Blizzard shared early impressions of the beta version of Overwatch 2 and outlined what changes come as a result of player feedback.
The biggest change comes in support of the characters, with Blizzard accepting feedback that there is much more interesting new content for tank and damage players to explore.
“We believe that the most effective way to deal with this problem is to add exciting new support characters to the game,” Blizzard said in a blog post.
The development team is also working on updating the current support characters, similar to how Doomfist and Orisa received revisions that could be added to this beta, but are more likely to be included in later testing periods.
Blizzard also confirmed that more brand new characters will join Sojourn before the official launch of PvP, along with more maps and features. The beta user interface, including menus, player profiles, etc., will also receive a “significant amount of complete cleanup and refinement” before the full release.
The updated dashboard – which removed the Fire and Medal systems from Overwatch 1 and presents statistics more traditionally – will remain in place, but Blizzard is planning further changes. A “reduced damage” section will be added to track things like the amount of damage blocked or reduced by abilities, including Ana’s Nano Boost and Baptiste’s Immortality Field.
Overwatch 2 PvP beta screenshots
Blizzard also clarified that, like the overall user interface, the current dashboard is not final and the development team regularly tests different styles and layouts.
Finally, there are big changes in the ranking game, but Blizzard did not give much information about what they will be. “We are planning some significant revisions to our core ranked and competing systems,” it said, but “they are not yet ready to test publicly on a large scale.”
The sequel has certainly proved popular so far, with the gameplay of Overwatch reaching its peak in Twitch viewership after the launch of the beta version.
The closed test began on April 26 and lasts until May 17, giving selected players a chance to try out the new hero Sojourn and four new cards, plus revisions of older characters such as Bastion and Sombra.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who sometimes remembers tweeting @thelastdinsdale. He will talk about The Witcher all day.
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