Overwatch 2

Overwatch 2's beta introduces major hero reworks for 4 characters, plus small kit and ability changes to other Overwatch heroes. Here's what's changed.

The centuaurlike defense robot Orisa is radically changing in Overwatch 2, starting with the removal of her Protective Barrier shield and her Halt! graviton charge ability. He also has more control during his Charge attack, and can cancel out of it. While her Hack ability now disrupts enemy abilities for a shorter period of time, it also exposes a hacked enemy’s location to Sombra and the rest of her team. Bastion also has a new alt-fire attack, the A-36 Tactical Grenade, which fires a bomb that bounces off walls and explodes when it impacts enemies or hits the ground. In the Overwatch 2 beta, players will find very different versions of Bastion, Doomfist, Orisa, and Sombra on the roster. Overwatch 2’s first beta is now live, giving players a taste of substantial changes coming to Blizzard Entertainment’s hero shooter.

The Overwatch 2 PvP beta is now live, giving invited players and people who earn access a chance to try out the new heroes, maps, and game modes.

- Damage now builds at 130 damage-per-second for the first two seconds and then at 260 damage-per-second for the remaining duration. - “New Queen Street, in post-reconstruction Toronto, is one of our new Push maps! - Base health increased from 200 to 250 - Damage increased from 70 to 100 - “Circuit royal, the stunning future playground of the mega-rich, is Overwatch’s brand-new Escort map. - Base health increased from 200 to 250 - Damage range reduced from 15 – 200 to 15 – 100 Face your foes in the streets and piazzas outside the legendary arena, battling for command over your robotic ally. Players have eight minutes to push their team’s barricade to the end goal and win. Drive your enemies back through the shadows of skyscrapers. The beta is missing a few features like competitive mode and endorsements, but there are plenty of new things for players to try. Players fight over control of a central objective.

Having all of your stats laid bare, as they are in CS:GO, Valorant, and Rainbow Six Siege, gives both teammates and enemies ammo to 'back up' abusive comments ...

It's striking that in Overwatch 2, an objective-based game, none of the stats on the scoreboard have to do with the objective. But if useful stats are the goal, then Overwatch 2's scoreboard is already lacking. Regular Overwatch forgoes a normal scoreboard for a medal system that was actually designed to curb the toxicity of stat-obsessed teammates. Your individual stats can have gold, silver, or bronze medals that tell you how you're stacking up against your team—if you have a gold medal in damage, for instance, you've dealt the most damage of your team. It's common for players to use their medals as evidence that the rest of the team is doing poorly. There's a lot of pressure to perform well—if not to win the match, then at least to spare yourself from being harassed by other players in text or voice chat.

Get ready to meet the next generation of heroes, as Blizzard has announced a Closed Beta Test for the hotly anticipated Overwatch 2 starting today, April 26 ...

Although this upcoming test is for PC only, Blizzard does promise to include console players within future tests. With Overwatch 2 gaining steam toward its eventual release and use in esports, it’s important to remember that Activision Blizzard is still embroiled in controversy. Most importantly, and I’m gonna bold this so no one misses it, you must own a copy of Overwatch to access the beta.

The Overwatch 2 beta will be playable in the weeks ahead for those on PC. A multiplayer trial of the long-awaited sequel is now available to select ...

Become a supporter of Eurogamer and you can view the site completely ad-free, as well as gaining exclusive access to articles, podcasts and conversations that will bring you closer to the team, the stories, and the games we all love. The first Overwatch 2 beta will run between April 26th to May 17th. - Dragoneddy - Deku - DominoJack - Dohyeon

Twitch's reigning streamer-king Felix “xQc” Lengyel has delivered his Overwatch 2 verdict early on the update-come-sequel's huge Beta launch day, ...

While the heroes were the meat and potatoes of xQc’s early Overwatch 2 joy, xQc was quick to praise several other major changes too. The closed Overwatch 2 beta began on Tuesday, April 26, and xQc was one of the gaming stars invited to play. Several times xQc found himself dying to strange bugs, glitchy areas, and a simple lack of knowledge about new characters and maps. The sequel’s closed beta is set to run until May 17. “I’ve already felt like there were more options to do. There’s a freedom, he added, in resetting the meta.

The multiplayer shooter game has partnered with online streaming platform Twitch to launch its latest version.

