The mid-season Overwatch 2 patch notes include a fix for one of the most irritating quirks found in the menus of the FPS game. Along with nerfs to several of the strongest Overwatch 2 characters (except for Sojourn) and the introduction of aim assist for console players in crossplay lobbies with PC, the update resolves a visual bug that has been driving players up the wall when queuing for Overwatch 2 competitive play.
When loading into a competitive match, you are shown a screen of both teams, featuring everyone’s role and their Overwatch 2 player card (including username, profile picture, player card background, and title – the latter of which can now be correctly unequipped as part of the latest update). The problem was that the team on the right hand side of the screen wasn’t neatly aligned the way that the left-hand team was. In addition to this, the characters weren’t assigned by role, but instead shown in a random order.
You might think this isn’t a big deal – and, in the grand scheme of other more serious bugs such as an Overwatch 2 Bastion exploit and a Mei ice wall glitch that have seen those heroes temporarily disabled altogether, it isn’t. However, it’s emblematic of a number of small gripes that players had with Overwatch 2’s new UI; something that has left fans lamenting the lack of ‘Blizzard polish’ that the company was previously renowned for.
Thankfully, this screen is now fixed, and displays players in the correct order (tank up top, followed by DPS heroes, and then support characters) and in a nicely aligned format. “Game’s actually playable now,” a post on the Overwatch Reddit jokes, with the user responsible adding, “I don’t care about Mei breaking the game. Aligned name tags!”
For comparison, here’s a screenshot of the original matchmaking screen shared to Reddit by user Aikaros, along with added outlines to show the misalignment clearly:
Conversely, here’s a screenshot of the fixed matchmaking screen following the recent update, shared to Reddit by user FortniteStormtrooper:
It’s certainly a step in the right direction and, along with a number of key bug fixes and a blog post from new Overwatch 2 executive producer Jared Neuss detailing the team’s plans to increase the number of free rewards handed out for playing, helps to reassure an antsy community that Blizzard is actually listening to them. With most of the reservations about Overwatch 2 seemingly revolving around its monetisation model and general polish as a live service game, fixes like this do make a difference to public perception.
Our Overwatch 2 tier list should ensure you know the best heroes to pick once you’re past the loading screen. You’ll also want to make sure you’re rocking the best Overwatch 2 settings to optimise performance and maximise FPS on your gaming PC. Currently it’s looking as though a stealth Overwatch 2 Tracer buff might make her the best damage pick alongside everyone’s favourite OP hero Sojourn. We’ll be keeping a close eye to see how new hero Ramattra stacks up once the Overwatch 2 season 2 release date rolls around the corner.
