Overwatch 2 devs reveal hero balance plans, meta, & future console beta

Bill Cooney

Blizzard devs revealed new plans to balance heroes, thoughts on the meta, and the potential for a console version of the beta during a livestream on March 18.

The big talk in the Overwatch world is the upcoming beta for Overwatch 2 starting on April 26.

While the community waits patiently for their chance to play, devs held a livestream on March 18 that went over some of the major changes on the way.

From new plans to balance heroes, how the meta is developing, and Doomfist as a tank, here’s a rundown of what was covered.

Overwatch 2 hero balance plans

For Overwatch 2, devs say they’ve received feedback already for Doomfist’s switch from DPS to tank, with players supportive of the switch.

“For Doomfist, probably one of the biggest reworks is switching roles, he’s a tank now,” Lead Hero Designer Geoff Goodman explained. “I was really scared on what feedback we were going to get because it’s so different. From what we’ve got so far from dedicated Doomfist players, they’re generally excited for it.”

Not only will the Overwatch 2 closed beta turn Doomfist to a Tank, but it will also introduce a number of new hero changes, some of which have already been leaked.

As expected the Overwatch 2 changes will seriously affect the meta, which devs admitted is looking much different even after alpha testing. As the closed beta opens up, Keller and the other team members said they expect the meta to continue to change as well.

Devs “want to include” console players in Overwatch 2 beta

Overwatch 2 Sojourn
Console players will be able to try out the Overwatch 2 beta as well, according to devs.

One of the biggest complaints for players on console was that the beta is only available to those on PC. However, Jon Spector said they want to include as many different types of Overwatch players as possible.

“We do want to include console players at a future point in our beta testing program, and we’re working towards doing that,” Spector said, though he didn’t say exactly when those on console might get a shot.

It looks like Blizzard devs have recommitted themselves to communicating better with the community. Hopefully it keeps up as we draw ever closer to the April 24 beta start date.

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About The Author

Bill is a former writer at Dexerto based in Iowa, who covered esports, gaming and online entertainment for more than two years. With the US team, Bill covered Overwatch, CSGO, Influencer culture, and everything in between.