OVERWATCH 2

Second PvP beta is a testing ground for new ideas.

- Morgan Park

Keeping up with Overwatch 2 changes is becoming a full-time job around these parts. Blizzard is in the midst of its second PvP beta for its unorthodox sequel to the original Overwatch, and trust me when I tell you that this is proving to be a true beta, warts and all.

We’ve known for a long time that Overwatch 2’s radical change to 5v5 (ditching one Tank role per team) would mean further balancing changes to the rest of its roster, but I certainly wasn’t prepared for how drastically some heroes have been adjusted, or how different new heroes would be to use with fewer players on the map.

The stars of the latest balancing patch are Junker Queen, Moira, and Mercy. Junker Queen is a brand new Tank that I’m having fun with, but her playstyle is taking some serious getting used to. She’s a bit like Roadhog, wielding a close-range shotgun alongside a throwable knife that can yank enemies toward her. Except where Roadhog’s hook instantly pulls targets into the perfect point-blank range for a headshot, Junker Queen’s knife only pulls a few meters, leaving it up to the player to close the rest of the distance and land a perfect shot. If she’s in the perfect range, she can deal some of the highest burst damage in the game, but her low-spread/short-distance scattergun is an awkward combination. It’s sort of like shooting a scope-less sniper rifle that only really works when you’re a few feet away.