The Overwatch 2 beta gave the game’s community of players greater insight into the game’s most impactful hero changes, including
testing out new hero Sojourn
and seeing
Orisa’s fresh rework. But many players, both professional and casual, noted that there was still something missing: A satisfying experience for the game’s heroes.
This is something that Blizzard developers addressed in a
recent blog
looking back at the first week of the Overwatch 2 beta. But just how is Blizzard planning on improving support heroes in Overwatch 2?
Will there be more support heroes in Overwatch 2?
Ever since Echo was first dropped in Overwatch, fans have been begging developers for a new support hero. There are currently eight tanks, 18 DPS, and only seven support heroes. While there are not many tanks either, many tanks were given major makeovers for Overwatch 2.
Developers reflected that the first week showed a “healthy range overall” for play rate and win rate for most heroes. While they will continue looking at gameplay and hero balance, developers felt that the heroes are mostly in a good spot and they don’t expect to make further hero balance adjustments during the current period of play.
Overwatch developers noted that support heroes were not in the best state during the game’s alpha, leaving them vulnerable to the new aggressive play style enabled at least in part by a reduction of tank heroes per team from two to one. For the beta period, developers made “significant adjustments” to the support role, allowing them to recover faster and survive a bit more easily.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdRJqx19-dU
“This change improved their overall power and durability, and overall supports are performing well in the beta, but we know that balance is only one aspect of what makes a hero fun to play. We have heard clearly that support players feel both tanks and damage players have more new content to enjoy and explore in this beta,” developers wrote.
To address this concern, the Overwatch team said they want to add “exciting new support heroes” to Overwatch 2. That is a long-term plan, however. In the more immediate future, developers want to experiment with “significant ideas” including new abilities for existing support heroes.
These changes won’t come out during the current beta test period, but Blizzard did claim they will come during the next testing period. There is currently no date for the next test, leaving support mains in a sort of limbo for now. Still, hearing that new support heroes and new abilities for existing support heroes are all in the works is definitely exciting news for support players in Overwatch 2.
Olivia Richman
About Olivia Richman
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
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