The four-player PvE adventure takes place in Rio De Janeiro, where L\u00facio is fighting off an army of Null Sector omnics. He sends out the call for reinforcements to help him defend his city. The Overwatch <\/em>strike team answers the call, bringing everyone from Tracer and Winston to the team’s newest addition, Echo. In a cinematic, the team destroys the Null Sector bots, but L\u00facio warns them that the fight is not over. They decide to target a command ship that\u2019s producing omnics. <\/p>
L\u00facio, Tracer, Mei, and Reinhardt are the heroes selected for this mission. The lore added here is phenomenal and absolutely necessary. Not only does L\u00facio finally receive some kind of backstory, interactions between characters throughout the mission reveal more about them as people. At one point, L\u00facio chastises Reinhardt for letting \u201cpoliticians\u201d shut down Overwatch<\/em>, saying the organization shouldn’t have bent to their will. <\/p>
As game director Jeff Kaplan noted in the Overwatch 2<\/em> announcement, every character has received a substantial visual overhaul. Reinhardt has a new set of armor and L\u00facio rocks a more battle-appropriate outfit. Beyond that, the game itself seems to have become more fluid and bright, with fewer textures and more vivid colors. A game engine change or upgrade has obviously taken place for Overwatch 2<\/em>. <\/p>
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/OVR_BlizzCon19Cpso_OnRio_Mei1p_JPA_008a-1024x576.png\")
Gameplay <\/strong><\/h3>The new PvE mode plays like an enhanced version of the Overwatch<\/em>: Archives missions from the past few years. This isn\u2019t a bad thing. Destroying droves of terrorist omnics is still oddly satisfying, even when we\u2019ve all done it before. Additional objectives have been added to the usual linear PVE experience that Overwatch<\/em> provided. Multi-step objectives bring a sense of urgency and immersion that the Archives missions lacked.<\/p>
New enemies also bring life to the mode. Skirmishers are small, bug-like omnics that flit around the fight zone. Flying omnics make heroes like Tracer and Mei distracted, increasing the difficulty of the mode. The most obvious addition are the Obliterators, omnics with two massively destructive guns and two separate health bars. They feel like mini-bosses and require the team\u2019s full attention. <\/p>
In a way, Overwatch 2<\/em> feels more fluid. The story mode flows from cinematic to gameplay almost seamlessly. As the mode progresses, there are no awkward, overly difficult areas that often plagued the Archives missions. Individual character control seems lighter and more linear, with far fewer blips and glitches. Because of these changes, the PvE mode feels more like a mission plucked directly out of an RPG game. <\/p>
Upgrades and items <\/h3>The biggest change to Overwatch 2 <\/em>comes in the form of character upgrades and items available within the mission itself. At the very beginning of the mission, every player can choose between two instant Level 1 upgrades to hero abilities. For example, L\u00facio players can choose to increase the health output of their Amp it Up ability or opt to have both speed and health songs trigger when Amp it Up is engaged. Tracer players can choose between a bullet upgrade or a pulse bomb enhancement. <\/p>
Hero upgrades give a new level of personalization to the game. Players can now tweak a character to their individual playstyle to add to their success in story mode. Two more \u201clevels\u201d of upgrades exist for each character, unlocked at Level 10 and beyond. No information about experience or levels was given at the initial demo. <\/p>
Items are a new addition in Overwatch 2<\/em>. At set times within the mission, characters are presented with items like a healing drone or a corrosive grenade. This item binds to the number four key and can be used once per minute or more, depending on the item. Items exist in various strengths and mimic the levels of Overwatch<\/em> skins: normal, epic, and legendary. They\u2019re absolutely critical to use intelligently within the mission to succeed. <\/p>
Replayability <\/strong><\/h3>Any player who has repeatedly played PVE modes in Overwatch<\/em> can attest that, eventually, the mission gets boring. Even if the difficulty is bumped up, it\u2019s still the same route, the same enemies, and the same ending. Overwatch 2 <\/em>may have solved this problem. <\/p>
The demo could be enhanced in difficulty, but certain items and hidden secrets require a replay. For example, one item is hidden above the usual route, and only Tracer and L\u00facio can access it. More secrets, like character interactions and hidden items, exist within the game. With the addition of leveling, it becomes necessary to replay missions. These fun little additions take the monotony out of replay. <\/p>
Overall impressions<\/strong><\/h3>Overwatch 2<\/em> feels like Overwatch<\/em>, but with a burst of life shot into it. Maybe it was the colorful streets of Rio or the novelty of items and upgrades, but the Overwatch 2 <\/em>demo brought a sense of fun that often feels lost in the original game. Unlike the base game, especially the competitive modes, the story mode manages to immerse players in the Overwatch<\/em> universe. It brought out a level of excitement we haven\u2019t experienced in a while and we can’t wait to see more. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The new PvE story mode brings new life into the base game. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1722,"featured_media":189602,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"gamurs_wordpress_blocks_hide_tags":true,"_is_affiliated":false,"dotesports_deal_href":"","dotesports_featured_video":"","_notify_users":1,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"invoiceable_action":[],"internal-label":[],"article_type":[],"coauthors":[{"id":1722,"display_name":"Liz Richardson","user_login":"lizrichardson1","user_nicename":"lizrichardson1"}],"class_list":["post-189597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-overwatch"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOverwatch 2: First Impressions - Dot Esports<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The new PvE story mode brings new life into the base game.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/overwatch\/news\/fluidity-and-a-burst-of-life-our-first-impressions-of-overwatch-2\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fluidity and a burst of life: Our first impressions of Overwatch 2\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The new PvE story mode brings new life into the base game.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/overwatch\/news\/fluidity-and-a-burst-of-life-our-first-impressions-of-overwatch-2\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dot Esports\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DOTesports\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-11-01T22:22:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-11-02T03:12:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/01170904\/OW21.png?resize=768,432\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"432\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Liz Richardson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@mizliz_\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@DotEsports\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Liz Richardson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/overwatch\/news\/fluidity-and-a-burst-of-life-our-first-impressions-of-overwatch-2#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/overwatch\/news\/fluidity-and-a-burst-of-life-our-first-impressions-of-overwatch-2\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Liz Richardson\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f0fd9cbdae01c57038b8e59f514c74e1\"},\"headline\":\"Fluidity and a burst of life: Our first impressions of Overwatch 2\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-01T22:22:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-11-02T03:12:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/overwatch\/news\/fluidity-and-a-burst-of-life-our-first-impressions-of-overwatch-2\"},\"wordCount\":955,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/overwatch\/news\/fluidity-and-a-burst-of-life-our-first-impressions-of-overwatch-2#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/01170904\/OW21.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Overwatch\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/overwatch\/news\/fluidity-and-a-burst-of-life-our-first-impressions-of-overwatch-2\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/overwatch\/news\/fluidity-and-a-burst-of-life-our-first-impressions-of-overwatch-2\",\"name\":\"Overwatch 2: First Impressions - 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Her favorite thing is the Overwatch League; her second favorite thing is pretending iced coffee is a meal. She specializes in educational content, patch notes that (actually) make sense, and aggressively supporting Tier 2 Overwatch. When she's not writing, Liz is expressing hot takes on Twitter and making bad life choices at Target.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/mizlizrichardson\/","https:\/\/x.com\/mizliz_"],"url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/author\/lizrichardson1"}]}},"raw_content":"This article is brought to you by\u00a0StatBanana, the best Overwatch strategy tool. It\u2019s a new adventure. At BlizzCon 2019, the Overwatch development team announced Overwatch 2, giving fans a sneak peek at the pseudo-sequel that will focus on PVE story experiences as well as a new PVP mode. Dot Esports got the chance to demo one of the new story missions at BlizzCon. Here are our first impressions of Overwatch 2 and what fans can expect from the new game.