Overwatch 2 Tank Changes: What Are They

Overwatch 2 is in development and we can expect a lot of big changes to the sequel, especially with the rework of the tank role.

Tanks are the defenders and path makers of Overwatch and with the sequel in development, developers are changing the player base from 6v6 to 5v5. Aaron Keller, game director decisions with other developers to change the player vs. player count will give the game a more fast-paced environment. Developers will have to adjust the hero roles players are able to select.

Overwatch 2 Tank Changes: What Are They

Overwatch 2 will only allow one tank per team, meaning the hero role abilities and skills will need to adjust to balance the mechanics of the game. Two tanks act as a buffer for teams pushing or holding the objectives and having one tank means the heroes' role damage-per-second is going to be adjusted. An adjustment made by the developers is changing the tank role name to be called brawlers.

Brawlers

The name brawler will take over the role of tank, developers are adjusting these heroes to be more fast-paced during combat. Allowing players that like to jump into the moshpit, a role that can withstand high damage but at a cost. The change of abilities are:

• Longer ultimate charges
• Low damage-per-second
• Skills with long-range attacks

Brawlers will be designed to be more passive-aggressive on the battlefield, meaning their damage may be reduced by a small margin but attacks will have a longer range so players can make good use of the environment. "We want to try to make them more toe-to-toe brawlers, and less characters that just stand back and protect other people."Jeff Kaplan comments on BlizzConline 2021 earlier this year. This would be an interesting format that should balance out the new PvP competitive game.