Overwatch 2 beta overview: All Hero changes coming with the new game

The days of waiting for the Overwatch 2 beta are almost over. With the game’s beta on the horizon, fans are more excited than ever. The Overwatch 2 beta is all set to commence on April 26.

Announced in late 2019, this Hero Shooter FPS sequel to the original Overwatch title is one of the most anticipated games of the year.

Blizzard Entertainment has reduced the team size of Overwatch 2 from 6v6 to 5v5 in this installment, but this change is not the only change that Blizzard is making for this new Hero shooter game.

As per the official report, the developers are giving major rework to some heroes and changing abilities.

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All Hero ability changes in Overwatch 2

Every hero in Overwatch 2 will now offer a role-based passive, and Tank Heroes are now more important than ever. It fulfills a crucial purpose in a team fight. The primary objective for the tank role will be the same.

The main focus of a Tank character would be to make space for their teammates, initiate engagements, and peel for allies in trouble. However, they’d still be able to inflict a decent amount of damage while holding their defensive stronghold.

Damage heroes will achieve faster movements, which will increase their mobility, and the fights will be more fun. All support heroes will have a passive healing ability to use.

For all the Heroes, the changes fans will experience in the upcoming beta are mentioned below.

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Doomfist

Doomfist is getting a major rework in the upcoming segment. From a Damage Hero, his position shifts to being a Tank Hero. Some of his abilities will feel familiar. The developers wanted to make him a combo Hero.

His base health is increasing from 250 to 450. Rocket Punch has been nerfed quite a bit, but it will feel quicker with increased mobility. The Hand Canon’s damage-dealing ability receives no change whatsoever.

Doomfist is also getting a new core named Power Block. This new core in his kit can meddle with enemies both offensively and defensively. With Doomfist’s superfluid mobility, he will play a crucial role in a team fight.

All Tank heroes will have their knockback reduced. Teammates who heal them will receive a lesser Ultimate charge from the enemy players.

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Orisa

A new weapon and an ability kit are coming for Orisa in Overwatch 2. The Centaur Omnic Hero is also getting a massive rework done by the developers. Her defensive abilities have entirely changed in this new avatar.

She no longer possesses Halt!, Supercharger, or the Protective Barrier. According to the developers, her new kit is a brawly, engaging Tank.

Her new ability, Javelin Spin, will destroy incoming enemy projectiles. Her primary fire builds up the heat instead of ammo. It will inflict damage to the enemies who get close to it.

Fortify also received some minor tweaks to fit Orisa’s playstyle. It generates less heat with primary fire to keep her fire ablaze longer. Her armor and health have also experienced a slight buff. Her new ultimate Terra Surge will pull enemy players towards her.

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Bastion

Bastion’s abilities are also being reimagined by Blizzard Entertainment. Bastion no longer possesses the self-healing ability.

Self-Repairing is now being replaced by a new ability, a secondary fire that launches a sticky bomb. The name of this ability is the tactical grenade.

While in Sentry mode, Bastion has now gained the ability to move. The sentry mode also offers infinite ammunition at the moment, but with a bit of a cooldown. In that time, Bastion will be vulnerable. The damage inflicted by the sentry gun has been reduced.

His new ultimate is called Configuration: Artillery. This ability will allow Bastion to launch three artilleries into the sky. It will rain down on enemies and melt them in a split second.

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Sombra

Another hero in Overwatch 2 who is getting a massive overhaul is Sombra. Sombra’s hack ability is getting buffed in this new segment.

Now, it will have a shorter cooldown time, and the enemies who are hacked by Sombra’s ability will receive 50% more damage.

Enemies hacked by Sombra will also be unable to use their abilities for a split second. They will also be visible through the walls.

Being in stealth mode, Sombra can now hack enemies. However, she will be visible to the enemies for a very short period.

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Reinhart

The most significant change made to Reinhart is that players can now cancel his charges. He will also be offered two charges for his fire strike.

Previously, in Overwatch, players have been heavily punished for his charging ability with incorrect positioning and planning. Still, players can now have a free mindset while playing with Reinhart with the new ability.

This change will allow players to play more aggressively than its old self.

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Mei

After a long wait, Overwatch fans are getting what they wanted for a long time. Mei is finally receiving a nerf.

Previously, her ability to freeze enemies was so unfair to players on the opposing team that the community repeatedly asked to change her ability. Blizzard has done some rework on Mei, and now she can no longer freeze people.

The main fire of her gun will now slow enemies while dealing extra damage. This new change gives opposing players a chance to fight against Mei.

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Cassidy

Cassidy has a major change in Overwatch 2. She no longer possesses the ability to Flashbang people. This new change is considered a nerf to her Hero ability. She now throws a grenade, which sticks to the enemy and deals extra damage.

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Winston

Winston’s new alternate fire, Tesla Cannon, allows him to shoot a charged shot toward enemies.

Previously, Winston needed to get close to opposing players to inflict direct damage, but now he can shoot people from a distance while preparing for his ultimate. Blizzard has also made Winston’s barrier stronger than before.

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Ana

There are no significant changes in Ana’s abilities. Her Sleep Dart ability is still the same. However, the cooldown time has been nerfed a bit.

The time has been increased to 15 seconds from 12 seconds. Her biotic grenade ability will now deal 60 damage instead of 100.

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Zarya

The new change that Blizzard has made for Zarya in Overwatch 2 is rather difficult to manage.

Zarya can now bubble herself twice, but the bubble abilities are now connected with the teammates. This means that Zarya can now also bubble herself and one ally or two allies at a time.

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Brigitte

In Overwatch 2, Brigitte now has a rather exciting change to look out for. Brigitte no longer stuns enemies using his Shield Bash ability.

The ability was an overpowered move, and repeatedly the community wanted it to change, but to compensate for this ability, Blizzard added more direct dealing damage to Brigitte.

He now has a shorter cooldown and can go through shields. Overall, on the right-hand side, Brigitte could be a beast in the upcoming segment.

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Junkrat

Players did not notice any significant change in Junkrat’s ability, but the enemies trapped inside his trap can now move slightly. This will allow opposing players to dodge some incoming attacks instead of waiting for their death.

These are the noticeable changes that players experienced in the closed beta, and Blizzard released some details about them. These changes are subject to change depending on the community’s reaction to the upcoming beta.

Overwatch 2 PvP beta is set to be released on April 26 at 11 AM PT.