\u00a0 Story\u00a0 The four-player PvE adventure takes place in Rio De Janeiro, where L\u00facio is fighting off an army of Null Sector omnics. He sends out the call for reinforcements to help him defend his city. The Overwatch strike team answers the call, bringing everyone from Tracer and Winston to the team's newest addition, Echo. In a cinematic, the team destroys the Null Sector bots, but L\u00facio warns them that the fight is not over. They decide to target a command ship that\u2019s producing omnics.\u00a0 L\u00facio, Tracer, Mei, and Reinhardt are the heroes selected for this mission. The lore added here is phenomenal and absolutely necessary. Not only does L\u00facio finally receive some kind of backstory, interactions between characters throughout the mission reveal more about them as people. At one point, L\u00facio chastises Reinhardt for letting \u201cpoliticians\u201d shut down Overwatch, saying the organization shouldn't have bent to their will. Visual changes\u00a0 As game director Jeff Kaplan noted in the Overwatch 2 announcement, every character has received a substantial visual overhaul. Reinhardt has a new set of armor and L\u00facio rocks a more battle-appropriate outfit. Beyond that, the game itself seems to have become more fluid and bright, with fewer textures and more vivid colors. A game engine change or upgrade has obviously taken place for Overwatch 2.\u00a0\u00a0 Gameplay\u00a0 The new PvE mode plays like an enhanced version of the Overwatch: Archives missions from the past few years. This isn\u2019t a bad thing. Destroying droves of terrorist omnics is still oddly satisfying, even when we\u2019ve all done it before. Additional objectives have been added to the usual linear PVE experience that Overwatch provided. Multi-step objectives bring a sense of urgency and immersion that the Archives missions lacked. New enemies also bring life to the mode. Skirmishers are small, bug-like omnics that flit around the fight zone. Flying omnics make heroes like Tracer and Mei distracted, increasing the difficulty of the mode. The most obvious addition are the Obliterators, omnics with two massively destructive guns and two separate health bars. They feel like mini-bosses and require the team\u2019s full attention.\u00a0 In a way, Overwatch 2 feels more fluid. The story mode flows from cinematic to gameplay almost seamlessly. As the mode progresses, there are no awkward, overly difficult areas that often plagued the Archives missions. Individual character control seems lighter and more linear, with far fewer blips and glitches. Because of these changes, the PvE mode feels more like a mission plucked directly out of an RPG game.\u00a0 Upgrades and items\u00a0 The biggest change to Overwatch 2 comes in the form of character upgrades and items available within the mission itself. At the very beginning of the mission, every player can choose between two instant Level 1 upgrades to hero abilities. For example, L\u00facio players can choose to increase the health output of their Amp it Up ability or opt to have both speed and health songs trigger when Amp it Up is engaged. Tracer players can choose between a bullet upgrade or a pulse bomb enhancement.\u00a0 Hero upgrades give a new level of personalization to the game. Players can now tweak a character to their individual playstyle to add to their success in story mode. Two more \u201clevels\u201d of upgrades exist for each character, unlocked at Level 10 and beyond. No information about experience or levels was given at the initial demo.\u00a0 Items are a new addition in Overwatch 2. At set times within the mission, characters are presented with items like a healing drone or a corrosive grenade. This item binds to the number four key and can be used once per minute or more, depending on the item. Items exist in various strengths and mimic the levels of Overwatch skins: normal, epic, and legendary. They\u2019re absolutely critical to use intelligently within the mission to succeed.\u00a0\u00a0 Replayability\u00a0 Any player who has repeatedly played PVE modes in Overwatch can attest that, eventually, the mission gets boring. Even if the difficulty is bumped up, it\u2019s still the same route, the same enemies, and the same ending. Overwatch 2 may have solved this problem.\u00a0 The demo could be enhanced in difficulty, but certain items and hidden secrets require a replay. For example, one item is hidden above the usual route, and only Tracer and L\u00facio can access it. More secrets, like character interactions and hidden items, exist within the game. With the addition of leveling, it becomes necessary to replay missions. These fun little additions take the monotony out of replay.\u00a0 Overall impressions Overwatch 2 feels like Overwatch, but with a burst of life shot into it. Maybe it was the colorful streets of Rio or the novelty of items and upgrades, but the Overwatch 2 demo brought a sense of fun that often feels lost in the original game. Unlike the base game, especially the competitive modes, the story mode manages to immerse players in the Overwatch universe. It brought out a level of excitement we haven\u2019t experienced in a while and we can't wait to see more.","apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/01170904\/OW21.