Both the alpha and the beta for Overwatch 2 have been released. 

The beta lasted until the 17th of this month and the game will hopefully release sometime this summer. Let’s just say, it’s definitely not the same game as the first. 

One of the major changes in the new five player teams. Instead of two tanks, dps, and supports, now there is only one tank. This is going to give healers a big challenge as they will have to focus on healing the tank now that there won’t be any off-tanks. This also puts a lot of pressure on tanks without shields, putting more focus on tanks like Sigma and Reinhardt. 

Speaking of tanks, a dps hero has been turned into a tank. The character Doomfist has been changed to a tank and was given a new ability with it. Instead of his uppercut, he now holds up his fist and blocks damage from other heroes. When he is damaged while doing this, it makes his charge ability stronger. There is also a minor change to his power slam where it damages in a larger radius. I’m not a huge fan of the change, but I’m also not a huge fan of Doomfist so I don’t feel too strongly about it. 

Doomfist wasn’t the only hero to get changes. Many heroes experienced changes, but the most prominent ones were Bastion and Orisa. Bastion received a new ultimate ability where he can choose spots to launch high damaging missiles, acting like an artillery strike. His self healing ability was also removed to add a grenade as a secondary fire.

The final change that was added was to his turret mode. Instead of lasting forever, the ability only lasts 8 seconds, but he can now move while in this mode. I do think the original version of him is better, but I don’t hate these changes. I would’ve preferred that they kept his self heal instead of the grenade, but I guess it’s not terrible. 

Orisa also received a lot of changes. Her shield was removed and was replaced with an energy javelin. She can throw it and stun enemies as well as spin it to block damage for a few seconds. She also gets a new ultimate ability where she spins the javelin and slams it into the ground. The longer she spins it, the more damage this does.

I personally don’t like this change, they are removing the second best shield in the game and a mobile shield hero is something this game really needs. If they kept her shield but maybe got rid of her Fortify ability, then they could keep the javelin and the new ult. I do like the javelin, and I think the ult is really cool, but it’s not enough to justify getting rid of her shield. 

Along with these new hero mechanics, there is also a new game mode being introduced. The new mode Push is one of the most interesting things being added. Both teams have to try to protect a robot pushing a barrier. Whichever team pushes the robot the furthest into enemy territory wins. This is very interesting as this means there’s no set attack or defense. Both teams are fighting for the same objective and it looks like a lot of fun. 

We are also getting four new maps, two of them being push maps. The maps are named Rome, Toronto, Midtown, and my personal favorite, Circuit Royal. 

Midtown is a map based in New York, and fans are very excited about it. A New York map is something fans have been asking for, and Blizzard really delivered. I think it will fit the Hybrid game mode very well. 

The map that has everyone talking though is Circuit Royal. It is a new Escort map that takes place in Monaco. The thing that has fans excited is the design of this map. There is so much detail in the buildings and the lighting, you can really tell Blizzard put a lot of effort into it. This is one of the few maps that I can actually call beautiful. 

There is also a change in the time of day in certain maps. We get to see things like Route 66 at night or Lijiang Tower in the day. While this is a minor change, it’s a nice way to give a fresh and unique look at these maps we know and love. It also highlights the great lighting the game has. 

Overwatch 2 will also feature a new hero, Sojourn. She is a dps and her main weapon is a railgun. The primary fire is similar to Soldier 76’s rifle and when she damages heroes with it, it charges the secondary fire, which is a powerful railgun shot. She also has a slide ability and an energy grenade.

When we were told we were getting a new hero, I don’t think anyone was expecting or wanting another dps. Our last new hero was Echo who came out in April of 2020, and our last new hero that wasn’t a dps was Sigma. That was in 2019. The fact that we waited over two years to get another dps is just baffling. We only have nine tanks and seven supports. We didn’t need seventeen dps. 

There are also more minor changes like the change of Cassidy’s flashbang to Tactical Grenade, the way Sombra’s hacking works, and other minor hero changes. Sombra’s hacking changes are fine, but I’m not a fan of Cassidy’s change. His flashbang fit his character, but now he has a magnetic tech grenade. That’s real western am I right? 

While there are a lot of changes, it’s not enough in my opinion to justify making an entire new game. Unless players who own the first Overwatch get it for free, I don’t see the point. For the most part it’s just Overwatch with better graphics and a new UI. Sure there’s some new maps and one new hero, but it’s just not enough.

If they made a list of new maps and brought back some fan favorites, it might be a different story. But with only four new maps, that’s just disappointing. I love Overwatch, and I am excited for Overwatch 2, but I am not gonna pay $30 to play Overwatch But Shiny. Hopefully once the game releases they’ll have some time to make changes, but we can only hope right now.