as well as a cancellable charge with more maneuverability
- D.Va’s defense matrix lasts 4 seconds again and recharges faster
- Zarya now has two charges for her shields, which share a cooldown
- Winston has a new ranged attack
- Mei’s primary fire no longer freezes, but deals more damage
- “Overhealth” is a new mechanic that combines barriers and decaying HP
- Passive role abilities:
- Tanks are pushed back less and grant less ultimate charge
- DPS characters move faster
- Support characters heal themselves automatically when they take no damage
How players are reacting: The initial reactions from players are quite positive. The changes that developers wanted—so that players no longer hide behind tanks permanently and each player has more importance—seem to be working. Support characters are also encouraged to make more use of their offensive abilities instead of just waiting and healing behind a barrier as is currently more common.
What the professionals think of these changes will likely only be known once all the new features are implemented. For until the release of Overwatch 2—likely not before 2022 or even later—quite a lot will still change.
Have you tried the changes yet? How does it feel for you to set out with a smaller group?
