Overwatch 2 to feature 5v5 matches, only one tank per lineup

The Overwatch 2 developer PVP livestream brought more information about the game. Aaron Keller, Geoff Goodman and Dion Rogers from the Overwatch 2 development team highlighted some of the biggest changes coming to Overwatch 2. While there were numerous changes to the game, the biggest changes come in the form of 5v5, the changes to tank heroes and some quality of life UI improvements.

With five players per team, each player now has the opportunity to have a larger individual impact on the team. Since there is just one tank per team, healers feel stronger as they can heal faster and be more active. At the same time, with two healers and one tank, the tank feels stronger and tankier. Overwatch 2 brings a lot of cover and players can use the environment a lot more compared to maps in Overwatch 1.

The developers said they have tried 4v4 format, “3 DPS, 2 support, 1 tank format” and also a 7v7 format in-game. They also tried a “4DPS, 1 tank, 1 healer”, but it was quickly dropped due to the absurdity of the composition.

A move to a 5v5 format brings Overwatch on par with many other esports titles. Games like Dota 2, CS: GO, League of Legends all feature 5v5 format. While the developers have experienced with different lineups, the 5v5 format brings a good balance between strategic depth as well as maintaining the essence of the game.

The map draws inspiration from real-life New York with many Easter eggs in the game. The map's design allows players to move around a lot more focusing on movement around the map instead of static gameplay.

There is only one tank per team now, but tanks also have more versatility now. Reinhardts can cancel charge now and have two Firestrike charges, which adds a lot more usage to tanks. Previously, tanks in Overwatch were all about shields and positioning, but Overwatch 2 allows tanks to be much more versatile. Reinhardt can also better control the direction of his charge, allowing more control of his movement through team fights.

Zarya also has two charges to her bubble now. While the game is still in playtesting mode, Zarya seems to be extremely strong with the double bubbles. The tank can quickly ramp up the charges and deal massive amounts of damage to the enemy.

With only one tank per team and two healers, tanks suddenly feel extremely more viable and survival. Ever role gets a passive related to their role. So tanks will get knockback reduction. One of the most common complaints for off-tank heroes such as Roadhog was that they generate more ultimate charge quickly. Tanks now generate less ultimate charge for shooting you. which should bring more nuance to their gameplay.

Zenyatta players can see the portrait of the hero that they are targeting with their Harmony and Discord orbs in the center of the screen. In the image above, Zenyatta's Harmony orb is on Torbjorn. This quality of live improvement will be a significant improvement for Zenyatta players who can now see a visual representation of where they are using their abilities. Previously, support all support heroes could see was the name of the player they are healing or targeting.

The Push game mode sees both teams vying for control in the map. There is a bot that positions itself in the middle of the map in this game mode. Teams brawl out in the open and similar to a payload map, the robot will push the red barricades into the team with no players to resist its movement.

The win condition for Push is that whichever team pushes the red barricades the farthest, wins. If a team manages to push the barricade all the way to the end, they also secure the win.

Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest Overwatch 2 news and updates.