Overwatch Classic is incredibly unbalanced & that’s exactly what OW2 needs

Overwatch Classic saw the return of the notorious “Moth Meta” and DPS Doomfist, and while this event may be an unbalanced mess, it reveals something that might help revitalize the game.

The state of Overwatch has become one steeped in controversy. Many in the community grew tired of the game and swapped to its primary competitor, Marvel Rivals, including some prolific streamers who aren’t totally optimistic about the future of Overwatch 2.

But the return of Overwatch’s “Moth Meta” in the new Overwatch Classic mode provides an insight into why Marvel Rivals might be succeeding and Overwatch feels like it’s fumbling. Maybe, at the end of the day, a well-balanced game isn’t always a good one.

Overwatch 2 needs some chaos

There’s a strange sense of hypocrisy when comparing the reception to Overwatch and Marvel Rivals. While Overwatch is often criticized for having unbalanced metas, Marvel Rivals on the other hand is praised in spite of its messy balance.

Triple support is a powerful composition, and while it’s not infallible, it’s a notable balance outlier and has led to frustration for players. But, despite triple support almost completely preventing any sort of deaths for over 30 seconds with coordinated team comps, supports in the game are largely seen as fun and impactful when compared to Overwatch 2’s offering.

Which brings us to the Moth Meta, a time in Overwatch 2 where Mercy would zip around the map, totally unkillable in her ultimate while reviving half of her team at a time. Overwatch players claim this meta is borderline unplayable, but it’s also part of an era where Overwatch’s popularity was at its peak.

Blizzard Entertainment

And, while much of the community despises playing against DPS Doomfist due to his “silly mobility” and ability to one-shot characters, it’s certainly given lots of other players a sense of joy. Not to mention, there’s another silly character in Marvel Rivals currently swinging around with a one-shot combo of his own on top of insane mobility (with the potential to add a stasis on top of that with a team-up.)

Overwatch streamer Flats released a video on his thoughts of why Overwatch has lost its touch, and he claims that perhaps Overwatch is too focused on balancing the game. While there are those who would certainly argue against the case, maybe Overwatch just needs to take stronger swings with its balance decisions and aim for fun instead of competitive integrity.

Overwatch promised the community some “groundbreaking changes” coming to the game in the future. The community has speculated on what exactly we might expect, such as specific hero talents. Regardless, it seems urgent to introduce an agent of chaos to the game and leave balance on the back burner.

With so many players asking for “new content”, perhaps what they really need is new ways to experience the game they love. Making things a little less balanced is how Overwatch 2 gets there and wins players back.