[BlizzCon 2019] Overwatch: What’s Next rundown

With Overwatch 2 announced, what’s next? Jeff Kaplan, game director, and Aaron Keller, assistant game director, were on stage at BlizzCon 2019 to give us insight into what we can expect.

NEW GAME MODE: PUSH

The first game mode since launch to be Core i.e. being available in Quick Play and Competitive. The basics of it is to escort a robot through enemy territory. Victory depends on how far you get the robot to push the barricade. Forward points get unlocked at checkpoints. Pushing the barricade to the end point to win straight away. The robot will move faster if it’s not pushing the barricade. It will also move back to its original spot if not escorted. More escorts means faster barricade pushing.

Map design is symmetrical – Toronto is demoing this mode at BlizzCon 2019 – and allows for skirmishes everywhere (unlike Control where people fight over a single point). To facilitate the mode, many shortcuts will be available for a wider variety of hero choice.

NEW PVP MAPS

As a disclaimer, maps showcased so far are still works in progress. Every core map in Overwatch 2 will be present in the first game. So far, the new maps are:

• Gothenburg
• Monte Carlo
• Rio de Janeiro (said to be twice the size of current maps. Also available for demo at BlizzCon 2019)

STORY MISSIONS

The panelists gave a rundown of the story so far. Missions will have cinematic intros and outros, with current outros being placeholders. Only specific heroes will be available based on the story. There will be obtainable items within a Story Mission; these are temporary item pick-ups that will last the mission. There will be rarity levels for the items as well. Hidden items can also be found in a map.

HERO MISSIONS

These are meant to be long-term, replayable missions, similar to Diablo‘s Adventure mode, or as world quests. They will be taking place in various locations within the game, and will also be playable in Overwatch. Objectives in Hero Missions will be rotating. All heroes can be played in t his mode. Expect to see many enemy groups; Talon and Null Sector will be making appearances as well.

PROGRESSION SYSTEM

Talents are introduced, with different ones available at different levels, varying from hero to hero. This is the team’s way to make heroes feel more powerful and versatile. Talents will not be in competitive modes.

UPGRADES TO HERO VISUALS

Overwatch 2 is not getting an entirely new engine, but the current one has received a major upgrade. The new looks are meant to make the game feel fresh, as well as show the passage of time.

HUD UPDATED

This is also still a work in progress, with the available demo maps having different HUDs to get player feedback. There is also supposedly a new announcer.

NEW HEROES

Last but not least, new heroes will be joining the game. Sojourn so far has been confirmed to be Canadian. We will also see Echo, the robot in the cinematic trailer. More will come.

Overwatch 2 will be playable on the Nintendo Switch, PC via Battle.net, Playstation 4 and Xbox One. There is no announced release date.

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