Overwatch 2Season 14 introduced Hazard as the newest addition to the tank role. Alongside his debut, Blizzard confirmed the return of the annual Winter Wonderland event and theOverwatch Classic event, initially launched in Season 13. Notably, the original Overwatch Classic game mode lasted nearly three weeks, from November 12 to December 2.
Overwatch 2has yet to share exactly when Overwatch Classic will reappear in Season 14, but it’s likely to be after the Winter Wonderland game modes leave the Arcade tab. However, considering that the event was playable via its custom category in Unranked last time, it’s also possible it could be released sooner. Nevertheless, instead of running the event for three weeks, Blizzard should consider splitting it into two separate launches, each lasting two weeks.
Overwatch 2 Is Bringing Back The Popular Overwatch Classic Mode
Overwatch 2 Could Benefit From Adjusting Its Approach to Overwatch Classic
It’s undeniable thatOverwatch Classic was a massive success, with 36% of all player hours being spent in the mode in November alone. Combined with the fact that 71% of the playerbase tried the game mode on the first day, it’s clear that despite being a limited-time mode, it was incredibly popular. While the percentage of players in the mode declined toward the end, as is common with special events, fans were still eager to share excitement about future renditions.
Still, despite dwindling retention rates being typical for limited-time modes, Blizzard might consider adjusting its approach. Splitting the three-week event into two separate two-week modeswithinOverwatch 2Season 14could help address this issue. This could renew player interest, and Blizzard could also introduce fresh rewards in the second phase. Often, finishing the challenges leaves players with little motivation to keep playing a mode, so a second round could keep it more engaging.
“Despite dwindling retention rates being typical for limited-time modes, Blizzard might consider adjusting its approach.”
Overwatch Classic Could Divide Its Metas Into Separate Stages
With Blizzard confirming that it’s bringing Overwatch Classic back, different metas will be highlighted. For instance,Season 13’s Overwatch Classichad a limited roster of 21 heroes and 12 maps. This included original abilities such as Torbjorn’s Build Turret, Widowmaker’s faster charge rate, and Roadhog’s often buggy Version 1.0 Chain Hook.
During theOverwatch 2Season 14 trailer, the developers also highlighted the 2017 Moth Meta as a point of interest. While this was a controversial meta at that time, particularly in ranked play, some fans have expressed excitement about its return. As an Unranked mode, the Moth Meta could deliver some fun moments, even if it could also be occasionally frustrating.
In this era,Mercy dominated the Support rolewith her high pick rate. During the meta, the Swiss medic maintained her resurrection ability, with a reduced cooldown when she used her ultimate. When enemy teams secured eliminations, it was common to see a Mercy revive them with hardly any consequences due to the resurrection being instantaneous. As such, combined with her ultimate lasting about twenty seconds, it seemed that to win, both teams needed to run Mercy-dependent compositions.
Blizzard also highlighted the return of other metas like triple-tank andGOATS metain its originalOverwatch Classic blog post, so the developers could introduce one of these further into Season 14. After all, the first Overwatch Classic event initially launched with no hero limits but implemented single-hero limits on November 19. Therefore, it seems feasible that Team 4 is fully capable of making such changes within a short amount of time. Regardless, whatever approach Blizzard takes for its second Overwatch Classic event, it’s certain to deliver a nostalgic experience.
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Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Power up your railgun and disrupt the battlefield as Sojourn, or yield your axe and command attention as Junker Queen. Battle to take control of a robot and move it toward the enemy base in the new Push Mode. Bring the fight to new destinations across the globe in iconic locations like New York, Rome, Monte Carlo and Rio. Daily challenges and frequent updates mean there is always something new to play.
