Vortex Gaming

Honestly, I didn't expect much at first. Not that 'Overwatch 2' was bad or anything. It's just that 'Overwatch 2' had already shown a huge transformation with the Talent system in Season 15. I knew the Stadium mode was coming in Season 16, but I didn't think it would have the same impact as the Talent system in actual gameplay.

Of course, I was wrong. The Stadium mode, which I experienced firsthand at Blizzard Korea headquarters, was in some ways even more shocking than the Talent system. From the third-person perspective to the completely different growth system called the Armory, there were aspects that were quite different from the existing 'Overwatch 2'. If the Talent system was Overwatch 2.5, the Stadium mode was Overwatch 3.

Now, I'd like to talk about the Stadium mode that I experienced in advance, and what aspects were different from the existing modes.

One of the biggest features of Stadium mode is the third-person perspective. You can play in first-person if you want, but Stadium mode is basically played in third-person. As the perspective changes from first-person to third-person, the first impression is also quite different. The existing first-person feels like a typical shooter, while the third-person feels almost like an RPG.

It goes without saying that satisfaction with skins will increase. Although this experience was with the default skin, which was a bit disappointing, being able to see 'my character' completely gave a different feeling than first-person. It's not about showing off your skin to others, but about being able to see and be satisfied with your own skin.

The change in perspective from third-person is not just about looking good. It also brings about changes in gameplay feel and strategy. In the case of first-person, if you're not used to it, you may not know where the enemy is when attacking from behind or the side, and you may panic and die. However, Stadium mode is in third-person, so that aspect is less of a problem. You can react faster, scout enemies behind walls, and see places that you couldn't see from a first-person perspective due to the angle.

In fact, there is a function to change the camera angle, as if they were aware of this. You can change the camera angle left and right by pressing the V key, and I actually hid in the corner and scouted by changing the camera angle left and right during the experience.

The key to Stadium mode is that if you perform well in a round, you will earn that much more currency in the next round, and you can use this to purchase items and develop your character in the direction you want. The growth elements of Stadium mode can be divided into two categories: items and power. You can equip a total of 4 powers, which are unlocked one by one in rounds 1, 3, 5, and 7. The difference from items is that you don't need currency and the character's skills change.

First of all, I ask for your understanding that I can only explain based on the Moira that I played, as the demonstration was conducted in a single 7-round match. Roughly speaking, the way to develop a character in the Armory was divided into two types. In the case of Moira, it was 'Orb Doctor' and 'Witch of Pain'. Simply put, you can choose whether to focus on your role as a healer or as a dealer.

As mentioned earlier, the biggest features of Power are the change in role and the change in skills. Of course, in the case of Moira, since she is originally a support role, even if you buy items or powers with a focus on extreme damage, the growth range will inevitably be limited compared to a typical attack role. Nevertheless, the fact that you can become closer to an attack role was a fun experience in many ways. The third power of the Witch of Pain, 'Surgical Precision', is a prime example. It changes so that you can aim for the enemy's head, and at the same time, you gain 20% of the damage as additional health, and your movement speed increases by 30%. If you do it well, you can even play as an assassin who roams the battlefield.

The fact that the form of the skills mentioned earlier also changes was interesting in many ways. In the case of 'Multiple Orbs', the damage, healing amount, and capacity are reduced to 60%, but by firing 3 orbs at once, you can respond to a wider variety of situations, and you can cover a wider area by firing 3 orbs.

Items are divided into 'general items' that enhance the character's stats and 'exclusive items' that enhance the character's skills. Although they are called general items, there are various items, from simply increasing attack power, life steal, and skill power, to items with options that increase movement speed after using a skill, and items that convert healing from life steal into additional health when life is full.

Unlike general items, exclusive items are characterized by having various options as well as stats. For example, Persistent Tentacles increases the range of the Biotic Orb's tentacles, making it easier to heal, and Nano Ray increases the damage dealt by allies affected when using Coalescence. Compared to general items, the impact is more extensive.

The important thing is that the way you build these items also changes the way you play the game. Reaper, whom I met in the demonstration, is a prime example. Thanks to focusing on weapon attack power, his basic attack was so powerful that even a tank couldn't withstand it, even with body shots, let alone headshots. This is not just about Reaper. If you focus on skills, you can buy items that increase skill power or reduce cooldown time, so you can use more and more powerful skills than others.

Of course, it is necessary to clarify the direction in order to do so. In fact, I thought I would try various items first, and as a result, I became a so-called mixed bag character. At the demonstration site, everyone started with only basic knowledge of the Armory, so it wasn't a big problem, but if I did this even after the official update, I would probably get a lot of flak. Fortunately, you can sell items at any time, so if you don't need to play a healer, you can abandon healer items and go to a dealer, changing the results of the round.

As mentioned earlier, items can be purchased by collecting currency. Simply put, the more you defeat opponents and the better your team does, the more currency you can use in the next round. As was the case in Quick Play and Competitive Play, the role of the carrying user has become even greater. The more a specific user carries, the faster the team can grow.

However, it's not all benefits. If you carry, you get a 'bounty', and if you defeat that user, the amount of currency you receive in the next round increases. Due to the nature of the shooter, even a carrying user can die if they are careless or focused on, so it seems that they are trying to balance it out through this.

In the end, the most important thing is fun. Whether it's a game that follows in the footsteps of a game that established the grammar of the genre, or a game that pioneers its own unique path, the game must be fun in the end. In that respect, if you ask if Stadium mode was fun, I can say for sure that it was fun. As it was a single demonstration, I don't know if it will be fun even after playing for dozens of hours, but I could definitely feel that you can develop your character in the direction you want through item combinations.

Of course, you have to keep in mind that the opponent will also get stronger. Perhaps that's why. The first round felt the same as Quick Play, but from the 3rd to 4th rounds, I felt like things were accelerating in many ways. I could feel that when it collapsed, it collapsed completely, and when the flow was reversed in dramatic moments, it was reversed with tremendous power.

The Stadium mode, which will be officially added in the upcoming Season 16, is content that heralds another powerful change in 'Overwatch 2'. As the Talent system succeeded in reversing the atmosphere, expectations are already high for how the Stadium mode will continue that trend.

웹진 인벤윤홍만 기자
2025-04-03