Overwatch 2 presents radical changes, add more player choice, more chaos

Sometimes, the Overwatch 2 ace, Ana Amari, just wants to drive itself. The maximum ability gives a gust of healing together with an impulse of damage and a reduction to incoming damage, which makes it a versatile combat tool that can fully convert the tables into the enemy equipment. But Ana cannot “nano” herself.

At least not until next week.

With the launch of season 15 on February 18, Overwatch 2 is adding a new skill update mechanics that change how the heroes work. It could be said that it is the biggest shaking for the game since it was launched in 2022. Players can now establish benefits of heroes, which are exclusive collectible bonds of each hero that alter their skills or other game. The advantages come in two stages, minors and older, with the first making a slight change in its kit and the second substantially changes what you can do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf5dpq7yee8

One of Ana’s main Perk options, “Shrike”, also applies Nano Boost to Ana every time he uses it in a teammate. Of course, the value of your last increases because it essentially doubles the cast, but also significantly increases your strategic options. Traditionally, you launch an impulse from Nano to any teammate who is actively fighting because it makes them kill enemies faster and also makes them more difficult to kill for enemies.

But with the advantage of Shrike? Of course, that same option still applies. But you can also use it for the healing of gust and the reduction of damage to yourself, potentially saving you when the enemy team jumps you. Or you can find an angle of flank in your enemies and use the Nano Boost to threaten the important damage of yourself and the teammate you have increased. You can even use your last ally you see to give a significant advantage in a 1V1.

The advantages and the new stadium mode give players many options

It could be said that the benefits are the biggest change announced in the Overwatch 2 Spotlight Developer update, and players will begin to choose them in a quick game and competitive ways when the new season begins. But the game developers also announced a surprising variety of changes during the year, including new game modes, new heroes, prohibitions of heroes and maps votes along with the usual news of the new cosmetics.

It is a precarious time for Overwatch. After years of being the de facto king of the Heroes shooters, the game met a formidable challenger when Marvel rivals Released in December. The rivals offered fans of family superheroes, in addition to new characteristics such as third -person perspective, destructible environments, team skills and hero prohibitions in higher ranges in competitive mode. He also used the same structure of the 6V6 open tail team that Overwatch had at the launch before moving on specific roles and then leaving a player in team in favor of a 5V5 format.

Rivals was an immediate success, reaching 20 million players only a couple of weeks after launch. Suddenly, Overwatch had a serious competition for his players. The changes announced today were not hit in two months, but they still feel like Overwatch making a statement that you are willing to adapt and give the players more and new reasons to play. this game. The advantages, for example, provide the existing players with enemies

Is it a risk? Yes. Will you need adjustment and adjustments as players discover optimal advantages? Yes. But I prefer to see that the game takes large swings like this instead of letting the game oxide while the newest games stand out.

The new game mode of the stadium, which will be launched with season 16 at some point in April, offers even more customization, adding progression elements similar to Moba to the game. The players will queue for their preferred role in a format of the best of seven that turn multiple maps and game modes in each game. And between each round, the players will spend time in a store where they can buy items and powers for their heroes, substantially changing the ways in which those characters play. It also allows the option to play in a first or third person perspective.

Again, this is a great deviation from the game that was launched almost a decade ago. But live service games must adapt. Perhaps the stadium will fail, or maybe it’s Fortnite: Battle Royale de Overwatch. The only way to discover it is to publish it and see what the players think.

Because it is a mainly different game mode from the traditional Overwatch, the stadium will be launched with its own classified mode. It will only be launched with 14 playable heroes from the current list of 42 heroes of the game, and will be added more over time.

Season 16 will also present hero prohibitions in competitive way: a characteristic that the community has been requesting and discussing for years. Later in the year, the game will also allow players to vote on the maps when entering a game.

All these changes speak with a topic: more player’s choice. “We wanted to find new ways to challenge and delight our players, and give it more choice of the game seemed the perfect solution,” said Alec Dawson, leading game designer of Overwatch in a blog post. “Enter the benefits: a system that allows us to inject a layer of strategy into each game without completely reinventing the game you know and love.”

Whether an overwhelmed hero of his competitive match for . Many more options in your hands.

What else to expect from Overwatch 2

In addition to the most innovative changes, Overwatch also mocked the most standard set of the next heroes and cosmetics. The next new hero, Freja, a rewards hunter that pushes the crossbow, will be playable in a trial later in season 15 before its official launch in season 16. It seems to be a damage hero with mobility.

Later this year, in season 18 (expected in August), we will also obtain a new hero with a “Aqua” code, which will have the ability to change the battlefield with its water skills.

The next seasons will also introduce mythical skins for Zenyatta, D.va and Juno, as well as arms skins for Mercy, Reaper and Widowmaker.

The new competitive weapons rewards that replace Jade weapons last year are galactic weapons, astral purple weapons that seem to shine with the light of the stars.

The unlikely return of loot boxes

Booty boxes are back. The original game used loot boxes as its distribution system for cosmetics: if you wanted a new skin or spray, you had to buy booty boxes and pray until you finally obtained what you wanted. However, over time, as the booty boxes became easier to unlock and, when the game added duplicate protections, lifelong players could reliably obtain new cosmetics from a few boxes for free.

Overwatch 2 presents loot boxes such as weekly and events rewards, as well as legendary loot boxes (with legendary articles guaranteed) in free battle passes and premium.

Overwatch 2 is fighting for his future

As someone who has played the game for eight years, he saw the goals come and go, survived a content drought of several years and saw his popularity to increase and fall, I think this is one of the most important moments in the history of Overwatch There is much in these ads, even if the changes do not fall at the same time, and will substantially change the feeling of things over the year.

My opinion: this is good for the game.

Yes, things like the advantages and mode of the stadium will make the game much more complex and chaotic. But, honestly, this game could use a little more chaos. Part of what has made Marvel rivals so successful, in my opinion, is that it evokes a sense of unbridled chaos that is very similar to the first days of Overwatch.

Defiestado without control, that chaos can make a game feel impossible to analyze, or make it feel that the victory is completely out of control. But the fair amount of chaos makes things fun. It keeps you alert. It makes everything feel fresh and different, and that is what this game needs right now.

Ana Nano-Boosted comes for you.