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InOverwatch 2, there are usually one or two limited-time game modes that occur with each season, with these taking the form of annual events such as Halloween Terror’s Wrath of the Bride and Junkenstein’s Revenge (plus the more recent Junkenstein’s Lab), or more frequently recurring one-offs, such as the Quick Play: Hacked modes, to test potential tweaks and changes to the game such as team compositions, passive abilities, and more.
Ever since the launch ofOverwatch 2, the whole 5v5 or 6v6 debate has been a hot topic, with many longtime players and fans having a preference for the 6v6 composition, abilities, maps, and general mechanics of the originalOverwatch. As ofOverwatch 2’sCompetitive Season 13, a new limited-time game mode has been introduced, titledOverwatch Classic. Overwatch Classic aims to bring nostalgia back to longtime players, as well as offer newer players an opportunity to try out heroes in previous states, older maps and game modes such as Assault/2 CP, and more. All relevant information aboutOverwatch Classic, including the run-times and which characters are involved has been included in the guide below.
Overwatch Classic Mode in Overwatch 2, Explained
InOverwatch 2, Overwatch Classic is a first-time Arcade game mode that mirrors the originalOverwatchgame’s state upon release, meaning teams are composed of six players on each side, heroes are limited to the original roster and feature their original abilities, passive, and cooldown times, plus only the original Map pool will be available—yes, this includes thoseOverwatch 1Assault/2 CP mapssuch as Temple of Anubis and Hanamura.
Overwatch Classic began onNovember 12, 2024, and will lasta total of three weeks. Until November 19, the original no-hero limit rule is in play, meaning players can double up and mix and match not only between roles but also Heroes. If you’ve ever wanted to run a crazy team like six Winstons orfive Mercys and a Cassidy, then this is your chance. Following November 19, single hero limits will be in play, meaning that you can still mix and match between different roles to build your team, but only one player will be able to select a certain Hero at a time.
All Original Heroes & Abilities in Overwatch Classic
In Overwatch Classic, the hero pool is limited to the original 21 characters who were available upon the release ofOverwatch 1. This means that all original abilities, such as thenotorious Hanzo Scatter Arrowand Bastion Self-Heal, have returned to gameplay. However, in Overwatch Classic, you are not restricted to playing Defense DPS whilst defending or Attack DPS while attacking, giving players the opportunity to try out as many characters as possible.
All original abilities and changes have been noted below, as ofthe official patch notesfor this event:
Cassidy’s damage output will be more increased than what you may be used to inOverwatch 2with fanning the hammer dealing 70 damage per projectile. Cassidy’s Flashbang is restored to its original form where heroes caught in its blast will be immobilized for a few seconds, leaving them vulnerable to attack. Finally, Deadeye has more versatility, as Cassidy can cancel from firing and save up to half of his Ultimate charge.
Genji’s Dragonblade won’t be able to be ignored so easily as he can attack for up to eight seconds. Genji is also more mobile as Double Jump will reset as you wall climb.
Pharah’s original kit allows her more opportunities to stay in the air longer and can have more potential to “boop” opponents from ledges using her Concussive Blast. She also deals higher splash explosion damage from the rockets in her Rocket Launcher.
Aside from the broader damage changes inOverwatch 2,Reaper’s passive, The Reaping, will return to its original form where Soul Globes will be dropped from defeated enemies that Reaper can pick up to gain 50 HP. Also, plan how you use Wraith Form as it cannot be canceled early.
Soldier: 76’s Heavy Pulse Rifle deals less damage at 17 damage per projectile, but the rifle has no recoil and will instead have increased spread the longer you hold it.
Pulse Bomb can deal incredibly high damage that can finish off most heroes.
Bastionis a tricky hero who can make chokepoints nearly impassable when staged in Sentry Form by firing a steady volley of machine gun fire, though he cannot move and has a limited amount of ammo while in Sentry form. This makes his biggest weakness—getting attacked from behind—easy to exploit if the opponent can flank around him. Don’t forget to use the Self-Repair to heal Bastion when you are not dealing damage. Also, watch out, as Configuration: Tank will deal massive bursts of damage as Bastion freely roams the battlefield in tank form.
