Overwatch 2 beta dazzles you straight away with its stunning graphics that surprisingly do not severely impact its frame rates. But underneath its beautifully designed maps and characters, does this game have enough to warrant being called a sequel? I spent a few hours playing the ongoing closed beta to find out. Instantly, the UI changes are apparent, with the in-game scoreboard now boasting a classic look, which is in line with other first-person shooters out there. The Hero Select menu has also seen some minor adjustments.
On the other hand, the matchmaking wait times in Overwatch 2 beta were abysmal. The Quick Play matchmaking is divided into Tank, Damage, and Support queues similar to the previous game. Tank and Damage queues had wait times of over 5 to 10 minutes, while I had to only wait a couple of minutes to play Support. The Priority Passes had no significant effect on the wait times either. Since this was the first closed beta, I’m hopeful things improve in the future.
Having installed the game on an SSD, the load times were insignificant on PC. Whether I was waiting in the lobby or warming up in a Skirmish, the Overwatch 2 beta smoothly transitioned to the match. Once in the game, I could straight away communicate with my team mates through voice chat. There is also a chat wheel and a new ping system in place for players that do not have a microphone.
Orissa and Doomfist are the only two Heroes to receive major reworks. The developers at Blizzard Entertainment have decided to shift Doomfist from a DPS to a tank. On the other hand, Orissa has been handed a new set of abilities which makes aggressive plays more rewarding.
In terms of content, disappointingly there aren’t many new or significant changes to report. The Overwatch 2 beta currently mostly includes reworked maps from the first Overwatch game, like Eichenwalde and Ilios. Most of the Heroes have also been left untouched except for their updated designs.
Overwatch 2 beta introduces a new game mode, Push, that arrives with the Rome map. Here, both teams compete to take control of a common payload, the PushBot, and try to cover as much ground as they can, until the timer runs out, or they reach the final checkpoint.
The absence of a second tank on Overwatch 2 beta meant that the team that went behind could not mount a reasonable counterattack. This could be due to the lack of tweaks made to characters that were initially designed for 6v6 matchups.
There is also a new addition to the Hero line-up on Overwatch 2 beta with the introduction of Sojourn. She is armed with a railgun that primarily shoots fast projectiles and has a devastating secondary shot. Sojourn plays very similar to Soldier: 76 and should be an easily accessible Hero for new players.
Perhaps the most significant change with Overwatch 2 beta is the switch from 6v6 to 5v5 matches. Teams now consist of two healers, two DPS, and a solo tank. This transition has appeared to cause some major balancing issues. Most of the games that I played went heavily in favour of the team first to establish control over the objective.
