Overwatch 2 is finally addressing the elephant in the room: 6vs6 is being discussed again, but DPS players need to change something.
It’s been quite a while since Overwatch 2 was released. Promises like the PvE mode were broken and the switch from “6vs6” to “5vs5” in particular put many people off and is still causing discussions today. A few days ago, it was announced that they would finally have a discussion about it and share the developers’ views. That’s exactly what has happened now.
One of the main reasons for switching to 5v5: the DPS characters.
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What has changed in Overwatch 2? Until the end of Overwatch 2, there was a “2-2-2” format. That is, 2 tanks, 2 DPS characters and 2 supports. Overwatch 2 then switched to “1-2-2” – that is, only one tank per team.
As Aaron Keller, the game director of Overwatch 2, now explains on the Overwatch website, this was done for several reasons. One was that 2 tanks often meant that the game never really progressed and it often felt like a match had come to a standstill at the first corner or narrow point. When 2 tanks with 2 supports breathing down their necks rotate their defensive abilities and shields, a battle can almost only be decided by ultimates.
The second, probably more important reason: far too many people want to play DPS. There are simply too few people who want to play tank. This is not because Overwatch 2 generally has too few players, but because the ratio between tanks and DPS characters is extreme.
This is how severe the problem was: To show how drastic the problem was, Keller showed a statistic:
In Overwatch 1, DPS players had to wait 7.6 minutes to find a match when selecting roles. In Overwatch 2, this time has dropped to 2.9 minutes, so the effect is more than just halving the waiting time.
If you were to simply go back to 6v6, it would be like flipping that switch again. The waiting times for DPS fans would explode again and that would significantly reduce the fun of the game.
Will 6vs6 ever come back? That’s not certain. However, the developers want to experiment with some modes and adjustments in the coming seasons to find out if and how to bring back the 6vs6 mode. However, there is a lot to consider, because they don’t want to drastically worsen the waiting times or scare away those fans who prefer the 5vs5 format.
In addition, Overwatch 2 offers better graphics and also shows more details on the screen. 2 additional characters per match could mean that the game no longer runs as well on older hardware and this should also be avoided.
This is how the community reacts: Even though the community is actually at loggerheads with the developers of Overwatch 2, this long statement from Aaron Keller is receiving a lot of praise in the Overwatch subreddit. There is constant recognition for going into so much detail and openly explaining many connections and ideas. Some people now seem to have a greater understanding of the change from 6vs6 to 5vs5 and a discussion has started about how to solve the problems with the lack of tanks.
It’s doubtful whether Blizzard will ever return to a permanent 6v6 mode with Overwatch 2. But the developers are clearly willing to try it out and then discuss the findings and results with the community. But to make sure it doesn’t get too positive: Overwatch 2 is currently selling a weapon skin for €80.