This new Overwatch 2 map may be awful for Mei but its great for us

Date:
Thu, 02 Feb 2023 19:03:19 +0000

Description:
Blizzard has announced the new map that will accompany Overwatch 2 Season 3, and it looks like were going to the frozen tundra.

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Its no secret that the big addition in Overwatch 2 Season 3 would be a map. Blizzard made clear that each season would bring with it a big piece of content, alternating between a new hero and a new map. Last season brought Ramattra, so a map was on the menu for Season 3. However, in an interview
with Blizzard's dev team, we found out some exciting details buried within this icy tundra.

The new mode, named Antarctica Peninsula, can be found on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, closest to the southernmost part of South America. Here, the Overwatch 2 hero Mei, a climatologist, set out to research the effects of global warming on the ice caps.

As this is a control mode, were getting not one but three separate maps. This style of objective capture is a best-of-three round-based mode where the goal is to achieve control of the target area and hold it until your teams score ticks up to 100%.

We will be traveling to the Ice Breaker ship, which the international league of do-gooders Overwatch used when they tried to rescue Mei and her friends after some trouble in the ice of Antarctica. As well as the ship itself, theres an underground level set in the Ice Caves. Then there are the Labs, where Mei and her friends met an icy fate. In this area, will we now get to see who they were and what work they were doing towards the Ecopoint of Antarctica, lead art designer Dion Rodgers says. Upgrades people, upgrades (Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Each map will have individual aspects and details thatll work to flesh out
the stories and fights. The terrain or geometry layout is pretty different between each of the points, level designer Trey Spisak says. Each map will encourage different team compositions, and hero picks, so get ready for some nail-biting skirmishes.

The Lab area doesnt have as many environmental details or challenging
designs; instead, it chooses to tell its own story

The Ice Breaker map is intimate, thanks to the flat landscape and low
ceilings theres a lot of protection from flying characters on this particular level, Spisak says. However, youll encounter massive cliffs and sheer drops
in the Ice Caves. This means a Dive Composition made up of heroes that can quickly scale heights and have great mobility, like D.Va or Genji, is the
best pick for this map.

There are also plenty of environmental hazards to be aware of in these dark caves. Theres this massive drill in the middle with holes scattered around, Spisak says. Thisll be great if youre a Lucio who likes to push enemies down pits or a Roadhog who can use Chain Hook to drag your opposition off the
solid ground to drop them into a black abyss.

However, this last map centered in the Lab area doesnt have as many environmental details or challenging designs; instead, it chooses to tell its own story. The labs are an extension of Meis friends, Rodgers says. We now
get to see who they were and what work they were doing. Unhappy ending (Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

For those who arent aware of the tragedy of Meis story or what happened at
the Ecopoint Research Station in Antarctica, brace yourself because its not a happy story.

Mei and her colleagues first traveled to the frozen research station for scientific exploration of the climate and ice deterioration. However, what
she discovered was much harsher. Hit by a fierce ice storm, the team was trapped in the lab, running low on supplies, each turned to cryostasis as a last resort. Despite the Overwatch team trying to rescue these scientists, no one could get in or out of the station. It wasnt until Mei woke up after nine years that she freed herself from an icy grave. Unfortunately, her friends
and colleagues werent as lucky.

As you venture around each of the three maps, youll be able to see the ship that failed to rescue the team of scientists, the caves in which Mei and her friends worked, and the final resting place of her colleagues. This map is moving the actual canon of Overwatch forward, Rodgers says. (Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Im just happy Blizzard is returning to its once-forgotten established lore. Overwatch has showcased some excellent storytelling previously, and it was a shame to see this go to waste. Whether this was Bastion s origin story, the civil war between brothers Genji and Hanzo, or even recently Ramattra s introduction and the revitalization of one of Overwatchs main antagonists,
the freedom fighting group Null Sector. The fact that new maps and heroes are now working to push forward the overarching lore and even individual
character stories is exciting to see.

Putting the serious storytelling aside, I cant wait to just zoom around Antarctica Peninsula and discover all the secrets about Mei, her would-be rescuers, and maybe even some unknown faces for myself. I played over 500 games in Overwatch 2, and all I got was the Cyberdemon tag



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/this-new-overwatch-2-map-may-be-awful-for-mei-b ut-its-great-for-us


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