The release of Overwatch 2 has inspired many to try Blizzard’s now-free-to-play FPS shooter – but its early success may be in part due to changes that make the game more palatable to new players. Although its official launch wasn’t the smoothest by any means, with a variety of issues such as mass DDoS attacks on Blizzard’s servers, the game has still brought in a significant number of players who are eager to try out the revised format. With a new First Time User Experience system and tweaks that make the competitive experience less intimidating, Overwatch 2 is proving to be more approachable to new players than the original title.
The largest difference that Overwatch 2 rookies will notice compared to veterans is the implementation of the First Time User Experience System, or FTUE for short. This system is designed to gradually introduce players into the game, in order not to overwhelm them. It restricts the heroes that they can use in addition to those locked behind Overwatch 2‘s Battle Pass, bringing the sizable 35-character roster down to just 15 characters. To unlock all the heroes in Overwatch 2, they must play a total of 100 matches, over which all the additional heroes will be slowly unlocked. This restriction is lifted when playing with friends, but even so, players are not able to queue for Competitive matches until they have won 50 games of Quick Play first.
While those who have been with the game for years seem to be at odds over this, there is plenty of reason to believe that for those who are new, the FTUE (explained by Blizzard ahead of launch in September 2022) is actually rather beneficial. Each hero, like Overwatch 2‘s new support Kiriko, has two unique abilities and an ultimate at their disposal. This may become overwhelming fast – especially for those who might be generally new to FPS games. Plus, having the 50 wins requirement forces players to familiarize themselves with the game before queuing for Competitive, making their experience (as well as their teammates’) much less frustrating. This format is not at all uncommon, especially in free-to-play games. For example, new characters in Apex Legends are locked behind legend tokens, a currency that a player can only earn through playing the game.
Competitive UI Changes Make Overwatch 2 Less Intimidating
With the FTUE, players will gradually be able to move on from their starting characters in Overwatch 2, and they will be at least generally acclimated to the game by the time they are able to queue for Competitive – but even then, changes to the game’s user interface make the ranked experience a lot less intimidating than it previously was. The lobby screen in the previous game was a common place for players to pass judgment on their teammates or enemies – solely based on their current rank – before the match even began. This could cause unnecessary tension or harassment to occur quite frequently, making some players anxious to queue for Competitive matches. But now, players have no way of seeing player ranks in Overwatch 2‘s new ranking system, other than through individual career profiles. Since players can choose to keep their profiles private, this is entirely in their control, letting players have a decent amount of control over their online experience.
Similarly, with Overwatch 2 removing visible level borders, players are unable to see what level their teammates or enemies are. This went hand-in-hand with rank harassment, and so with it being moved into the career profile too, the player can choose whether they’d like that information to be on display. This applies to all game modes – so regardless of whether a player is playing their main hero in Competitive, or trying out Overwatch 2‘s latest tank, Junker Queen, in an Arcade game, they will not be judged for their level, only for their skill.
With the removal of these elements and the addition of the FTUE system, new players in Overwatch 2 can learn the game at a much more comfortable pace compared to its predecessor. The free-to-play model has already brought the game a considerable amount of attention. But more importantly, these changes enable it to retain its popularity – and to foster a whole new generation of loyal players.
