How Overwatch 2 is changing the Tank role
Overwatch 2 is still a way out and there is some extensive playtesting underway. The various teams are implementing and testing out new features, combat tweaks and more. One of the experiments that is being explored in Overwatch 2 is a change to the Tank role.
Game director Jeff Kaplan explained the goal with these changes is to make tank characters “more toe-to-toe brawlers.”
In Overwatch, tank characters exist basically to stand back and protect other people. This sort of defensive playstyle, where your primary focus is to shield your teammates, creates almost a passive, boring gameplay experience. For a game with so much firepower and explosiveness, it’s almost a letdown to simply stand back and pop a shield.
Reinhardt was the primary example when talking about these changes. The goal, according to Kaplan is to make him more than just a guy with a shield.
In currently playtesting, he can now throw two Fire Strikes back-to-back, allowing for a bit more offensive firepower. His Charge ability has a bit more flexibility in steering. You still won’t be able to turn tight corners, but you should be more accurately able to pin targets.
You can also cancel his Charge. This allows you to use it more frequently and aggressively to go after key targets without worrying about sacrificing your positioning. You won’t be as severely punished for using it aggressively on the offensive.
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These offensive-minded changes make Reinhardt a more aggressive tank. As Kaplan explained, Blizzard is trying to “embrace more of that instinct players have when they play a big burly character that looks aggressive and feels like he should be aggressive.”
As someone who primarily played tank roles in Overwatch, I love this mindset. But Reinhardt isn’t the tank I can think of that can benefit from this shift in mentality. Winston is another tank that I think could benefit from this offensive-minded approach.
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Hopefully, these changes stick because creating tanks that are more offensive can really open up some exciting new gameplay potential.