Overwatch 2 Has Plans To Fix One Of Fans' Biggest Concerns
"Overwatch" fans got terrible news in 2021, when they learned that they'd have to wait even longer for the long awaited arrival of "Overwatch 2." That being said, time passed quickly, and gamers now have their hands on a beta version of the upcoming game. Luckily, it's not too difficult to join the "Overwatch 2" closed beta on PC, and fans are busily playing and providing feedback for the latest version before it goes completely public. While "Overwatch 2" seems to keep many of the details that fans loved about the first game, it also needs to improve some of the persistent issues that plagued the original. Some reviewers, like YouTuber VideoGameDunkey, have blasted the game for feeling like it has barely changed anything for the better when compared to the first "Overwatch." Now, Blizzard has spoken out about fans' concerns over the support class in "Overwatch," assuring gamers that it's both aware of the issue and working on a fix.
A Redditor detailed some of the issues with the support class in a lengthy viral post, saying that they typically play support classes exclusively and feared that "Overwatch 2" would feature an underwhelming support character experience. The poster's main example centered on Zenyatta, who can – under the right circumstances – do massive damage to enemies. The Redditor argued that Zenyatta would normally need to be a higher level than her opponent in order to do significant damage, but clever positioning and strategy could give Zenyatta an advantage. That tactical thinking, they said, is what makes the game fun for support characters. "Overwatch 2" doesn't seem to focus on those tactics, the author said, so it favors more mobile support characters that can move quickly and efficiently, effectively making characters like Zenyatta less useful.
"Overwatch 2 leaning more towards free for all deathmatch gameplay means they are losing what made the game so fun to begin with," they explained. Luckily, devs heard this complaint (along with many others) and responded accordingly.
Devs announce a plan
Blizzard released a lengthy blog update on May 3, detailing how the beta testing was going so far and what the "Overwatch" community can expect in the future. The blog began by promising more regular updates from the team in the form of weekly blog posts, which will hopefully avoid any future confusion from fans and allow developers to be more open about the creation process. The post quickly turned to balance issues, stating that the current beta phase focuses on balance issues, but that future tests will also consider character balance. In other words, the current beta isn't necessarily a complete picture of what the finished version of "Overwatch 2" will look like.
Devs then assured players that they heard complaints regarding balance issues and would be issuing a patch later in the week. In the meantime, the blog explained that the crew also has more long-term plans for support characters. "We have heard clearly that support players feel both tanks and damage players have more new content ... Longer term, we believe the most effective way to tackle this issue is to add exciting new support heroes to the game, and that is part of our plans," developers shared.
While beefier characters like tanks and damage dealers got big upgrades in the first round of beta testing, "Overwatch 2" will see updates to support characters in the future, as well as brand new support characters to join the team. This should, in theory, help alleviate some of fans' worries and make the overall game smoother. In fact, that's the entire point of beta testing: making sure the system works before the game is polished and completed. But how did fans react to the proposed changes to the beta version of "Overwatch 2?"
Gamers seem pleased with changes
For the most part, the fans that provided feedback on the blog post seemed positive. More than the proposed future updates, gamers seemed to feel reassured by the blog's insistence on open communication between developers and beta testers. One gamer wrote, "I can't express how much I love this article. Not only is it communication, but directly addressing concerns and issues of players." By opening up a line of conversation between players and developers, Blizzard should be able to get more accurate, nuanced feedback and, in turn, make "Overwatch 2" even better.
Twitch streamer ML7 saw the blog as a victory for support players, tweeting, "If there's anything you should take from this OW2 Beta Dev blog is that putting pressure on them works and complaining is the way to go if we want the support role to not be ignored on in Overwatch 2." By vocally demanding change for the support class, players communicated that they want an improved support class in "Overwatch 2," and developers responded with an outline of what they plan to do to accommodate that. Even though reports indicate that "Overwatch 2" devs might be frustrated with their own game, improvements to the beta can only make things better.