If you’re a fan of tilting into the sunset alongside five other random strangers just as upset as you, then today is your lucky day. Overwatch is free to play until December 4th, and people can jump into the fray immediately. The team-based shooter is consistently in the news for better and worse; from popular streamers being signed to stale meta’s that make professionals quit, it’s quite the experience that everyone should tilt into once or twice.
This is coming off the back of the recently announced Overwatch 2 that turned some heads for all the wrong reasons, that was displayed during the most recent Blizzcon. Let’s put aside our knowledge of Blizzard’s recent stumbling blocks, and look instead at what Overwatch is.
Overwatch contains a decently-sized roster of around 30 characters, all with various abilities that affect the ebb and flow of battle around specific objectives. Recently, Blizzard added a role-lock system that allows players to lock either DPS, support characters, or tank characters. You opt for your role, join a match, and select your character within your preordained role. The gates open, and it’s a stressful knock-down-drag-out fight for the next five minutes while everyone scrambles to gain the upper hand.
Tactics, communication, and familiarity with selected characters and roles across various maps and objective types.
New characters are added occasionally, with developers stating that the reason for sluggish balancing and releases due directly to the upcoming Overwatch 2. DPS characters far outweigh the other two combined, all with unique strategies of engagement leading to a hectic battle culminating typically off the point, for better or for worse.
The balance patches are admittedly slow; the GOATs meta that contained three tanks and three supports lived for over a year and a half in a large number of games, as it was almost a guaranteed win. Yet if you can grab a couple of friends together, you’re sure to spend a good number of nights laughing and tilting together until someone quits and doesn’t rejoin Discord for a week.
Beyond the actual game content, taking a peek at the actual game would give a tremendous amount of insight in regards to the surprisingly popular Overwatch League, as they’re slated to pick back up in full swing come February 2020. Understanding the strengths, weaknesses, and viability of the various heroes will go far in understanding what is happening in the topmost echelon of Overwatch League.
Regardless of how you may feel about one or the other, it’s free right now; might as well take a look.