To earn a beta drop, link your Battle.net and Twitch account. You will gain access to the Overwatch 2 PvP Beta when you redeem a Twitch drop, and you will need to install the game version on the Battle.net Launcher. Overwatch is also partnering with Twitch to celebrate the launch of the Overwatch 2 PvP Beta.

Overwatch 2 is here! Sort of! The beta for the game's multiplayer portion dropped this week, letting folks try out the dramatic changes Blizzard has made to ...

The thing is, Overwatch 2 is the perfect opportunity for Blizzard to turn things around. A willingness to change the status quo and complicate characters does a lot to make them feel like complex people, and not just videogame archetypes. What Overwatch lacks is a narrative present, and it's something I think about often in relation to games like Apex Legends. Released in 2019, Apex was a deliberately post-Overwatch take on Titanfall—an attempt to inject colourful characters into that series' grey military sci-fi universe. The presentation was impeccable, and a lot of care went into defining characters through personality, silhouetting and thematically-defined playstyles. In a post-Overwatch landscape, even games like Battlefield and Call of Duty are all-but-required to have unique characters with their own names, kits and backstories. But despite a 5v5 format change, a controversial new scoreboard and dramatic hero reworks, Overwatch 2 is still very much Overwatch, with both games set to share the same multiplayer.

The Overwatch 2 PVP Beta has entered public testing on PC. This guide will show those keen to play how to access it before others.

Open the “Game Version” dropdown box above the blue “Play” button and select “Overwatch 2 Tech Beta.” Finally, install the game, and users should finally be able to play the insanely overpowered Bastion rework. While likely to get users an invitation, signing up through official means is not a guaranteed method of gaining access to the beta. To sign up, players must ensure they own a PC copy of Overwatch (2016) and meet the Overwatch 2 system requirements. Within a few days, sign-ups may receive an email from Blizzard titled “You're In! Welcome to the first Overwatch 2 PvP Beta!” which contains instructions for accessing the beta. The Overwatch 2 PVP Beta is now live, running from April 26 to May 17, offering players a chance to test and offer feedback on the game before its release. Therefore, this guide will show Overwatch 2 fans how to guarantee their access before it ends in May.

In the clip, which was captured during the first day of the Overwatch 2 closed beta, xQc is healing his team as Mercy on Colosseo. As his teammates are picked ...

Colosseo is one of two maps that are used in the game’s new Push mode. Instead of changing direction or trying to fight, xQc jumps off the map and hangs close to the wall, using Mercy’s glide to hop along a thin ledge. In the clip, which was captured during the first day of the Overwatch 2 closed beta, xQc is healing his team as Mercy on Colosseo. As his teammates are picked off one by one, it’s clear that the enemy team is coming for him next.

The first beta for Overwatch 2 is finally here, and Blizzard is giving out access for watching qualifying streams.

Remember that this is a test build, so not everything will be polished, not everything will be included and not all changes in the beta will be final. In addition to new content, the Overwatch 2 beta will show off reworks of older Overwatch heroes. First, you'll need a copy of Overwatch to access the beta. What's notably not in the beta for Overwatch 2: assault maps. The much-maligned game mode has been removed from the sequel. The beta opened at 11 a.m. PT on Tuesday, April 26 and runs through Tuesday, May 17. It's also the debut of Sojourn, the new railgun-wielding damage hero and Overwatch's first black female character. Note that players will likely be trying out new heroes and generally approaching the beta experimentally, so past history does not guarantee that anyone will stream a specific character. If you were selected, you should get an email from Blizzard with instructions on how to access the beta. To connect your Blizzard and Twitch accounts, follow these steps. Granted, since then, there's been a pandemic, a major lawsuit about workplace culture, not to mention the Microsoft expands gaming and Xbox further, buying Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. If you weren't selected, don't panic -- Blizzard has listed a couple hundred streamers whose Twitch streams will be dropping beta access today.

Activision Blizzard is currently under investigation following accusations of harassment, discrimination, and fostering a hostile work environment.