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189597"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1722"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=189597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/189602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=189597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=189597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=189597"},{"taxonomy":"invoiceable_action","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/invoiceable_action?post=189597"},{"taxonomy":"internal-label","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-label?post=189597"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=189597"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=189597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
The biggest change to Overwatch 2 <\/em>comes in the form of character upgrades and items available within the mission itself. At the very beginning of the mission, every player can choose between two instant Level 1 upgrades to hero abilities. For example, L\u00facio players can choose to increase the health output of their Amp it Up ability or opt to have both speed and health songs trigger when Amp it Up is engaged. Tracer players can choose between a bullet upgrade or a pulse bomb enhancement. <\/p>
Hero upgrades give a new level of personalization to the game. Players can now tweak a character to their individual playstyle to add to their success in story mode. Two more \u201clevels\u201d of upgrades exist for each character, unlocked at Level 10 and beyond. No information about experience or levels was given at the initial demo. <\/p>
Items are a new addition in Overwatch 2<\/em>. At set times within the mission, characters are presented with items like a healing drone or a corrosive grenade. This item binds to the number four key and can be used once per minute or more, depending on the item. Items exist in various strengths and mimic the levels of Overwatch<\/em> skins: normal, epic, and legendary. They\u2019re absolutely critical to use intelligently within the mission to succeed. <\/p>
Replayability <\/strong><\/h3>Any player who has repeatedly played PVE modes in Overwatch<\/em> can attest that, eventually, the mission gets boring. Even if the difficulty is bumped up, it\u2019s still the same route, the same enemies, and the same ending. Overwatch 2 <\/em>may have solved this problem. <\/p>
The demo could be enhanced in difficulty, but certain items and hidden secrets require a replay. For example, one item is hidden above the usual route, and only Tracer and L\u00facio can access it. More secrets, like character interactions and hidden items, exist within the game. With the addition of leveling, it becomes necessary to replay missions. These fun little additions take the monotony out of replay. <\/p>
Overall impressions<\/strong><\/h3>Overwatch 2<\/em> feels like Overwatch<\/em>, but with a burst of life shot into it. Maybe it was the colorful streets of Rio or the novelty of items and upgrades, but the Overwatch 2 <\/em>demo brought a sense of fun that often feels lost in the original game. Unlike the base game, especially the competitive modes, the story mode manages to immerse players in the Overwatch<\/em> universe. It brought out a level of excitement we haven\u2019t experienced in a while and we can’t wait to see more. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The new PvE story mode brings new life into the base game. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1722,"featured_media":189602,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"gamurs_wordpress_blocks_hide_tags":true,"_is_affiliated":false,"dotesports_deal_href":"","dotesports_featured_video":"","_notify_users":1,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"invoiceable_action":[],"internal-label":[],"article_type":[],"coauthors":[{"id":1722,"display_name":"Liz Richardson","user_login":"lizrichardson1","user_nicename":"lizrichardson1"}],"class_list":["post-189597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-overwatch"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOverwatch 2: First Impressions - Dot Esports<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The new PvE story mode brings new life into the base game.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/overwatch\/news\/fluidity-and-a-burst-of-life-our-first-impressions-of-overwatch-2\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fluidity and a burst of life: Our first impressions of Overwatch 2\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The new PvE story mode brings new life into the base game.