Overwatch 2 players are taking a moment to review the multiplayer game’s roller coaster launch after the announcement that the Overwatch 2 player count has reached 25 million players just ten days after Blizzard launched it as a free game. Server instability, DDoS attacks, and numerous glitches have caused disruption among the playerbase, leading to Blizzard offering an Overwatch 2 compensation package. On the other hand, the team reports that it’s very happy with the current state of Overwatch 2 balance at launch.
Putting aside individual topics, players on the Overwatch Reddit have come together for a moment of reflection to discuss their overall feelings on how they’ve found the game in its opening fortnight. The consensus among the most upvoted responses is pretty clear – people are enjoying the game itself, but are frustrated with its lack of polish, bad business practices, and pricey monetisation.
The vibe is perhaps best summed up by one of the top comments: “Core gameplay is really good. Battle pass is lacklustre. The shop is a joke.” However, the poster remarks that “All the problems with the game are easily fixed in my opinion, it depends how greedy Blizzard wants to be. I’m fine with the battle pass system but the value is pretty s***.” Many players point to the fact that completing all the weekly challenges only rewards a grand total of 60 coins – with unlocks as simple as weapon charms costing 700 coins and legendary skins priced at a whopping 1900. For comparison, a 2200 coin bundle is priced at $19.99 USD or £16.79 GBP.
Players who are coming to the series for the first time, or after a long time away from the first game, seem to be enjoying the relatively unique style of shooter that Overwatch 2 provides. “It’s a breath of fresh air from the battle royale saturated market,” says another popular response, “More gameplay, less looting and sitting in lobbies.” However, they say that it “desperately needs PvE for when you’re not in the mood to sweat and just want to vibe with the homies.”
Others, in a rather staggering turn of events, say they miss the loot box system of the first Overwatch – though it seems their desire is less for loot boxes themselves and rather a way to earn rewards for free without having to stump up for a battle pass or outright buy cosmetics. “Playing the game only earns me golden guns and competitive ranks,” remarks one player, who says that “The gameplay loop is amazing, I just don’t understand why it has to be unrewarding” on the cosmetics front.
Other fans say they miss some of the “little touches” from the previous game such as being ‘on fire,’ earning medals, and voting on players at the end of match. As one user points out, it’s “Nice to be recognised, and to recognise players, for doing a great job.” Others have expressed dissatisfaction with several parts of the Overwatch 2 UI, such as its simplified menus at the ends of rounds, and changes to the game’s physics engine that have left the Busan cow looking deflated.
Some new players have raised concerns that the pre-existing Overwatch user base “is extremely toxic.” One popular thread says that “at least one in five games I get someone trying to belittle another person because they’re playing a video game badly or in a way they disagree with. The negativity is honestly overwhelming. Y’all need to do better.” As someone who played the first game regularly until it came to an end, I have to agree with this assessment, and it’d be great to see Blizzard endeavour to improve on that front. Do better, y’all.
On a lighter note, plenty of players have been enjoying some of the little new touches – such as many of the new voice line interactions. For example, Mercy will remark on having an easy job ahead if matched up with four heroes that can all heal themselves, while Junker Queen notes that you’re going to “teach these boys a lesson” if her entire squad is female. Meanwhile, the Blackwatch squad of Genji, Reaper, Cassidy, and Moira have their own set of custom banter if all of them end up together. (heard at 2:50).
Streamers are also chiming in with their thoughts. Former Overwatch League pro player Seagull says that “Overwatch 2 may have stellar gameplay, but it’s not what was promised.” He speculates that the success of other free-to-play games such as Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Valorant forced Blizzard’s hand in reworking its planned PvE-focused model and start with an early access PvP mode. “As someone walking into Overwatch 2’s launch, I see that early access tag, I notice the lack of content, and I can’t help but wonder about that other road the old Blizzard might have taken, and how much more excited I would’ve been for a real sequel instead.” He does however add that “I’ll probably log on every day anyway.”
Only time will tell how things pan out for Overwatch 2 – Currently, the Overwatch 2 PvE release date is loosely set for ‘2023.’ Blizzard’s first seasonal event is due to arrive soon, and fans are already expressing concern en masse that they’ll have minimal interest in it if they’re aren’t ways to earn at least some of the event skins for free by playing and completing challenges. Meanwhile, one final remark shows that some things never change: “25 million players… Yet no-one shoots the Pharah that keeps killing the backline.
Our own Overwatch 2 PvP review found it to be more of a “chunky update than a full-blown sequel.” Overwatch 2 nerfs for some of the higher-performing Overwatch 2 heroes are expected to arrive during the midseason balance patch. We’ll be sure to keep our Overwatch 2 tier list up to date so you know who you’re best options are as the updates roll in. We’ve also got an introduction to all the Overwatch 2 maps and a guide to the best Overwatch 2 PC settings to ensure your gameplay is optimised.
