[Update]: Overwatch 2's closed beta has now begun, and soon everyone will be able to jump in.

After what feels like an eternity of waiting, the Overwatch 2 beta will finally be going live tomorrow, on April 26th. The beta will bring with it four new maps to explore, the brand new Push game mode, the railgun wielding Sojuorn as a new hero, as well as a couple of reworks to help classic heroes fit in the new 5v5 environment.

As previously announced, Sombra and Bastion will be going through some relatively small changes in order to make them both more enjoyable to play and less annoying to play against. Meanwhile, the freshly revealed Doomfist and Orisa reworks will be trying out something a bit more drastic.

First and foremost, Doomfist is no longer a DPS hero, but rather a tank. As such his health has been increased to 450, while the new Power Block ability allows him to absorb the damage from frontal attacks in order to empower Rocket Punch to travel faster, further and deal more damage. Instead of Uppercut, Doomfist now has Seismic Slam that launches him through the air similar to Winston's leap, dealing damage and slowing enemies upon contact.

The rest of his kit functions more or less the same, just with a bit less front-loaded damage since the new Doomfist is all about disrupting formations rather than outright killing enemies. The way I see it this is exactly what Doomfist should've been from the very start, so I'm quite optimistic about the rework. 

While Doomfist has been reworked in a way that enhances his defense, Orisa has gone in a completely opposite direction. She has lost her Protective Barrier, Halt and Supercharger ultimate in order to focus on being more of a close to mid range brawler. As such, her projectiles now start off large and get smaller with distance, while her weapon uses a heat mechanic instead of an ammo/reload system.

Most excitingly, the new Energy Javelin skill allows her to knock enemies around, as well as stun them if she manages to pin them to a wall! She's also capable of spinning her javelin in order to destroy projectiles and push enemies aside, which combined with the new Fortify ability that gives her temporary health and reduces heat generation while firing should make her a considerable threat in close quarters.

As for Orisa's new ultimate, it's once again all about the javelin. By using Terra Surge Orisa will spin her javelin above her head, rapidly sucking in enemies. Afterwards she will continue channeling the attack, and the longer she waits, the more damage the attack will do. So much like the above-mentioned skills, the ultimate is once again reinforcing the idea that you really, really don't want to be brawling with Orisa!

Once the Overwatch 2 beta goes live and these two reworks become available for testing I'll make sure to let you know. Until then, don't forget to sign up for the beta if you haven't already, because this might be your final chance for the very first round of testing.

Signing up is not a guarantee you'll be able to get in, however, so don't be too disappointed if you miss out on a beta wave or two. Either way, good luck with your beta key!