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/overwatch\/news\/fluidity-and-a-burst-of-life-our-first-impressions-of-overwatch-2\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dot Esports\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DOTesports\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-11-01T22:22:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-11-02T03:12:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/01170904\/OW21.png?resize=768,432\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"432\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Liz Richardson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@mizliz_\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@DotEsports\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Liz Richardson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/overwatch\/news\/fluidity-and-a-burst-of-life-our-first-impressions-of-overwatch-2#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/overwatch\/news\/fluidity-and-a-burst-of-life-our-first-impressions-of-overwatch-2\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Liz Richardson\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f0fd9cbdae01c57038b8e59f514c74e1\"},\"headline\":\"Fluidity and a burst of life: Our first impressions of Overwatch 2\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-01T22:22:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-11-02T03:12:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/overwatch\/news\/fluidity-and-a-burst-of-life-our-first-impressions-of-overwatch-2\"},\"wordCount\":955,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/overwatch\/news\/fluidity-and-a-burst-of-life-our-first-impressions-of-overwatch-2#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/01170904\/OW21.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Overwatch\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/overwatch\/news\/fluidity-and-a-burst-of-life-our-first-impressions-of-overwatch-2\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/overwatch\/news\/fluidity-and-a-burst-of-life-our-first-impressions-of-overwatch-2\",\"name\":\"Overwatch 2: First Impressions - 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Her favorite thing is the Overwatch League; her second favorite thing is pretending iced coffee is a meal. She specializes in educational content, patch notes that (actually) make sense, and aggressively supporting Tier 2 Overwatch. When she's not writing, Liz is expressing hot takes on Twitter and making bad life choices at Target.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/mizlizrichardson\/","https:\/\/x.com\/mizliz_"],"url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/author\/lizrichardson1"}]}},"raw_content":"This article is brought to you by\u00a0StatBanana, the best Overwatch strategy tool. It\u2019s a new adventure. At BlizzCon 2019, the Overwatch development team announced Overwatch 2, giving fans a sneak peek at the pseudo-sequel that will focus on PVE story experiences as well as a new PVP mode. Dot Esports got the chance to demo one of the new story missions at BlizzCon. Here are our first impressions of Overwatch 2 and what fans can expect from the new game.\u00a0 Story\u00a0 The four-player PvE adventure takes place in Rio De Janeiro, where L\u00facio is fighting off an army of Null Sector omnics. He sends out the call for reinforcements to help him defend his city. The Overwatch strike team answers the call, bringing everyone from Tracer and Winston to the team's newest addition, Echo. In a cinematic, the team destroys the Null Sector bots, but L\u00facio warns them that the fight is not over. They decide to target a command ship that\u2019s producing omnics.\u00a0 L\u00facio, Tracer, Mei, and Reinhardt are the heroes selected for this mission. The lore added here is phenomenal and absolutely necessary. Not only does L\u00facio finally receive some kind of backstory, interactions between characters throughout the mission reveal more about them as people. At one point, L\u00facio chastises Reinhardt for letting \u201cpoliticians\u201d shut down Overwatch, saying the organization shouldn't have bent to their will. Visual changes\u00a0 As game director Jeff Kaplan noted in the Overwatch 2 announcement, every character has received a substantial visual overhaul. Reinhardt has a new set of armor and L\u00facio rocks a more battle-appropriate outfit. Beyond that, the game itself seems to have become more fluid and bright, with fewer textures and more vivid colors. A game engine change or upgrade has obviously taken place for Overwatch 2.\u00a0\u00a0 Gameplay\u00a0 The new PvE mode plays like an enhanced version of the Overwatch: Archives missions from the past few years. This isn\u2019t a bad thing. Destroying droves of terrorist omnics is still oddly satisfying, even when we\u2019ve all done it before. Additional objectives have been added to the usual linear PVE experience that Overwatch provided. Multi-step objectives bring a sense of urgency and immersion that the Archives missions lacked. New enemies also bring life to the mode. Skirmishers are small, bug-like omnics that flit around the fight zone. Flying omnics make heroes like Tracer and Mei distracted, increasing the difficulty of the mode. The most obvious addition are the Obliterators, omnics with two massively destructive guns and two separate health bars. They feel like mini-bosses and require the team\u2019s full attention.