An eager fan has created Overwatch 2 in the original game’s Workshop mode, showcasing the changes that were announced in Blizzard’s developer livestream earlier this week. First announced at Blizzcon in 2019, the standalone sequel to Overwatch will feature both PvP and PvE modes, but does not currently have a release date.
The Overwatch developers have recently gone through some major changes, with the game’s Lead Director, Jeff Kaplan announcing his departure after almost 20 years working at the company. With Kaplan’s departure, Aaron Keller now takes his place as Director for both games and has revealed some even bigger changes to the upcoming sequel during the recent Blizzard livestream. The livestream focused on the PvP features of Overwatch 2 which have not been discussed in depth until now, and came with the announcement that the sequel would no longer be 6v6 in its PvP modes – instead it'll become a 5v5 contest with the removal of the off-tank role.
After the recent Overwatch 2 developer livestream, Reddit user ajfis3, better known as Dab, decided to utilize Overwatch’s Workshop Mode to implement Overwatch 2's hero changes into the game. Dab’s Workshop preset is available on all platforms and allows players to test out the announced features to get a rough idea of how their favorite characters may perform when the sequel is released. Besides changing the teams to 5v5, the mode also disables heroes that were not showcased during the developer livestream (such as McCree, Brigitte, and Orisa) as it is speculated that they are currently being redeveloped.
Various hero changes are also implemented in the mode, with some major ones being that Reinhardt is now able to cancel his Charge ability, Zarya will have two charges to her now combined Particle and Projected Barrier, and Mei can no longer freeze enemies with her Endothermic Blaster. Overwatch 2 also introduces passives for hero roles, with tanks receiving less knockback and feeding less ultimate charge, DPS roles receiving faster movement speed, and all support roles receiving passive HP regeneration. Although the announcement of the switch to a 5v5 was met with mixed reactions from fans, those that have tried out Dab’s Workshop mode had positive responses to the changes, stating that the mode with just one tank felt less cramped and played more like the original Overwatch when it was first released.
For fans tired of the wait for Overwatch 2, Dab’s Workshop mode may be able to provide a little taste of how the game’s PvP mode may feel with the new changes. However, since the game is still a work in progress with no release date set thus far, Overwatch 2’s heroes could still have a lot more changes in store until then.
Sources: ajfis3/Reddit, ZenofyMedia/Twitter