One of the main reasons thatOverwatch 2has remained so consistently popular is the intense gameplay experience that the title offers, with a huge skill ceiling being present across a truly diverse range of characters. With the heavily team-based gameplay of the title often seeing certain players stand out in their contributions, the title’s endorsement system has long been a fantastic way for players to acknowledge and reward the hard work of their teammates.
However,Overwatch 2recently re-implemented an older element of the endorsement system, with players now being able to endorse players on the enemy team as well as their own. Though this change is unexpected, it remains that this increased range of choice when it comes to endorsements will only have a positive effect on lessening the toxicity of the high-octane title, and will foster endorsements more reflective of a player’s skill level.
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The History of Overwatch’s Endorsement System
Theendorsement system in theOverwatchfranchiseis a longstanding social function that has existed right from the beginning of the original title. At the end of a match, each player has two endorsements that they can award to other in-game players to denote how the player in question contributed well to the team. With the more endorsements that a player gives and receives, they can increase or decrease in endorsement level, which historically gave loot boxes as a reward but now simply provide players with experience.
The originalOverwatchallowed players to endorse players on the enemy team as well as their own, although Blizzard surprisingly decided against including this as an element ofOverwatch 2’s endorsement system. With this decision recently being reversed,Overwatch 2’sendorsements are now a much more thorough and valuable social game mechanic that serve a much greater purpose than what they previously did.
Overwatch 2 and Endorsing Enemies
The fact that players can now endorse members of the enemy team inOverwatch 2has an untold amount of benefits, some of which may not be initially obvious. At a base level, this re-implementations shows that Blizzard are genuinely listening to and acting upon fan feedback, with avocal segment of theOverwatch 2communitylong voicing their desire for enemy endorsements to return to the franchise.
Further, enemy endorsements crucially foster a less toxic environment forOverwatch 2. As a competitive team-based shooter,Overwatch 2is no stranger to toxicity, and the fact that players can now receive endorsements from the enemy team may incentivize a greater level of sportsmanship and kindness within the title that many fans have been wanting to see for some time. Adversely, if a players own team is toxic, the ability to endorse enemy players means that an individual can still receive the XP bonus of attributing endorsements without benefiting toxic teammates, an aspect ofOverwatch 2that was previously impossible to work around.
With players still only having two endorsements to give per match, the value of an endorsement has significantly increased with these changes, with the players to potentially endorse per-match rising from four to nine in thestandard team-based play ofOverwatch 2. When considering how the change encourages a less toxic gameplay experience while significantly increasing the value that endorsements have overall, it is clear to see why this update toOverwatch 2’sendorsement system have been welcomed with open arms by both long-term and newer fans alike.
Overwatch 2is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