\u00a0 In a way, Overwatch 2 feels more fluid. The story mode flows from cinematic to gameplay almost seamlessly. As the mode progresses, there are no awkward, overly difficult areas that often plagued the Archives missions. Individual character control seems lighter and more linear, with far fewer blips and glitches. Because of these changes, the PvE mode feels more like a mission plucked directly out of an RPG game.\u00a0 Upgrades and items\u00a0 The biggest change to Overwatch 2 comes in the form of character upgrades and items available within the mission itself. At the very beginning of the mission, every player can choose between two instant Level 1 upgrades to hero abilities. For example, L\u00facio players can choose to increase the health output of their Amp it Up ability or opt to have both speed and health songs trigger when Amp it Up is engaged. Tracer players can choose between a bullet upgrade or a pulse bomb enhancement.\u00a0 Hero upgrades give a new level of personalization to the game. Players can now tweak a character to their individual playstyle to add to their success in story mode. Two more \u201clevels\u201d of upgrades exist for each character, unlocked at Level 10 and beyond. No information about experience or levels was given at the initial demo.\u00a0 Items are a new addition in Overwatch 2. At set times within the mission, characters are presented with items like a healing drone or a corrosive grenade. This item binds to the number four key and can be used once per minute or more, depending on the item. Items exist in various strengths and mimic the levels of Overwatch skins: normal, epic, and legendary. They\u2019re absolutely critical to use intelligently within the mission to succeed.\u00a0\u00a0 Replayability\u00a0 Any player who has repeatedly played PVE modes in Overwatch can attest that, eventually, the mission gets boring. Even if the difficulty is bumped up, it\u2019s still the same route, the same enemies, and the same ending. Overwatch 2 may have solved this problem.\u00a0 The demo could be enhanced in difficulty, but certain items and hidden secrets require a replay. For example, one item is hidden above the usual route, and only Tracer and L\u00facio can access it. More secrets, like character interactions and hidden items, exist within the game. With the addition of leveling, it becomes necessary to replay missions. These fun little additions take the monotony out of replay.\u00a0 Overall impressions Overwatch 2 feels like Overwatch, but with a burst of life shot into it. Maybe it was the colorful streets of Rio or the novelty of items and upgrades, but the Overwatch 2 demo brought a sense of fun that often feels lost in the original game. Unlike the base game, especially the competitive modes, the story mode manages to immerse players in the Overwatch universe. It brought out a level of excitement we haven\u2019t experienced in a while and we can't wait to see more.","apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/01170904\/OW21.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189597"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1722"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=189597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/189602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=189597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=189597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=189597"},{"taxonomy":"invoiceable_action","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/invoiceable_action?post=189597"},{"taxonomy":"internal-label","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-label?post=189597"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=189597"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=189597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Overwatch 2<\/em> feels like Overwatch<\/em>, but with a burst of life shot into it. Maybe it was the colorful streets of Rio or the novelty of items and upgrades, but the Overwatch 2 <\/em>demo brought a sense of fun that often feels lost in the original game. Unlike the base game, especially the competitive modes, the story mode manages to immerse players in the Overwatch<\/em> universe. It brought out a level of excitement we haven\u2019t experienced in a while and we can’t wait to see more. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The new PvE story mode brings new life into the base game. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1722,"featured_media":189602,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"gamurs_wordpress_blocks_hide_tags":true,"_is_affiliated":false,"dotesports_deal_href":"","dotesports_featured_video":"","_notify_users":1,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"invoiceable_action":[],"internal-label":[],"article_type":[],"coauthors":[{"id":1722,"display_name":"Liz Richardson","user_login":"lizrichardson1","user_nicename":"lizrichardson1"}],"class_list":["post-189597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-overwatch"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
