Okay, I know I’m one of the biggest 6v6 proponents, but this isn’t a 5v5 hate piece. It’s about the balance philosophy in Overwatch. I’ve played around 65 games of Overwatch Classic so far, and no, I’m not just abusing tanks in quick play. Believe it or not, main tank is my least favorite role.
Let’s talk about DPS. The lower health pools make them feel powerful again. If your aim and cooldown management are on point, you can win any 1v1. No more “GG, I lose” just because the other guy is a tank. Tracer, Ashe, and Cass damage feels impactful with the lower health bars, Echo dupe doesn’t suck anymore, and Hanzo has his faster projectile back. For example, in OW2 Cass needs 8 headshots to kill a Roadhog, but in Classic, you only need 5. You can now punish tanks for overstepping, instead of just farming damage off them. Sure, there are outliers like Genji’s dash camera lock, Sombra 6 6-second hack, and Mei’s perma freeze, but overall, DPS feels more rewarding.
Support is better too. In OW2, tanks could just walk through you, and it didn’t matter how well you played; you just lost the matchup. Not anymore. Supports like Lucio, Ana, Zen, and Bap can clutch 1v1s against anyone with better play and positioning. They do meaningful poke damage again, and can make big plays with their cooldowns
Now, as a main tank player, I’ll admit that main tank feels weak in this patch. It could be me coping and wanting to feel more powerful, but in my opinion, they do feel a little weak. Winston feels great in 5v5, where you don’t have to coordinate with your team. But in 6v6, a bad dive leads to instant death. I’ve even had to start “butt-jumping” again to mitigate damage on Winston, which just wasn’t needed before Reinhardt feels similarly fragile. I have joked about wanting to comm “do you have lamp/ rez? I want to firestrike” to my supports.
However, off-tank has had the biggest glow-up from 5v5 to 6v6. Zarya, Sigma, and DVa feel amazing. They’re no longer forced to be space-takers for the team but can hold space and help their DPS and supports hold an off-angle. It highlights how poorly they were mismanaged in OW2, where off-tank numbers were constantly buffed to the point of becoming overpowered and frustrating to deal with, just because their kits didn’t allow them to take space like the main tanks.
In 6v6, these tanks have a more balanced and skill-based impact. It’s hilarious watching OW2 tank players feed in 6v6 because they try to force plays that worked in the old system, like Winston’s diving in 1v6 or D.Vas overextending. In 6v6, poor decisions get punished; it’s that simple. It’s also refreshing not to have cringe tanks like Mauga, new Orisa, or Ram in the game anymore. Even Hog can be dealt with because his breather is cancelable again. Tanks across the board have fewer crutches like insane headshot resistance and less ult generation, forcing smarter play.
The real beauty of this patch is the reward for better play. Whether you’re a DPS, support, or tank, if you manage your cooldowns, use cover, and hit your shots, you can win any fight. Skill is the deciding factor again. It makes everything feel more rewarding and encourages players to improve.
The downside? Teammates. Many OW2 players struggle with the nuances of 6v6, especially supports and tanks who have grown accustomed to their inflated numbers. Team composition matters a lot more, and it’s frustrating when you get a teammate who locks in Hog or Mercy because they’re so hard to play around, or the DPS Doom who wastes all of his CDs prefight and just insta dies.
I really don’t care what side of the 5v5 vs 6v6 debate you are on, some of my biases leaked out while writing this, but at the end of the day, that wasn’t the point of this. The point is the balance of the game. Please, if you miss when Overwatch needed skill, play Classic, try it for at least 4 or 5 games to get used to it, and go in with an open mind. It will take getting used to, especially tank and support, but please, just try it and see if you like how the game feels for yourself.