Overwatch 2 support heroes are “a focus” for Blizzard

Overwatch 2 support heroes are “a focus” for Blizzard moving towards the game’s free-to-play release, according to an AMA with the game’s development team on Reddit. Addressing the lower number of support heroes in the FPS game compared to those in other roles, systems designer Gavin Winter says, “We know that our support hero lineup needs variety and it’s a focus for us going forward, but we can’t abandon development of damage heroes given their popularity.”

Speaking in the ‘ask me anything’ Reddit Q&A, Winter says that the team is not planning to actively pursue attaining an equal number of heroes across each role, but that “having more supports ASAP” is a current goal. Following on from the announcement that Overwatch 2 features a seasonal model with new heroes coming every other season, game director Aaron Keller says that two of the next three heroes coming after the season two hero are in the support role.

Speaking about possible reworks, Keller talks about “fun changes” on the way for Symmetra and says that the next Overwatch 2 beta will feature those, along with introducing a change for Moira “partway through” the beta’s duration. He says the team is “also looking at some changes for Brigitte, especially for her ult, that we’re hoping to get into the game for launch.” Brigitte’s ultimate, Rally, has long been a point of discussion among players, who feel that the rapid group healing it provides can feel like an ‘auto-win’ button at times.

Josh Noh, senior hero designer, says that the team hopes to provide a wide range of playstyle options that can have significant impact on a match’s outcome, but achieved in a variety of different ways depending on the hero’s individual skills. He suggests that “future support heroes could lean more on mechanical skills while others can be geared toward rewarding timing and positioning more than testing things like aiming.”

The full AMA also includes discussions on the possibility of reworking removed maps such as the assault mode locations (short answer: “only in the distant future” and “not without a lot of testing”). The team notes that the appearance of Hanamura as a payload map in a screen during the OW2 reveal trailer was “just a prototype” and that the map does not exist in that form in-game. However, the old maps are still available for custom games.

A recent developer blog talked about the development process for the newest Overwatch 2 hero, explaining that Junker Queen’s design reflected her “brutal personality.” The next Overwatch 2 beta starts shortly, so be sure to check that link if you want to know how to take part in testing the multiplayer game’s long-awaited sequel and trying out some of these proposed changes for yourself.