Similarly, a good Widowmaker player is still a good Widowmaker player, but the OW 2 meta is a little too fast at the moment to support a slightly more stationary sniper. I toyed with the idea of swapping Cassidy and Ashe, but Cassidy players with good aim will be able to make up for the fact that the Hero’s new grenade just isn’t as good as their old one. Tracer and Genji shine in the current OW 2 meta thanks to their speed, evasiveness, and aggressive styles of play. Just as it was with the healers, though, the top three tanks in OW 2 at the moment are kind of in a class of their own. Sadly, it’s hard to make a case for many of the D-Tier Heroes at the moment. So, while A-Tier characters are notably more powerful than D-Tier characters, characters that share a tier tend to be roughly at the same power level. They are very good if you’re already good with them, but this probably isn’t the best time to try to learn them if you’re looking for a new tank. As such, most teams will need a healer that is going to be able to keep up with the pack and help make up for that “missing” tank in some way. Ana, Lucio, and Moira are really in a class of their own at the moment. Winston is also in a rough spot at the moment. Their styles fit the reimagined pace of the game quite well, but the next set of healers are just so good at the moment that it can be a little harder to justify picking Brigitte and Baptise over them. Everyone knew that Overwatch 2‘s new and reworked Heroes were going to impact the game’s meta, but it’s actually Overwatch 2‘s reworked 5 vs.

After months of Activision Blizzard lawsuits, 'Overwatch 2's beta is finally out. A surprising number of fans are revisiting the game, but will it last?

However, love for the series will only take Overwatch 2 so far. On the other hand, Overwatch League caster Jonathan “Reinforce” Larsson points out that the hero reworks make it a “completely new game.” For example, the beta removes Orisa’s shield, which caused headaches against certain popular team compositions. When Overwatch 2 was announced, fans were already debating whether or not buying would be worth it just for the additional story content. But actually getting access to the beta at this point isn’t just a question of interest. The golden ticket - Overwatch first received critical acclaim as a 6v6 team shooter with fantastical heroes like a robotic ninja and a Tesla cannon-wielding gorilla. The next day,viewership surged past the 1 million mark and is still rising (at this time of rising).

In the video, Dr Disrespect is defending Dorado, where the opposing team is trying to push the payload around the corner toward one of the map's final choke ...

Dr Disrespect runs down the roads and corners of Dorado, looking desperately for someone to shoot at, but no one appears. It should be a great play, but thanks to his teammates, the other team is wiped already, leaving no one for him to hit. Right as his Hanzo teammate takes out Orisa, who was the only one pushing the payload, Dr Disrespect uses his ultimate and hunts for the other team.

Activision Blizzard is currently under investigation following accusations of harassment, discrimination, and fostering a hostile work environment.

While there’s a lot to be said about how much Overwatch 2 doesn’t change about the game and whether or not this whole sequel experiment ever needed to be so complicated, it should also be noted that Overwatch 2 is almost a perfect update for lapsed Overwatch fans. If nothing else, Overwatch 2 helps you realize that one of the biggest problems with Overwatch in recent years has been the fact that Overwatch just hasn’t felt that exciting in way too long. It’s hard to deny that Overwatch hasn’t been in a good place in recent years. There’s a kind of advanced deathmatch vibe to Overwatch 2 that really helps you appreciate what a fundamentally solid shooter has been hiding under Overwatch‘s gameplay glut all these years. Now that you have to devote fewer resources to tanks, a lot of Heroes that existed on the margins of the meta feel more viable. Granted, that also means that some former tank busters and tank-focused healers are kind of in an awkward spot, but the game feels healthier overall at the moment than it has in recent years. Overwatch has long had a tank problem (too many of them were either massive walking shields or basically DPS characters), and the decision to remove one of those tanks from a team’s composition helps make it easier to appreciate each tank’s role and what they individually contribute to a team beyond how two tanks may (or may not) work together. Now that you can play Overwatch without having to constantly worry about being hit by something that makes you useless, it’s a lot easier to appreciate the flow of the average match. While that means you now have fewer things to hide behind when things get rough (and may die more on average as a result), that also means you won’t spend as much time shooting at shields rather than other players. Now that you have one less tank to worry about in Overwatch (both on your team and the opposing team), that old desire to make tanks the focus of every composition has pretty much disappeared. While that makes some sense given that Overwatch 2‘s PvP mode will essentially be a free upgrade for all existing Overwatch owners (only the game’s PvE content will require a separate purchase), fans wondered if Overwatch 2 would do enough to justify its long development time and the many ways Overwatch has suffered due to its “sequel’s” existence. While not necessarily the first system of its kind, the way that game allowed you to tag important items and objectives without needing to rely on verbal or text chat was quite the eye-opener.

