How to play Overwatch’s new game modes right now
Overwatch is more than a year old at this point, which is normally when game developers assign ongoing development to the summer intern and start working on pre-orders for the sequel. But Blizzard is charging ahead full speed with new updates to its hit multiplayer shooter.
In the latest update, Blizzard is introducing two new gameplay modes, as well as some big changes to popular characters in the game. The changes are live now on the PC tryout server (Blizzard’s version of a beta), so they should hit the main servers in a few weeks.
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The biggest change is the introduction of two new gameplay modes, Team Deathmatch and Free-for-all. The gameplay mechanics likely don’t need explaining: Team Deathmatch is a 6-v-6 where getting kills is the name of the game, while the free-for-all has no teams, first player to 20 kills wins. Team Deathmatch is won by whichever team gets to 30 kills first.
To accomodate the new game modes, there’s also a new map: Chateau Guillard, which was Widowmaker’s ancestral home.
Regular players will also be glad to hear there’s a couple buffs to existing characters. Junkrat is getting two concussion mines rather than one, and a speed boost to his ultimate ability. Orisa’s projectile speed is up 20%, and her shield is also a little bigger and gives better protection from below. Roadhog has had a major survivability improvement: he can now use his healing while on the move, and while healing he also takes 50% less damage. Finally, Widowmaker has had the cooldown on her grappling hook reduced, which should help with mobility.
To play with these updates right now, you’ll need to be on a PC and download the Public Test Region version of the game. It’s a separate version of the game with its own files, which are about a 10GB download. Log into the Blizzard App, select Overwatch, and then the Region/Account dropdown. From there you can select the PTR, wait while the files download, and then go play with no further installation.
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