Mauga’s 48-hour release on the weekend of Friday, Nov. 3 has ticked all the boxes for Overwatch 2 players, and they want Blizzard to make it the norm for each hero.
Overwatch 2’s newest tank character, Mauga, enjoyed a short stint live before his release thanks to BlizzCon 2023; he was originally revealed during the event’s opening ceremony before being made available in matches across the weekend.
It seems this early testing period was the perfect amount of time for OW2 gamers, a claim many agreed with on Reddit on Nov. 13. Players had their time to see how the Mauga would impact the meta, they said, and the short snippet really left them wanting more.
This form of “stress testing” is the smartest possible move by Blizzard, according to the OW2 community. Not only did it give players time to find what needed work with Mauga, but they could also pinpoint the heroes his kit would mesh with.
In particular, players noticed how deadly a Bastion and Mauga pairing would be in competitive matchmaking, and all within the two days.
A collection of gamers did remain cautious and said they expect issues to rear their heads once he’s fully released. However, they’re still on board with this new release model.
Other heroes throughout OW2’s history haven’t had as graceful an entrance. Lifeweaver’s arrival was plagued with community complaints. His clunky controls and abilities were some of the main reasons players steered clear when picking a support hero to play as.
Lifeweaver didn’t have the luxury of a beta period and players seem happy to keep his introduction as a “cautionary tale” to avoid from now on.
Now, all eager fans must do is await Mauga’s full release. The newest tank will be back in Quick Play lobbies on Dec. 5 alongside OW2’s eighth season.
