Overwatch 2 DPS Heroes Are Getting A Speed Boost At Launch

Ahead of the Overwatch 2 launch next month, Blizzard has posted a preview of changes that players can expect. One of the big tweaks, when compared to the previous betas, is a new passive ability for each class of hero, with DPS role characters getting an increase in speed.

In the betas, DPS heroes retained 30% of their ultimate power when they were swapped out for another character, and this buff will also be applied to Tank and Support heroes. To give DPS characters a more clearly defined role, Blizzard explained in a blog post that these heroes will benefit from a passive movement and reload speed increase after they eliminate an opponent.

"We're introducing a new passive to DPS that increases their movement speed and reload speed by 25% for a brief window after getting an elimination," Blizzard explained. "We believe that this change is the right balance of rewarding players who perform well in the Damage role without being overpowered. However, in future seasons, we may continue to experiment with what these passives do as we look to shake up the meta regularly."

Blizzard also detailed changes being made to some of the roster, which includes Orisa base health and armor being slightly reduced, D.Va's Boosters impact damage rate being more than doubled, Baptiste's Biotic Launcher primary fire damage getting a slight buff, and Bastion's Ironclad passive being re-enabled. Blizzard added that Overwatch 2 will have a 9-week season cadence that will introduce new maps, heroes, game modes, and more for players to experience.

Overwatch 2 enters early access on October 4, 2022 for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Switch. This will consist solely of the game's PvP mode, with the PvE mode arriving in 2023. Starting on October 2, the original Overwatch's game servers will be shut down and converted into Overwatch 2, Blizzard has confirmed.