Tank players in Overwatch 2 have been in a tricky spot since the switch to 5v5, but is there a way to make the role less stressful?
After Overwatch 2 brought the 5v5 setup into practice by cutting one tank from each side, Tank players have had a lot more riding on their shoulders. There’s no longer another player to pick up the slack, the frontline is a lot smaller, and the whole team is a lot squishier if one person isn’t doing their job correctly.
Add that to the fact that there are still abilities like Discord Orb that haven’t been tuned down to fit the new 5v5 structure, and the average game for a Tank player is a lot more stressful than it is for a Damage player, and maybe even for a Support player too.
It’s a tough issue, and one where a solution is going to be difficult find. However, that hasn’t stopped Overwatch 2 players from theorizing how this problem could be solved beyond just picking Orisa every game.
Tank players call for an end to “Rock, Paper, Scissors” playstyle
In a post on the official Overwatch subreddit, one Tank player posed the question: “What would make the Tank role more fun to play?”
“Tank has and generally always has been the least played role. I have been a tank main since OW1, as it has always had the “most fun” heroes in my opinion. However, this season was the first time I felt playing the role was a chore every game.”
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The player attributed the stress of the role to two things. First, the pressure that comes from being the only Tank on the team, and secondly, the constant need to swap Tanks to counter the enemy- the “Rock, Paper, Scissors” meta.
Many players agreed, particularly on the switching point. “For me, it’s just the rock paper scissors matchups that make the role feel horrible,” another player said. “Both tanks switching upon every death to counter the other just shouldn’t be a thing.”
One of the most popular solutions to counter the need to switch was bringing back the second tank, but this seems pretty unlikely. Blizzard has remained committed to 5v5 since Overwatch 2 launched, and going back on that would be a major upset.
For more news and updates on Overwatch 2, check out the group respawn feature that could be coming to competition in the next few months.
