14 DAY TRIAL // The team at Blizzard is announcing a new beta patch for Overwatch, which is designed to both introduce new content for the multiplayer-focused shooter and tweak some of the core features to improve the player experience.
The official forums explain that some of the tweaks are not fully listed, but gamers will see their effects during matches, and they should report all issues that they have with the game as quickly as possible.
Overwatch is getting access to a new escort-focused map called Route 66, which imagines a highway devoid of both travelers and road trippers, with Blizzard stating, "The gas stations, roadside shops, and cafes have gone into disuse, and the fabled Deadlock Gorge is mostly seen from the comfort of transcontinental train cars. But amid the fading monuments of that earlier era, the outlaws of the Deadlock Gang are planning their biggest heist yet."
Weekly Brawl is the new mode introduced to the title, which will offer an alternate take on the title that will shift rules taken from the Custom Game system every seven days, although during the testing phase gamers will get changes each day.
Overwatch is now also showing players highlights from their matches, which cannot be currently explored, and the Play of the Game feature has been updated with four new categories, High Score, Sharpshooter, Shutdown, and Lifesaver.
Overwatch is preparing for its big launch day
In addition to these new and reworked main features, Blizzard is also introducing a wide range of tweaks to already existing mechanics and players can also pick up new skins for heroes.
A full list of the changes made to heroes in Overwatch to improve balance and other tweaks can be seen by clicking on the button at the end of this article and the studio will introduce more before the coming beta testing period.
The coming game will not use a free-to-play model because the development team wants to make sure that players who invest initially will be able to get access to a range of new content, which includes modes, maps, and heroes.
Overwatch is set to arrive on May 24 of this year on the PC, the Xbox One from Microsoft and the PlayStation 4 from Sony.
To flesh out the lore associated with the game, Blizzard is planning to deliver a number of animated shorts focused on characters, a graphic novel and a six-issue classic comic book.