Hanzo’s most notable change was swapping his original specialty arrow, the Scatter Arrow. This is a powerful choke-buster attack that will launch a volley of projectiles that reflect off of walls, which, combined with the Sonic Arrow, is a great way to stop a flanking target that may be hiding around the corner. It can also deal heavy damage to tanks if fired right at their feet. Hanzo won’t have his Lunge jump passive in Overwatch Classic, so his mobility is more limited.
Junkrat has a lot more risk to his own health, as damage from his Frag Launcher will be dealt to him as well. Concussion Mine only has one charge, which will limit how Junkrat can use the ability to jump into action or deal damage to opponents.
The primary fire from Endothermic Blaster will quickly freeze individual enemies, allowingMeito deal an icy-cold elimination with her Alternate Fire. Also, the Ice Wall will be a more formidable obstacle to take down, with each pillar having 500 health.
Collect scrap to deploy Armor packs that you or your allies can pick up for additional Armor HP. When you use Deploy Turret, a small, low-damage Level 1 will be placed, but you can use your Forge Hammer to upgrade it Level 2, which is the same turret that now deploys automatically in the live game. With the original Molten Core ultimate, power up Torbjorn with additional armor and faster movement, and instantly upgrade a Level 2 turret to the missile-launching, rapid-firing Level 3 turret to secure any battleground.
Widowmaker is far more lethal with faster charge shots and more damage dealt at long-range. However, Widowmaker will be more vulnerable each time she uses Grappling Hook as it carries a longer cooldown.
D.Va’s original kit is more static and lacks the Micro Missiles ability that would be added later inOverwatch. Notably, her Defense Matrix continuously channels its field for several seconds between a 10-second cooldown, and Pilot D.Va can be damaged from the blast of her own Self Destruct ability, which takes 4 seconds to explode, making it a challenge for Pilot D.Va to stay out of the blast radius of her own devastating ability.
While Reinhardt won’t have the advantage of two charges to his Fire Strike and has a smaller HP pool, his Earthshatter will have more horizontal and vertical range to catch enemies off guard. Also, he will be able to mitigate incoming damage as his Barrier Health is much higher than in the live game.
Carefully avoid the hook as it will catch anything and everything around it and can deal a lethal one-two combo between his scrap gun and melee for an easy finishing blow to most low HP heroes.
Winston’s kit will be missing the long-range attack from his Tesla Cannon that was introduced inOverwatch 2. Also, carefully time your placements of Barrier Projector, as its cooldown starts only after the shield expires instead of when it is deployed.
Originally, Zarya had separate cooldowns for Particle Barrier and Projected Barrier, so be careful of when you use either to protect yourself or your teammates. However, Zarya’s ability to gain energy from these abilities is much higher than in the current live game.
While the identity ofLucio’s kithas remained the same, his Crossfade will feel the most different, as it provides a radius of 30 meters versus the 10-meter range in his current kit, but with less healing for his allies. However, this enables him to be a great character to help rush his team to the next team fight with ease.
Mercy’sResurrect ultimate works as a great teamfight counterplay, allowing her to target up to five allies in range to be resurrected immediately. Watch out if there are multiple Mercy players on your team, as the benefit from her Damage boost can be multiplied.
Originally categorized as a Support hero,Symmetra’s kitwas more geared toward providing utility to her allies than dealing damage directly. Her Photon Shield ability grants your allies additional Shield Health, which can regenerate as long as they are not eliminated. With Teleporter as her ultimate, you can place the exit teleporter anywhere on the map and be linked directly to your active spawn room. Consider playing more than one Symmetra to create complex sentry turret fortifications to wash clean any chokepoints from your opponents.
Zenyatta’s kitremains relatively unchanged, short of not having his Snap Kick passive that was added later. However, watch out for his Orb of Discord, as damage amplification increases 50% of the damage received on its target.
All Game Modes & Maps in Overwatch Classic
In Overwatch Classic, there are a total of twelve maps available across the Assault, Escort, Hybrid, and Control game modes. These maps have been noted below, many of which will not be available to play outside of certain other Arcade Modes and Custom Games following the Overwatch Classic event.
