Why Paris is the Worst Map in Overwatch
By Bryant Chang
Assault maps are perhaps the least popular in Overwatch. They are usually long, drawn out games that end in pointless draws. To make matters worse, Assault maps are perfect for "cheese" compositions that make taking a point almost impossible. But out of all the Assault maps, Paris is the worst of all.
The one thing that Paris has going in favor of it is that it is one of the most beautiful maps in the games. From the piano near defenders' spawn, to the winding streets, to the stunning mansion, Paris is very well designed in terms of aesthetics.
But it sure is one annoying map to play. Let's start at Point A. Attacking teams are funneled through narrow choke points where they are sitting ducks for a Bastion situated behind an Orisa shield on the high ground. The prominent ledge in the middle of the map gives the defending team sight lines over all possible routes of attack. By the time the attackers reach the point, they would have already taken far too much damage to be able to fight on point. If they are attacking into a well-coordinated team that knows when to rotate to point, capturing Point A becomes nearly impossible without committing all of the team's Ultimates.
Point B is even more frustrating to assault. It features one of the longest walks from attackers' spawn to the point in the game. Defenders are even more favored on Point B because of defender spawn advantage. That advantage is compounded because the defenders have multiple exits from spawn, allowing them to counterattack from all directions. But perhaps the worst offender on Point B is the pole sitting smack dab in the middle of the point. A single Wrecking Ball can swing for days around that pole while contesting point the entire time. Without significant focus fire, this allows one player can stall out the point nearly indefinitely until reinforcements arrive. This particular pole makes Paris stand out particularly among the other Assault maps. Thus, a massive attacker's time bank can quickly vanish even if the attacker's get the first few picks.
Players are so annoyed with Paris that it is a significant reason why players should be allowed to vote for map bans when queuing up. If some users have had very negative experiences with Paris in the past, they should be allowed to avoid it and save their mental sanity in the process. In conclusion, Blizzard needs to continue to fine tune Assault maps to reduce the significant advantages the defenders have over attackers.
Photo courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment