Overwatch is dead, alive Overwatch 2. Eight years after the release of its FPS, Blizzard revisits it with many changes. PVP, PVE, economic model, graphics, battle pass: a little survival guide to find your way around.
That’s it ! After months of development, Overwatch 2 is available to everyone. The launch, which occurred on October 4, was not easy for Blizzard. On D-Day, the studio was faced with a double difficulty: first, there were many players who tried to access the servers, to discover this sequel. Then the publisher was the target of a cyberattack.
But what is it, Overwatch ? And above all, what changes with Overwatch 2 ? If you haven’t followed any of Blizzard’s new directions, here’s a survival guide summarizing the main developments. One of them is available immediately. The other – which is the most innovative for the game – will not arrive until much later, in 2023.
But what is it, Overwatch ?
Overwatch is a video game developed and published by the American studio Blizzard Entertainment. It is a shooter in first person view (FPS, first person shooter), futuristic and competitive. We are part of a team, with other people. The goal ? Face and defeat the enemy squad by completing the objectives of the chosen game mode, on different combat areas — the maps.
The players embody characters – there are more than thirty of them – who have various skills. They can be grouped into three main categories: Tanks, who open the way and resist damage better (and thus protect their comrades), Healers, who provide support to the team, and Attack heroes, who inflict damage. damage.
What changes with Overwatch 2 ?
The main change lies in the format of the teams. No more six-on-six squads. With Overwatch 2, we are now moving to five-on-five matches. Blizzard wants to make games even more dynamic. In fact, this changes the “meta” of the game (that is to say the composition of the team) since there is one less player in each camp.
In Overwatch, the composition was built around the format of two tanks, two healers and two attack heroes. There could be variations, especially at high levels, but classic matches usually featured this meta. In 5v5, there is one less tank. In fact, there is less protection on both sides and more opening to attempt assaults.
And the PVE of Overwatch 2, then?
Alas, the most innovative segment ofOverwatch 2 is not yet available for release. This PVE game mode, which will face scenarios against artificial intelligence through a story and adventures for the heroes, is expected in 2023. There will be exclusive skills for this PVE mode, with a system of talent tree.
This is a significant change for Overwatch : the game was oriented only on PVP (player versus player, i.e. player against player). There were certainly PVE events, but rare. They could be played solo or cooperatively. PVE is the opposite of PVP: you face the environment (player versus environment), so anything controlled by the game.
That’s all ?
Overwatch 2 is obviously not just a PVP mode from 6v6 to 5v5 and a PVE mode that does not exist today. The game gets a welcome graphical upgrade, with a new game engine and redesigned and better-modeled characters. New skins are also appearing and a partial overhaul of talents has also been decided.
Overwatch 2 also includes three new characters (Kiriko, Sojourn and the queen of the junkers) and others will follow. There’s also a new game mode — Blizzard promises to come up with more in the future. There are also six additional cards (again, others will be provided). Cross-play is guaranteed and progress is shared on the same account, regardless of the platform.
On the side of the competitive game mode, the requirements have been changed to prevent the matches with the highest stakes from being hindered by individuals with nefarious intentions. You will need to win 50 quick matches to unlock competitive play. It is also a question of avoiding that a beginner arrives in a serious game and that he is not at all in the game.
A new business model
It’s not just the experience in game changing. There is experience of game. With the previous opus, Blizzard had opted for an economic model combining the purchase of the game and an internal store in which you could acquire loot boxes ( loot boxes) whose content is random. All this goes down the drain with Overwatch 2.
Now access is free. Anyone can enjoy the title without dropping a single euro. This is the basis of “free to play”. But, how does Blizzard make money? By a paid battle pass system (battle pass), which it is technically possible to unlock without paying – but to make life easier, many will prefer to take out the CB.
To encourage its community to re-spend money regularly, Blizzard follows a logic of seasonality: after a few weeks, a new period opens. We offer new heroes, new cards, additional models (skins), and so on. Season 1 premiered on October 4. Season 2 is expected on December 6.
Thus, a premium battle pass immediately entitles you to a new heroine (Kiriko) and accelerates the experience earned during Season 1 by 20%. In addition, it unlocks an exclusive mythical model, five legendary models, an epic model and a swarm other small cosmetic gifts. And it will repeat itself season after season.
Hard work awaits players
This is the question that is debating. Certainly, Overwatch 2 is free, but Blizzard has chosen a very progressive opening of the content of its game. For those who land in this universe, it will be necessary to make a hundred matches, to be entitled to all the characters of the first Overwatch. This does not apply to those who have played Overwatch… or who buy a special pack.
The studio has obviously given an explanation for this soft approach: it’s about introducing the game to newcomers in stages – yet, one could argue that the discovery ofOverwatch was not insurmountable, and that it was not useful to put such obstacles. Only exception: in case of group play, with friends, these limits will be lifted for the most part.
Blizzard justifies many of these changes through a new battle plan, called “defensive matrix”. The company is actually trying to prepare for the shift to free-to-play, which can bring bad behavior with it. To limit the effects, the studio imposes certain restrictions at the beginning, which can be lifted by playing a lot.
Still, the problem of “grinding” remains, even beyond the case of beginners. You have to play a lot to hope to reach the last level of each season – there are 80 for the first. There was also a controversy, since Kiriko had to be unlocked at level 55. Finally, the owners ofOverwatch have it as standard (but not other players).