Overwatch 2’s upcoming new game mode, Flashpoint, is still a bit mysterious, but the game’s developer peeled back the curtain a bit more on what players can expect.
A new blog post from OW2 game director Aaron Keller attempted to shed some light on the new mode, which is coming with the game’s Invasion update in August. And it included a raw image of concept art from the map’s early days.
“It’s good practice to draw paper maps before building a new level, especially when it’s part of the process for designing a new game mode,” Keller said. “This image was one of the first ones drawn for Flashpoint. The final layout of Suravasa won’t be exactly like this—for instance there won’t be a river dividing the map in two—but it does a good job of showing how a Flashpoint map is designed.”
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Previously, OW2 players had questions and concerns about how spawns would work in the new mode. Keller’s blog post helps clarify how things will work a bit better.
The loose concept image shows an idea of what to expect from a Flashpoint map and how its capture points are scattered around the area, a big change of pace from OW2’s other core game modes.
“There are two spawn points for each team and five points arranged in an x pattern,” Keller said. “We talked about the quasi-symmetrical nature of the map on the Overwatch 2: Invasion Reveal livestream, and when you look at point B, for instance, you can see that the entrances to the arena are all symmetrical, with this symmetry extending outside the point for a short distance.
Keller also said that the first objective point will always be the central one of the map, which is a change from what was originally announced during the livestream, when the mode previously selected the first point at random.
The mode is reminiscent of Call of Duty’s Hardpoint in some aspects, where teams fight over capture points that rotate around the map. The description of Flashpoint from the Xbox blog announcement of the new mode also makes it seem somewhat similar.
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“Teams will fight for control of key positions across the map called “Flashpoints,” aiming to capture three of them before their opponents do,” the announcement said. “Things move fast – there won’t be any relaxing once a point is captured, as the next one is already waiting to be captured as well. Not only will this mode test your skills on the gamepad, but your ability to plan ahead and stop opponents from moving on to the next Flashpoint will be a huge key to victory.”
Overwatch 2’s Invasion update comes to all platforms on Aug. 10.
