Overwatch Season 2 Changes Brings Back a Fan Favorite and Adjustments to Heroes
Blizzard Entertainment revealed the kit for Sierra, the newest Overwatch hero, recently. Sierra is not the only addition to Season 2: Summit. Changes are coming to heroes and other systems in Overwatch. Some of the current perks are going to become part of the base kit for certain heroes. The post-match voting cards return in Season 2, but with a twist.
Perks Becoming Base Kit
Perks have become a way for the Overwatch developers to experiment with heroes‘ kits. Some have had a lasting impression on a character and become crucial to the hero’s success. As a result, the developers are adding some of the perks as part of a hero’s base kit. There are four criteria they took into account for these decisions:
- “Does this Perk help an established ability become more functional without adding complication?”
- “Does it heighten or emphasize the Hero Fantasy?”
- “Does it add utility without too much bloat?”
- “Can it give us more vectors for the Hero’s balance?”
Alec Dawson revealed in the dev blog that at least three heroes are receiving perks to their base kit. Mercy will be getting her Flash Heal, Reaper will have his ranged Dire Triggers, and Pharah can move in barrage with Drift Thrusters added to her kit. He also hinted that more heroes are receiving these changes. We will have to wait until Season 2’s release to see more.
Hero Reworks on the Horizon
The developers are keeping tabs on which heroes to rework in the future. Alec Dawson mentioned Sombra, Lifeweaver, and Roadhog. Sombra and Roadhog have been a part of multiple reworks since the rebranding to Overwatch 2. Perhaps we will finally reach a point where the heroes are fun for players to play as and against. We will only have more information on the reworks in the future. Alec Dawson mentioned that we can expect this information after the third season of Overwatch.
Post-Match Voting Cards Return
One of the best parts of old Overwatch was the post-match voting cards. Having everyone vote for the same card gave another kind of adrenaline. Many players framed those cards for years to come. It also gave more time to interact with your teammates and opponents, for better or worse. In Season 2: Summit, the post-match voting cards return, but in a different way. The new system is called Post-Match Accolades. Instead of the old cards, players will now see 3D models of the Overwatch heroes. The displayed stats will differ from the old Overwatch ones.
During this time, players can opt into a lobby voice chat. This feature is experimental and might not be a mainstay in the future. It will allow you to interact with your opponents in a voice chat after the match. It could bring some interesting interactions.
Changes to Map Voting and Hero Bans
In the current system, the number of votes for a map does not influence the map pick. While more votes do increase your chances, it is not guaranteed. In Season 2, that all changes. The map with the majority of votes will be the winner. That means that one teammate can no longer hijack the lobby to a different map. On top of this, players can select a random map if they do not care for any of the three options. Another feature is a marker for whether you will start on attack or defence first.
Lastly, players who lose on new or reworked maps will lose less competitive progress. However, nothing will change for the victors. The developers want you to be more willing to play on the new or reworked maps.
The Hero Ban feature is another system under scrutiny. In the future, we might be able to share more than one Hero Preference with your teammates. Another potential addition is a lobby ban. It will be an additional ban based on cumulative votes from both teams. More information on changes to Hero Bans will come at a later time.
More Overwatch Content
Stay tuned for more Overwatch content at Total Apex Entertainment, with a Sierra guide likely to follow next week. Below are the guides for the five heroes released in Season 1.
