Overwatch online only archive#
These missions appear to build off the Overwatch Archive seasonal events from the past few years. By the sound of it, Overwatch 2 is more like a big expansion that focuses primarily on PvE missions. Well, it's a sequel to Overwatch, but not in the way that we usually think about sequels (opens in new tab). The dynamic missions will also include NPCs and unique objectives that sound like a more robust version of the PvE missions we already have in the base game. There will be story-based missions and repeatable 'Hero Missions' that will help you earn unique abilities for heroes. We didn't hear anything more about the robot-on-robot Push mode at BlizzCon 2021.įor PvE, we heard a lot of the same things that Blizzard pitched when the game got announced. It may be replaced by a new mode that Blizzard feels confident in like Push. Former game director Jeff Kaplan suggested, for instance, that the unpopular two capture point mode may be gone forever in Overwatch 2. Tanks will be modified to play more aggressively (Reinhardt's current iteration lets him throw two Firestrikes per cooldown and cancel his charge at will) now that there's only one per team.īlizzard also stated its intention to revamp game modes as needed. On the PvP side, the team discussed the big changes to the design and balance philsophy that we've now seen come to fruition in the beta.
We now have a much better sense of how Blizzard is tweaking Overwatch around its sequel. Overwatch 2 didn't get the same opening ceremony treatment that its Blizzard cousins, but that hardly means it didn't have any exciting announcements.
Overwatch online only full#
Watch the full Overwatch 2 BlizzCon 2021 video (opens in new tab) hereīlizzCon 2021 was the last time we heard anything major about the whole of Overwatch 2, largely because BlizzCon 2022 was cancelled. Blizzard is experimenting with "role passive" bonuses (opens in new tab) that would help differentiate Overwatch's three core roles.We got a good look at Sojourn's weapon (opens in new tab), an assault rifle/railgun combo that looks very satisfying.New changes are coming to Tanks (opens in new tab) to make them play like "toe-to-toe brawlers".The change has already had some bizarre results, even beyond the sudden shift from 6v6 matches to Overwatch 2's 5v5: while playing on one of the game's new maps in May, the Florida Mayhem esports team were forced to replay a round after performing what Blizzard ruled an "illegal maneuver," (opens in new tab) having utilized an unintended map exploit. Rather than using the existing version of Overwatch, players in the 2022 season of the Overwatch League are instead competing in an early build of Overwatch 2's PvP multiplayer. Competitive teams are using a build of Overwatch 2 in 2022 But it's likely we'll get some commentary on all the big Blizzard projects once the deal turns over, much like any kid-enormous-corporate-conglomerate or small-Microsoft will want to play with their new toys. It's unlikely we'll see much in the way of effects for awhile, since Overwatch 2 might not be out until 2023, and the deal itself hasn't been finalized yet. When it comes to Overwatch 2, though, what this means is still uncertain. In case the internet has been out for you and you missed the news that Microsoft is acquiring Activision Blizzard in their quest to assemble video-game-developer-Voltron, well, it's happening. What does the Microsoft purchase mean for Overwatch 2?
By decoupling the two modes, Blizzard has been able to begin its PvP betas earlier than it might have otherwise been able to.ĭoes this mean Overwatch 2 will release in some form in 2022? That much isn't clear, but since it seems like PvE is taking longer than expected, the new PvP additions now have more room to breathe. While Overwatch 2 was originally conceived as a single package, stalls in the development of its PvE mode have led Blizzard to split the game's PvE and PvP content into separate releases, at least for the beta period.
(Image credit: Blizzard) Blizzard is splitting up Overwatch 2's PvP and PvE releases