Is Overwatch 2 beta worth it?

Very recently, Overwatch 2 beta officially began. Allowing players to experience 5v5 team based combat, Overwatch 2 polishes the gameplay of its predecessor. Many players grew excited over the amount of hype. surrounding the first person shooter. Literal years in the waiting, and Blizzard promised a strong improvement that might help grow the Overwatch community. The game is very much still in beta, therefore is only in a testing phase. But is Overwatch 2 beta worth it so far?

[Related: Day One Overwatch 2 Beta List List]

Analysis

Once again, the game is still in beta. Therefore, a lot of this analysis does not reflect accurately the state of Overwatch 2 when it officially launches. At the current moment, Overwatch 2 is honestly a lot of fun, and since its PvP portion of the game is free, is definitely worth it. Players do need to sign up and get approved, but outside of that, there is no monetary transaction necessary to access the beta. So, at the price of $0.00, assuming players already own Overwatch, it’s definitely worth the “purchase.”

This rings especially true for gamers that already enjoy the franchise. 

Overwatch 2 feels shockingly similar to its predecessor. The lack of an additional player on both sides of the team definitely stream lines the coordination. But outside of that, and a few reworks, the gameplay loop feels practically the same. That’s why players who already enjoyed Overwatch will definitely enjoy the sequel. But what about those who haven’t tried the installment yet? Is the beta good for them?

Well, to be honest, probably not and here’s why. At the current state, a large majority of the player base already played and loved Overwatch. After all, these are all players who went the extra step of applying for approval to even access the game. So that’d be content creators, pros, or just hard committed fans of the franchise. A completely new player, unless experienced in both FPS and team games, will highly likely struggle to keep up.

Reworks

It’s no surprise that Blizzard reworked a ton of heroes. And with only 5 players on each side, each rework definitely largely impacts the gameplay experience. For example, Bastion’s ultimate’s pure devastation easily surprises the unsuspecting and unskilled.

As a whole, Blizzard definitely made some amazing changes. Orisa feels quite cool, with a mix of melee and CC now built in the kit. Bastion feels more flexible than ever, and Reinhart’s access to two projectile attacks grants him more versatility. But these reworks are not perfect.

The support role received very little changes. In a new sequel, to have the support role play almost exactly the same feels a little bad. And since two players are forced onto the role, that’s a good amount of feels bad in one game. Granted, as emphasized before, this is a beta. Therefore, the developers are likely to implement more changes as time passes on, including support reworks.

Since there are two supports on each team, Blizzard likely is handling the role with extreme care. Altering and reworking the support role can easily break the game, especially now that the healers play an even larger portion in the game.

For players wanting to try Overwatch 2 for the reworks, there’s plenty to play around with. Just not enough in the support role. 

New Content

Outside of the push map alongside the reworks, there’s not that much new content. So for players looking to be overwhelmed with a mass volume of new ideas and brand new gameplay, the Overwatch 2 beta may not be worth it. That is, if that’s what they’re solely looking for. There’s still plenty to enjoy here, especially if the player has a group of friends to accompany them in battle.

Team Composition

A vast number of players interested in Overwatch 2 enjoy the team play mechanics built into the game. And since it’s a 5v5, team play is far easier to coordinate. In each game, there are two DPS, two supports, and one tank. This definitely impacts the compositions that are viable, making each cog of the spinning wheel even more important.

In Conclusion

For players wondering if Overwatch 2 is worth it or not, it’s highly likely to be. The beta for sure is in a pretty good state. Reworks make the gameplay feel novel, and the 5v5 aspect of the game allows for more focused team coordination. In regards to new content, seeing as how it is still very much in testing stages, there’s not too much to be had here. But considering the sequel is free for players who have the base game, Overwatch 2 definitely seems worth it.

Note: Overwatch 2 is a “true beta”, and not a demo or vertical slice. There may be bugs, and not all visuals are final. Treat the article as an analysis of the beta, not the final game.

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