It's time for another Overwatch League season. Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment. If you missed out on claiming Overwatch 2 beta access through today's ...

What’s more, you’ll be able to watch how the pros play Overwatch 2 and you’ll receive Overwatch League tokens. The rules for OWL’s Overwatch 2 beta key giveaway are here. Five tokens will drop into your account for each hour watched, and you’ll get double tokens during the following matches:

To be eligible for a drop with guaranteed Overwatch 2 PVP beta access, you'll need to watch four hours of selected Twitch streams during that eight-hour window.

It’s worth noting that you don't literally need to watch a Twitch stream to get a drop. To install the beta, follow these steps: If, say, you’re a complete newcomer to Overwatch and you don’t already have one, you’ll also need to create a Battle.net account. You can sign up for one on the Twitch website. The watch time accumulates on your account, so you can switch between channels. Blizzard might still invite more people to the beta via email, but the Drops are a guaranteed way to make it in.

Overwatch 2's Sojourn is finally available to play in the Overwatch 2 beta, but what are the best ways to make use of her abilities?

Note that you'll need a copy of the original Overwatch on PC to play the beta, which we recommend getting since Overwatch is one of the best PC games available for first-person shooter fans. Sojourn is a great hero that everyone should learn how to play, as she will undoubtedly be one of the most powerful characters in Overwatch 2 once the game releases in full. High ground gives Sojourn a clear view of the map and makes it much easier for her to deal with enemy obstacles like shields, so using Power Slide and then jumping to reach elevated positions is a strong tactic. After each shot, you need to give the weapon time to charge all the way up to 100 before you can fire further max damage energy beams. Aim center mass and give yourself the best possible chance of scoring the final blow; if you go for a headshot and miss, your opponent may escape and get to a healer or a health pack. The best way to use the ability is to fire it at a clump of grouped-up enemies or to use it to stop an injured enemy from retreating. Barriers used by heroes like Reinhardt and Sigma can be frustrating to deal with as Sojourn, but you can use Power Slide to mitigate their effectiveness somewhat. - Sojourn has excellent synergy with Zarya. Zarya's bubbles will help keep Sojourn alive as she peppers the other team with her Railgun, and Zarya's Graviton Surge Ultimate makes it very easy for Sojourn players to line up collateral headshots with Overclock. Sojourn's Disruptor Shot can also help a Zarya with high charge deal lots of damage to grouped enemies with her Particle Cannon's secondary fire. These tips will help improve your aim and efficiency with the Railgun so that you can deal as much damage as possible. Sojourn is available to play now in the Overwatch 2 beta, and something that players have realized about her is that while she has incredibly high potential, it can be tough to consistently perform well as Sojourn because of how dependent she is on smart positioning and mechanical skill. Overclock also makes Sojourn's energy beams pierce targets, allowing you to kill two or more players with just one energy beam if you're able to line up a shot. One of these heroes is Sojourn, a damage hero who performs well on the battlefield thanks to her high mobility and powerful Railgun.

It has a revamped scoreboard that makes every player's core stats visible to the entire lobby: kills, assists (which aren't yet being tracked), deaths, healing ...

Overwatch has always stood out to me because of the inclusivity, optimism and focus on teamwork at its core. Masking in-game stats gave players the choice to reveal their numbers. That sucks, but it’s par for the course for a competitive multiplayer game. K/D/A numbers can help tell the story of a match, but I worry that players will place too much onus on them and fail to look at the bigger picture when assessing their team’s performance. That will give players more ammunition to flame others, whether they’re on the same team or the opposite side. It has a revamped scoreboard that makes every player’s core stats visible to the entire lobby: kills, assists (which aren’t yet being tracked), deaths, healing and damage.

Overwatch 2's beta becomes the top streamed game on Twitch as fans seek out new gameplay and beta access through drops.

There have been reports of issues with Beta servers as fans that earned and redeemed their rewards tried to log in and play. 1.5 Million concurrent viewers for Overwatch 2 shows that despite the many delays and internal turmoil at Blizzard, fans are very interested in the game. The Official Overwatch Twitter page posted a graphic towards the end of its Overwatch 2 Beta Bash Twitch event showing that Overwatch became the number one streamed game on Twitch with a peak viewership of 1.5 Million viewers.