With Overwatch 2 officially replacing the original game, you may wonder exactly what’s changed in this sequel. At first glance it doesn’t seem like a lot – and it’s true that many of the changes are minor stat tweaks – but there’s also some pretty important stuff you need to know before jumping into your first game. We’ve rounded up all the biggest differences in this new game so you can be fully prepared.
If you want to know which Heroes are the best in Overwatch 2, then check out our Hero tier list for all the juicy details.
Five-a-side matches - Overwatch 2
One of the most obvious changes is that the size of teams has dropped from six to five. It may not seem that big a deal on the surface, but it’s created some quite dramatic changes to the way teams play together. Fighting as one big team is now less important compared to being good at duels and fighting solo. Every death makes a huge difference, and the momentum of battles can shift on a dime.
Battle Pass - Overwatch 2
Many cheered when it was revealed that lootboxes were gone in Overwatch 2, but the Battle Pass that has come about in its place is controversial. Battle Passes have been around for a long time now, but Overwatch 2 has made the decision to lock all of the new Heroes behind the purchasing of it. It’s not an uncommon practice, but given that the new Heroes are one of the biggest draws for this sequel, it’s left many frustrated.
Role Passives - Overwatch 2
While Overwatch has always quite clearly defined the different roles of the Heroes, now they’ve been made even more distinct with unique passive effects for each role.
DPS characters will get a boost to their movement speed and reload time whenever they secure a kill, letting them snowball several kills in a row if they play their cards right.
Tanks have a lot more knockback resistance and will build enemy ultimate gauges much slower than other characters, making them great at stalling an enemy’s momentum.
Support characters have a passive healing ability that activates when they haven’t taken damage for a little while. This helps out support characters that previously had to use healing abilities on themselves to stay in the fight, rather than on their team.
Hero Reworks - Overwatch 2
The majority of old Heroes just got some minor tweaks in Overwatch 2, but a select few got completely disassembled and rebuilt from the ground up. It’s the kind of overhaul that would never realistically happen with a simple update and is one of the main benefits of a full sequel.
Bastion has been given a lot more mobility, and their ultimate has switched to a long-range mortar shot. On top of that their primary fire rate has been reduced, but the damage has increased.
Cassidy’s Flash Bang has been removed and replaced with the Magnetic Grenade which homes in one a target.
Orisa has been made much more aggressive with a ranged spear attack that pins enemies, and it can also be used as a shield that deals damage to nearby enemies.
Finally, Doomfist has been changed from a DPS Hero to a tank who now has a shield ability instead of his uppercut. He no longer does as much damage, but his ultimate is very powerful, obliterating enemies that get caught in the blast.
Written by GLHF.
