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After months of radio silence, Blizzard has finally opened up about the future of Overwatch 2, announcing a PvP beta coming later this April. The announcement soon broke the sign-up system on Battle.net, stopping any possible players from being able to sign up to the Overwatch 2 beta. The sequel to Blizzard’s iconic 6v6 shooter was originally announced in 2019. Since then, players have had little to no information regarding the game and its release date. That looks set to change with the introduction of the beta though, with the opportunity to go hands-on sure to bring with it plenty of new details about the game.
Overwatch 2 had suffered from a series of delays as well as a series of scandals involving Activision Blizzard, making the wait for the hero shooter longer than expected. The sequel to the original Overwatch will feature a fleshed-out story mode, more PvE elements, and a reworked 5v5 multiplayer. Earlier in February, some leaks stated that the Overwatch 2 beta would release later in March. It seems those leaks were almost true, with the beta now confirmed to be late April.
Blizzard Entertainment has promised many new changes coming to Overwatch 2, including new hero looks and reworks. As detailed on the official Overwatch website, players who get access to the beta will be able to play as the new hero, Sojourn, traverse four new maps, and try out some new hero reworks. On top of this, the beta will feature a new PvP game mode known as Push as well as a new ping system. The beta is set to give players a taste of all the brand new content coming to Overwatch 2, including the new dynamic weather system.
Overwatch 2’s Beta Will Introduce The New Hero Sojourn
Sojourn was first introduced in Overwatch 2‘s gameplay announcement trailer in 2019. She was seen multiple times in pictures from various cinematics but was never really seen in action besides that first look, which hinted at her weapons and skill-set. Blizzard showed some of the heroine’s gameplay, and how she sports a rail gun that can charge up but greatly relies on aim skill. The gun also has an alternate rapid firing mode similar to Widowmaker’s sniper when the player is not aiming down sights. Not a lot of information on her ultimate or secondary abilities has been given yet, but the beta should hopefully rectify that situation when it launches next month.
Overwatch 2‘s new hero Sojourn will be the second Canadian character and first black female character in the series. The first Canadian hero is Pharah, who is biracial – being Egyptian, and First Nation. Likely to be another DPS hero, she is set to follow Echo as the next playable character in the series. Echo released earlier for Overwatch, while Sojourn stayed on the sidelines for the upcoming sequel. However, players will not have much longer to get their hands on Sojourn’s rail gun and abilities.
Four New Maps Will Be Included In Overwatch 2’s Beta
Four new maps are set to be introduced to Overwatch 2‘s beta. While there has not been a lot of pictures showing how these maps look, the regions they take place in are easy to pinpoint. Colosseo for example will likely be in Rome, a new map originally teased for Overwatch 2 at BlizzCon 2021. Other maps that were shown during BlizzCon 2021 were Toronto, Rio de Janeiro, and Monaco. New York City may also be a map that will be shown in the beta, with a hybrid map called Midtown being confirmed to be playable in April.
Two of the new maps, Colosseo and New Queen Street, are set to be dedicated for Overwatch 2‘s new game mode, Push. Midtown is set to be a hybrid map, likely for multiple different PvP game modes. Circuit Royal is another new map coming to the beta which could be part of Monaco, which was seen in BlizzCon 2021. This map is set to be dedicated to the escort game mode. It is possible that all of these maps will also be available for Overwatch 2‘s PvE game modes as well.
Push Is A Brand New Game Mode Coming To Overwatch 2
Push is a brand new PvP game mode being introduced to Overwatch 2 which will basically be a game of tug of war between teams of five players. Players will escort a robot in the middle that each team will first fight for control over. Once one team gains control of the robot, they will escort it as it pushes a barricade towards the enemy team’s spawn. The game mode seems to be a mix of both control and payload, although it remains to be seen just how exactly it’ll work in practice.
Push primarily relies on flanks and is designed to be one of the game’s most hectic game modes. Players can take shortcuts and flank enemy sidelines while the robot pushing the payload takes a slower route. Although this game mode will be a big feature of the sequel’s beta, players who already have the original Overwatch will not have to purchase Overwatch 2 in order to play PvP modes like Push.
Bastion & Sombra Will Be Getting Reworks In Overwatch 2
Four hero reworks will be available for players in the first beta for Overwatch 2. Heroes Sombra, Orisa, Doomfist, and Bastion will be the first four reworks that players can try out. Sombra’s rework was shown a few months ago and boasted less of a cooldown on her hacking abilities as well as a new ability that allows the Brazilian hero to deal more damage to her hacked targets and see them through walls. Orisa and Doomfist are set to get reworks as well, although not a lot of information has been revealed about what has been changed. On top of this, Sombra has been redesigned in Overwatch 2.
Bastion is set to get a major rework in Overwatch 2. The lovable robot hero will no longer be able to self-repair, which has been replaced with an alternate firing mode, allowing him to fire an explosive projectile that can bounce off of walls and stick to enemies. His recon gun has also been changed, allowing him to be more precise, making it more of a scout rifle than sporting a full auto spread. Bastion’s ultimate no longer makes him a tank anymore, but instead turns him into an artillery cannon, allowing players to pick any three targets on the map to bombard. Bastion can still turn into a tank as an alternate ability, although it has a much slower movement speed than in the first game.
Almost three years after its original announcement, the upcoming beta for Overwatch 2 will finally allow players a chance to go hands-on with the game. No exact date has been given as to when it will drop as of this moment, but that will more than likely change the closer April gets. After a few years where not many details came out surrounding Overwatch 2, there’s hope that the beta could signal a shift and provide players with a more regular stream of announcements and updates.
Source: Overwatch
