Blizzard’s take a look at of the return to 6v6 format will kick off throughout season 14 of Overwatch 2, which ought to begin on or round Dec. 10. That first take a look at interval will probably be a variation of the sport’s Open Queue format, Keller mentioned, which is described as “Min 1, Max 3” — which means every crew of six will need to have a minimum of certainly one of every function, and not more than three. Gamers will be capable to change roles on the fly, so long as the crew comp adheres to the “Min 1, Max 3” rule.
A second take a look at is predicted to kick off in the course of the center of season 14, which means someday in mid-January. That take a look at will comply with the unique Overwatch’s 2-2-2 composition. Each exams will see “a collection of steadiness modifications that may apply to those two take a look at modes solely,” Keller mentioned. “The facility and survivability of tanks will go down in these 6v6 codecs, and we’ll be looking at whether or not we want most of the passives that we’ve added in Overwatch 2.”
Blizzard will probably be conducting comparable experiments this season, however with the prevailing 5v5 format in Fast Play. The primary, referred to as “Restrict 2,” will permit for a most variety of two gamers per function — which means that, sure, there will probably be a chance to have two tanks on a crew of 5. If a crew is working twin tanks in Restrict 2, these gamers will probably be tuned to Open Queue steadiness, which provides tanks much less well being.
No matter how these exams work out, it doesn’t sound like Blizzard is absolutely committing to a definitive crew measurement.
“Is there a world the place each 5v5 and 6v6 exist completely in Overwatch 2? If you happen to had requested me a couple of months in the past, I’d have mentioned no,” Keller mentioned. “As we’ve mentioned Overwatch 2’s future in gentle of creating the sport that our gamers wish to play, we all know our gamers can need a couple of expertise, and it will be one thing we’d want to contemplate transferring ahead.”
It feels like the subsequent few months will probably be a few of the most attention-grabbing for longtime Overwatch 2 gamers, significantly for tanks, who’ve been struggling to various levels since Blizzard instituted the 5v5 change. Whether or not 6v6 or extra fluid crew comps will relieve any of that ache stays to be seen, but it surely’s clear that the Overwatch crew is throwing lots on the wall to see what resonates with gamers.
