A Support Player in Overwatch 2 Beta

The Overwatch 2 beta has made a lot of well-received changes from the original Overwatch 1. Some of the most chatter worth elements have been the transition of Doomfist to tank and the Orisa rework. Both heroes feel really good when being played as a tank, even if not so much playing against them. The DPS has also gotten a boost with the addition of Sojourn to the hero pool. The support category though, has yet to be touched in Overwatch 2.

Keep in mind that this overview provides more analysis than anything, rather than listing everything out. And also, Overwatch 2 is still very much in beta. Just because some things weren’t changed, doesn’t mean they won’t receive alterations in the future. There may be bugs, and not all visuals are final. Screenshots reflect the state of the game at the time of playing and changes may be made after the publication of the article. Treat the article as an analysis of the beta, not the final game. There is no doubt that the Blizzard team will rework the support heroes. Currently, these are some of the biggest feelings while playing support in the current version of the Overwatch 2 beta.

Passive – Great

The new passive for the supports feels really good. The increased heal over time is reminiscent of the Mercy passive in Overwatch 1. The regeneration of health makes the supports more self-sufficient without the need for an off-tank or ability to survive.

Courtesy of Overwatch

It is a change in play style. Supports cannot just hide behind shields or the tanks and free heal. There is now a need to use the architecture to find places to duck for cover for the passive to kick in to heal poke damage before peaking out again. This is really highlighted in Ana. She now doesn’t need to waste her bionade to self-heal. Instead, this can be used to mass heal the team or anti-heal the opponents.

Another hero that benefits a lot from the passive is Moira. The amount of time that the fade animation is, will make sure that the self-healing is completed by the end of the fade. This means that not only can Moira escape, but will be at more health at the of the fade to re-engage.

Lucio can be unkillable. With the passive healing, Lucio can be on the speed song while also healing. That coupled with his wall riding to make him annoying on point can cause long stalls. He also provides faster movement to the already faster DPS which makes him even more deadly in a team composition.

Quick damage

The quick burst damage isn’t unmanageable for supports but it does make their life harder. Overwatch 2 is a faster-paced game. With the reduction of shields, ultimates like Soldier’s have gotten much stronger. Each ability cooldown is needed to make sure that the team is topped up.

The burst damage when focused can absolutely delete heroes off the map. But have a double pocket on an Orisa or Doomfist and the tank many never die.

Priority

This brings up, that with only one tank the priority of healing has changed. In the past, in Overwatch 1 if the off-tank is about to go down there is still the main tank that the team can rally around. But now with the reduction of tanks, that one tank is important in anchoring the team. There is a new priority of who might need to be nano-ed, resurrected, or generally healed if there are multiple low team members.

Support Players

As all the other roles got a shiny new toy to play with supports seem left out to dry. They are not in a bad spot, but there are some places for improvement when it comes to individual heroes and abilities. More than anything to be a support player in Overwatch 2, means it is a mental shift from Overwatch 1 to Overwatch 2 more than anything else. The additions that Blizzard has given supports allow them to survive when utilized correctly.

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