The role queue is just a couple of months old for Overwatch, finally killing GOATs once and for all with the resounding toll of the bell bringing the favored meta that was difficult to beat (but boring to play) to keel. Yet it brings problems all its own, with DPS queue times reaching far longer than most would prefer to experience; often leaving players to either queue in groups with healers and tanks, or suffer a wait for 10+ minutes.
Have no fear, Blizzard is here.
Blizzard is bringing new game modes in Overwatch via Experimental Cards. These cards will have a separate queue from the main game, and allow the developers to see how different scenarios would actually play out when placed in the hands of the players. Rather than hypothesizing endlessly on what could be, Blizzard is going to experiment on the player base.
Playing the Experimental Cards will continue to give the player experience levels and everything that goes with it, and they can also participate in events while in the Experimental Cards.
The first Experimental Card will go live tomorrow, February 25, and is being called Triple Damage. The idea is that there would now be three damage dealers, two supports, and one tank in each game.
Before you begin an expletive-laden stream of consciousness commentary, this isn’t planned on coming to the main game of Overwatch. It’s just a test to see what queue times would be like if there are more DPS slots to go around, as it’s currently a bit rough to sit through.
Along with the changes will be ‘massive balance changes’ that will reflect the loss of an off-tank, although Jeff Kaplan wasn’t exactly forthcoming in the changes that players can expect.
The first reaction may be a knee-jerk tilt, but there can be merit to the idea if the balancing is played out well enough. The idea of a tank acting almost as a raid-boss in terms of ability and health, an actual central figure that fights revolve around and with, is tremendously appealing.
Granted, Mei would be somehow even more of a must-pick than she is already, and with that comes the inevitable annoyance of constantly being crowd-controlled (CC’d). With only one tank, you can be sure that they’ll receive the enemy’s team undying attention until they inevitably succumb from the hail of bullets, so Blizzard will need to massively buff them in order for the mode to gain any legs of its own.
This might be the most interesting idea Blizzard has had in the past year. That’s not a tremendously appealing statement given their recent performance, but it could turn into something special that shakes up the somewhat exhausting experience that Overwatch has become.