Overwatch 2 Stadium: A game-breaking mode to save the game

Stadium is the redefining game mode coming to Overwatch 2 (OW2) in Season 16. New features within the mode are akin to shooter games, with some elements from multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) titles. Releasing with a roster of at least 14 heroes and a fully revamped user interface (UI), Stadium has already been drawing the attention of the OW2 faithful.

Although a video reveal is coming soon, we have already seen some interesting aspects of Stadium via streamers that were given an early experience in the new mode. From these, we have picked up a few of the hero mod customizations, abilities, and skills. Furthermore, it also does appear that the roster on launch could be more than 14 heroes, but we will have to wait and see.

As mentioned previously, Stadium will see many features from different game genres thrown into the mix. Similarly to VALORANT or Counter-Strike 2 (CS2), players will start each round in a “buy-phase.” During this, players can put together various builds for their hero, with some crazy abilities to choose from. Some abilities will empower skills, others can increase your magazine size, so there is a lot of choice.

Players will also have the option to buy boosts to their abilities. This includes adding lifesteal or extra damage to certain skills. Each hero has various powers, abilities, and skills to choose from, so it can take a bit of time to find what is going to work. To obtain these powers, players will utilize Stadium Cash, which are earned during the game, although at least 3,500 Stadium Cash are available during the first round. As you progress through the game, you can sell these and pick up new ones, and in the late game, some of the powers are wild.

A single game of Stadium is a best-of-seven (Bo7), something very similar to other shooter titles. At rounds 1, 3, 5, and 7, players will get a free choice of the aforementioned powers or abilities. This means that by the time the game gets to its final round, everyone will be armed to the teeth and ready to fight.

Games in the mode are stated to be, at shortest, 15 minutes. But it can reach well over 30 minutes, depending on how everyone plays. This means that once you sit down and queue into Stadium, be ready to focus.

When it was originally announced, Blizzard revealed that at least 14 heroes from the OW2 roster would be available on release. However, from player testing, this seems to be up to 16. With that said, Blizzard has made it clear that a lot of what is in the testing environment is not finalized. During player testing, the 16 heroes seen to choose from are:

It should also be noted that during Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 Stadium Spotlight video released in February, Mei was spotted, although greyed out as unpickable from what we could tell. In later videos, Mei is not present in the hero choice menu, leading us to believe that she is still a work in progress. This is very likely for other OW2 heroes, too, with Blizzard stating that they would be working on bringing out the full roster over time.

On paper, it could seem like this new mode is just OW2’s take on similar shooter titles. However, from everything we have seen, it fits very well into the game’s universe. The maps are mostly remade versions of the OW2 maps we know and love, while also adding in new ones, too. In Stadium, the maps will be Clash, Control, or Push. This means that during a single game, there will be multiple playstyles to utilize.

One aspect of the game that seems to be pushed by the developers is that they want the abilities to be game-breaking. This means that once players are picking up epic hero powers, everything is going to get out of control. Another interesting feature is that of being able to play in the third-person. This allows for peaking corners without being seen and swapping between first and third person perspectives.

In a lot of what we have seen, many are heralding OW2 Stadium as a “savior of the game.” However, that remains to be seen when Season 16 lands on April 22 and the majority of the player base gets their hands on the new mode. For now, we are patiently waiting on the gameplay trailer, which releases on April 14.

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