Overwatch 2 Preview – Big Changes Coming To Doomfist And Orisa

Blizzard announced Overwatch 2 in 2019, a revelation that many fans believed was possible. However, after a number of delays and resignations from key staff members (including Jeff Kaplan as Overwatch director), the development team went dark. The enthusiasm and once large player base started to decline as the development timeframe dragged on. This was due to the fact that live support for Overwatch 1 became less available.

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However, last month, Blizzard emerged from its largely incommunicado state to reveal that Overwatch 2’s PvP and PvE content has been decoupled and that it’s holding a PvP beta at the end of April. As the studio provides more information on the anticipated sequel, things are finally back to normal. The beta test is just days away and we are looking forward to learning more about Overwatch 2. Blizzard revealed many details regarding the game’s changes before we get to that beta test.

The team looked at a sequel to its popular live-service hero shooter as an opportunity to re-examine every aspect of the game. A major change to the game’s competitive multiplayer is its transition from 6v6 and 5v5. Geoff Goodman talks about the pivot from 6v6 to 5v5 competitive multiplayer in a roundtable interview. One of the early experiments was the one that led to the 5v5 project. It was like we were saying, “Well, let’s go back to those conversations when Overwatch 1 first began.” How do engagement levels compare? What is the size of your team? Do we like the current situation? Many of the changes can be difficult to make. The decision isn’t just about a balance, or even a design choice. It involves a lot technology with memory footprints and limits for characters.

Overwatchers have been playing Overwatch for six years. They are used to 6v6 teams that often include two damage heroes and two support heroes. Overwatch 2 reduces the number of players per team by one, which means that team compositions must change. The new rules allow teams to only bring one tank into combat. This allows for several character modifications, as well as major overhauls.

Blizzard isn’t the only one to make major changes in Overwatch’s core gameplay or heroes. The developers were concerned that Overwatch 2 would make it harder for long-standing players to play. Blizzard recognized the potential benefits and got excited about these new changes.

Goodman asserts, “This gives us the chance to accomplish some big goals and also some things that we have talked about over the years. We can do crazy things.” We tried everything. Many map experiments were also tried. Because many of us were present when Overwatch 1 started, it was a very exciting moment for us. The feeling is, “Man, it’s all up in the air,” so let’s just treat this as if anything can go… or whatever we can do. There is a lot at stake and we may have pushed too hard. […]But I believe we were much more open-minded to all possibilities. It wasn’t our intention to change things for the sake of changing. It was important to feel excited, particularly in Overwatch 1’s world. We don’t want players to lose interest. It is important to feel confident in the outcome of Overwatch 1.

With these mindsets established, Blizzard has announced that Overwatch 1 will be getting two new heroes.

Doomfist

Doomfist

Doomfist is a perfect example of the kinds of seismic shifts some heroes receive in this sequel. Doomfist is no longer considered a damage-hero and instead becomes a tank in Overwatch 2. The unique hero still retains many of the things that make him so special in Overwatch. The shift away from being a DPS-focused character has brought with it an enormous health boost, increasing his HP by 250 to 450. His Hand CannonThe effect is the same as before, except that it recharges faster and does more damage than usual. Signature of Doomfist Rocket PunchIt is faster and does less damage but retains its knockback power. 

Doomfist is now using a new kit that’s quite different from the Overwatch 2 version. Power BlockThis reduces the damage received to the front by 90%. Once he has absorbed damage, his gauntlet will charge, and if enough damage is taken through Power Block his Rocket Punch will be empowered. It can travel faster, do more damage and hit targets further. Power Block should be considered almost like a parry, as it is intended to take inspiration from Doomfist’s fighting game kit.

“Opposing players should be cautious about charging Doomfist’s gauntlet,” Goodman said in the blog post. Power Block is a bit like Zarya’s shields. However, instead of passively getting damage from people shooting into them, their next punch will give him a buff until he uses Rocket Punch, or is eliminated. 

Doomfist’s Seismic SlamHe now takes off into the sky, much like Winston. Doomfist then sends out an electromagnetic shockwave to slow down any nearby enemies once he lands. This increases his mobility but also eliminates his unpredictability. Blizzard believes that this will place him among other disruptive tanks like Winston or Wrecking ball.

Doomfist has added a brand new version of Meteor StrikeHis ultimate ability. Although the ability takes less time to cast, it does more damage than usual and has no knockback. Meteor Strike slows down all enemies that are hit instead of knocking them back. Blizzard assures that players will still be able to take damage, even though it is less. 

Orisa

Orisa

While Doomfist’s shift turns him more defensive, Orisa is becoming more offensive-minded after the team noticed she loses many up-close battles. While armor and health increases are going to help her in these situations, that is not all Blizzard has done with Orisa. Orisa now has a new ammo system to replace the one she uses in Overwatch 1. Primary fire is a larger projectile that deals more damage the closer she is to enemies and uses a cooldown system that activates if you overheat her weapon; if you fire too much without allowing it to recover, her gun becomes unusable for three seconds.

“We want Orisa to push and engage enemies more,” senior hero designer Brandon Brennan said in the aforementioned blog post. Her gun inspires her to play forward and get closer to her enemies in Overwatch 2.

Orisa’s second fire is still burning. Energy JavelinThe skill-shot javelin projectile javelin,, now hits any enemy that is in its path. It deals a micro-stun to all enemies it strikes, and additional damage if they are forced into a wall. In line with javelin-based offensive themes, the Orisa barriers have been removed. Javelin SpinOrisa may spin a javelin which destroys enemy projectiles, speeds up her movement, knockbacks/damages others, and more. Fortify, while not new in her arsenal, has been improved to allow Orisa to have a shorter cooldown and give her 125 more health.

She has another amazing ability. Terra LanceOrisa’s strength causes her to pull in other enemies as she unleashes an area of effect attack. This sounds similar to Zarya’s Graviton Surge. However, the Terra Lance is not a trap for enemies. So teammates must capitalize quickly to make use of it.

The team is solely focused on Overwatch 2, as the dearth of Overwatch 1 content continues to reduce the community. However, this wasn’t always the goal.

“We talked about it way back; we talked about how we were going to – on the production side – how we were going to develop Overwatch 2 alongside Overwatch 1. The one thing we considered, which we ultimately chose, was that we might need to let Overwatch 1 go, but this will make Overwatch 2 more accessible. It’s almost like cutting the Band-Aid off. It was our plan. Then suddenly we realized that the time we thought would take a small time to complete the project turned out to be quite a bit. We are now so attached with the various heroes, hero reworks, and all other details that it is impossible for us not stay on this path. The game is too complicated to just take one piece and then throw it live. It doesn’t work. It was unfortunate. Everyone was just a little upset about the delay and annoyed by it. There were many reasons. It is important to note that everyone rallied for this release date. PvP was released and people are able to get content. As much as they love having it, so do we. —Geoff Goodman, Lead Hero Designer on Overwatch 2

Overwatch 2 doesn’t currently have an official release date. You can read the exclusive coverage we have on Overwatch 2 from 2019 at our coverage hub. We share our thoughts and impressions of the game’s development team.