Season fourof the esteemedOverwatchfranchise has finally arrived, bringing with it countless new cosmetics, features, and game modes for fans to relish in. With such an exhilarating update fueling the engines of gamers worldwide, it’s inevitable some of therecent changesto the lucrative title will be going over the heads of passionate players.
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From hero reworks to entire systems being removed, season four has brought an array of alterations through its appearance, ones that will ultimately reshape the game’s play style for the foreseeable future. While some of these adjustments may seem minor, they definitely perform within the bigger picture of where Blizzard is takingOverwatch 2, rendering them as essential pieces of knowledge gamers should know about.
6Rank Decay
Seen within previous seasons ofOverwatch 2is the widely controversialrank decaying system. This unsavory effect downgraded player’s competitive ranks after periods of absence from the game and at each season’s kickoff, leaving gamers frustrated at having to climb the competitive ladder in order to reach their hard-earned spot once again.
Maintaining a deserved position amongOverwatch 2’s cut-throat leaderboard isn’t an easy task to begin with, yet having to restart multiple times proves a formidable task to say the least. However, this loathsome scheme has since been abolished from the title, amending player’s confusions and ultimately portraying a more accurate depiction of their competitive stature and rank within the community.
5Brigitte / Moira Rework
With each season comes an array of hero patches, buffing or nerfing individual characteristics and abilities, however, within season four, support iconBrigittehad a game-changing rework to her skill set. Dreading a return to 2018’s Brigitte-centered META (Most Effective Tactics Available), her new hero rework have some players anticipating a round two, with herRallyultimate enlarging her shield’s size, and allowing her to stun multiple enemies at once.
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Not only didTorbjorn’s daughter get gifted a rework, butso did the Irish scientistMoira, inevitably enhancing her performance and skyrocketing her pick-rate within intense matches. Applicable to herCoalescenceultimate, gamers are now able to utilize her immortalFadeability while it’s active, definitively making it harder to eliminate her, and rendering this change as potentially crucial to those that missed this alteration.
4Competitive Point Reward System
Birthed within the franchise’s first iteration is the competitive points reward system, a cherished feature within the game that allows players to earn arenowned golden gunfor their preferred hero. Acquired through triumphant victories, stagnant draws, and a gamer’s final rank withinOverwatch’s competitive season, fans are able to tally up their points in a bid to unlocking glimmering weapon wraps, ones that not only showcases their skill, but also their stylishly bright presence on the battlefield.
Despite this sounding unfair for those struggling to win, their chances of achieving competitive points have significantly increased with the release of season four. Bolstering disgruntled gamers' shots atpicking up golden weapons, the amount in which they earn has been heightened by hundreds per rank, having those as low as bronze gain three hundred as opposed to the standard seventy-five.
3Map Pools
Wielding a whopping twenty-three maps inOverwatch 2, Blizzard’s implementation of their so called ‘map pools’ was a peculiar system to put it lightly, having the majority of fans puzzled as to why certain maps would attract more attention as opposed to others.
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However, a full-scale return offan-favourite mapshas unfolded within season four, completely abandoning the odd feature in its entirety. With that said, the joyous arrival of dearly missed environments such asHollywoodandEichenwaldehave impacted the community on a monumental level, with some arguing it as the best decision Blizzard could have made forOverwatch 2, dubbing it as essential to the future of the title’s growth.
2Competitive Titles
Customization is of prominent priority to Blizzard, therefore the debuting of player titles withinOverwatch 2’s lucrative launch was a no-brainer for those that relish inall things cosmetic. Earning these stylish name pieces isn’t a serious challenge, as the avenues in which gamers can earn them are plentiful, ranging from simply winning matches as a specific role to finishing the season in a certain competitive rank category.
Despite these decorative additions, fans were soon facing backlash and confusion from their teammates and opposition due to gamers receiving the same form of title whether placed within role que or open que. Players would often be left baffled at which mode they truly earned that rank, as placing, let’s say Diamond, within both que types would grant the title ‘Diamond Challenger’. However, this has since been rectified within season four, assigning the que type within the title, such as ‘Diamond Role Challenger’, inevitably relinquishing any bewilderment
1Stranded Spawn System
A huge element within fierceOverwatchmatches is the tactical strategy of ‘staggering’. If coordinated accordingly and coerced with the correct communication among teammates, enemies that have recently lost an objective are easily killable while they’re exiting their previous spawn room, thus staggering their ability to regroup with their team and allowing for extra time to prepare for the next team fight.
Nevertheless, this feature was a one-way street in terms of who it benefited, therefore Blizzard’s resolution to defer this from occurring has ultimately led to the ‘stranded spawn system’. As of now, fans are able to avoid being picked offwithin escort mapsby simply pressing a button and teleporting to the next spawn room, granting them the possibility to regroup with their squad in order to engage the enemy quicker. Although this may seem like a minor change, it could certainly mean the difference between successful win, or a sorrowful loss.
Overwatch 2is available to play on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
