Junker Queen also has some ‘all-rounder’ qualities. Though she’s classified as a Tank, she doesn’t have the bulk of heroes like Reinhardt and Orisa, and her shotgun deals damage like a DPS. Her commanding shout is an AoE that heals allies around her - something no other tank can do - and her Carnage and Rampage abilities that apply debuffs on enemies just like Ana, who is a supp

Junkrat’s persona and weaponry perfectly parallel the chaos of fighting in Overwatch, but his abilities subtly let me learn more about the maps and how to manipulate my foes’ positions. He blends quirky fun with abilities that are outlandish enough to be engaging, but not so out there that they’re confusing to newcom

Support and DPS players now slip into the role of tank, whether consciously or not. Brigitte often helps with pushing by using her much-weaker shield when there’s an offensive tank in play, while Lucio relies on his ultimate to essentially turn everyone into a tank, making that the way to push in losing games. There’s clearly a void that people are scrambling to fill, and it’s only made Overwatch even less intuitive to get into. New tanks now have to play the role completely solo, leaving little room for error, and if they do fail, it’s up to the DPS and support to try and fill their sh

His bear trap is wonderful too, though I’ve not quite figured out how best to incorporate it yet. For now, I like using it to cover my flank, as it alerts me when destroyed or activated, letting me know if someone’s trying to sneak up on me and my team. Both these abilities teach the importance of positioning with engaging mechanics. I’ve been learning where the key battlegrounds are because I’m experimenting and having fun, not just because people are shouting at me for being an idiot who’s going the wrong

The question is whether or not this is better. Losing double shields and excessive CC has definitely curbed some of the most oppressive comps and helped increase the pace, but there are times when Overwatch 2 feels like playing deathmatch instead of a tactical team game. I have seen, and have been, the one player that utterly dominates the entire enemy team, eliminating targets on site in a way that just wasn’t possible when there were two tanks on the field. It will be interesting to see how the next few new heroes fit into the meta, but I suspect they’ll be multi-function killing machines just like Kir

What I love most of all, though, is Junkrat’s ultimate ability: the RIP-Tire. At first, I thought this ability turned him into the explosive tire that goes screeching at the opposing team before blowing them into teeny tiny pieces. A friend very kindly pointed out that Junkrat is still very much on the map, so it’s important I make sure he’s safe before I trigger it. You can’t just run in the open and whip it out - positioning is key. Driving it up a wall and sending it crashing down on unexpecting foes pushing the objective, wiping them all out was my crowning achievement during my first day playing, and hearing my teammates shout "that was huge!" is a memory of the game that will stick with me for a long t

Of course, single-player gets me back instantly. I love Overwatch’s aesthetic and it plays well, even if I’m not on a level to dominate every match-up. Being able to make my way through a campaign, flitting between heroes, going at my own pace, not worrying about teammates… that all sounds like the ideal way to play. I get Agents of Mayhem vibes from it all, and as one of planet Earth’s few Agents of Mayhem defenders , that’s no bad th

Overwatch 2 Strategy|Https://Overwatch2Tactics.Com/ 2 is, surprisingly as it sounds, 2022’s surprise package for me. It’s just Overwatch, and I’ve played Overwatch before, so I shouldn’t be too shocked by any of it. But it has managed to pull me in in a way a lot of games I had much higher hopes for have failed to do. My time with Overwatch 2 won’t last forever, but I’ve already seen enough to know that when the single-player portion drops, I’ll be right at the front of the l

Online shooters aren’t usually my thing. Overwatch having set heroes takes away from the meta and the stress of having to care about loadouts, and means you can pick to a certain extent based on personality. The reason I play as Ashe is as much because I love westerns and wry cowgirls as it is her gameplay abilities. Overwatch’s aesthetic, low barrier to entry, and quick, varied matches means it’s keeping my interest longer than other online games do. TheGamer is going to have its own Overwatch showdown soon too, so I need to keep up even if I won’t dominate the way I did on Tekken nig

It’s going to take awhile before we really understand what all of the changes in Overwatch 2 add up to. Even as someone with more than 600 hours played, I’m still trying to figure out what the transition to 5v5 actually means. Right away it was clear that Overwatch 2 is a much faster game. Fewer shields and abilities that CC means more movement, more big plays, and more snowballs. Skilled players have a much better chance of carrying games now, which means heroes with low TTK are even more valuable than ever before. This is the sense I got right away, but what solidified this belief was the design of the three new characters. Sojourn, Junker Queen, and especially Kiriko represent a commitment Overwatch 2 has to independence and personal performance. I’m still undecided on whether that will be better or worse for the game in the long run, but it’s clear Blizzard has rebuilt the game with a focus on the individual over the t