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Overwatch 2 queues need to remove open option, says caster

Overwatch 2 queues are getting out of hand for some players of Blizzard's FPS game, and a competitive OWL caster has weighed in on a potential fix

Overwatch 2 queues need to remove open option, says caster: a close up of Lucio

For many, Overwatch 2 queues are a problem. You can be waiting ages for a match in the Blizzard game’s role queue depending on what role you actually pick, which is supposed to help with match balance, while playing open queue throws balance out the window but often finds you games faster. It’s an ever present struggle, and one that Overwatch caster Kevin ‘AVRL’ Walker has weighed in on.

Walker’s comments about open queue in Overwatch 2 come in response to Kentucky Esports coach Sam ‘Samito’ Dawahare talking about whether or not the FPS game should go back to open queue for competitive queue times for tanks, as many players are finding role queue waits to be excruciating in Blizzard’s game.

They need to do the opposite and remove ranked for open queue entirely,” says Walker in response. “That would actually improve queue times by consolidating queues together. Move quickplay open queue to arcade for those that are desperate for it. Having four separate ‘main’ queues is not a smart decision.”

Discussion then moves to how unbalanced the open queue is in Overwatch 2 due to Blizzard changing how tanks work in the multiplayer game, as there’s now one tank instead of two meaning each tank is a more formidable force than they used to be.

“Imagine splitting dev time balancing two modes instead of just focusing on the main Overwatch experience of role queue,” adds Walker, as they talk about what it would take to fully balance between the way open queue and role queue work in Overwatch 2.

“We need to accept that open queue needs to be sent to the arcade to join ‘no limits.’ It’s fundamentally the same premise of being an archaic way of playing the game that we’ve moved on from and are not actively balancing for.”

Naturally debate has ensued as to whether this is a good idea or not, with some saying open queue actually acts as a heatsink for excess DPS and tank players. On some level, Walker’s idea does make sense. Consolidating more players into fewer queues would on paper mean queues wouldn’t be as long for tank or DPS players, but that doesn’t mean it’ll shake out that exact way in practice.

You can see Walker and Dawahare’s comments on Overwatch 2 queues in this Twitter thread.

Players are already finding interesting ways to get a competitive edge in the team-based shooter, as the Overwatch 2 sound night mode apparently helps out with understanding enemy placements. There’s also an Overwatch 2 Lucio skin bug making the rounds, so if he’s your main healer make sure you’re aware of the disadvantage the skin causes. If you want help picking your heroes though, we’ve got an Overwatch 2 tier list of the best characters in the game.