Overwatch 2 players weigh in on what makes a great meta—and why one hero stands above all

Overwatch 2 players who are done with the game’s current meta are this week weighing in on the sort of changes they want to see, including bringing back elements of past competitive seasons—most of which revolve around a single founding hero.

Players discussed a wide variety of features and changes they’d love to see implemented into Overwatch 2’s next update in a Sept. 20 Reddit thread. Many believe the current meta is stale, with some pushing to call this season’s competitive experience the “worst meta of all time“—but others think the issue can be solved.

Presented with the opportunity to voice their thoughts, the majority of the responses echoed the same message: bring back the classic Dive and Brawl metas of old. Both of these metas see players get up close and personal with one another in fights around key objectives, which means that you’re only a few meters away from each other and giving each other hell until one team breaks.

Specifically, the players highlighted the Brawl meta, with one player saying their Overwatch experience during this time was “pure chaos and fun for everyone”. In a Brawl meta, players are more flexible on what kind of heroes they can use as more characters are viable. On top of those characters and standing above all is Overwatch’s sweetheart, Reinhardt.

One member spoke highly of the main tank hero, stating, “The healthiest thing for the game is when [Reinhardt] is viable.” Other players jumped in to support this claim, saying that nobody is mad when Reinhardt is prevalent in the game.

For context, Reinhardt is a tank hero in Overwatch 2. Being one of the very first tank heroes to be introduced in the game, lots of players have fond memories of Reinhardt dominating the battlefield with his Rocket Hammer and Barrier Shield. He’s a fun hero that, when piloted by a decent player, can be incredibly strong in a close-up brawl.

Having a decent Reinhardt in your team during the first days of Overwatch was a blast due to how much the character was able to bring to the table. Today, he struggles to make an impact when the likes of Orisa can create just as much space from a distance, thus spacing out a team fight.

Overwatch players want to embrace the chaos of an all-in brawl up close, and they want the game’s softhearted grandfather to take center stage once again. We’ll be sure to keep an eye on Blizzard’s next round of buffs and nerfs to see if Overwatch 2 can flip into this brawl state again.