Gaming
Hard chokes, dizzying heights and a bridge to remember define Blizzard’s latest upcoming locale.
Blizzard’s task in designing new maps for Overwatch is monumental. Balancing a team-based FPS map is a rub at the best of times. Ensuring all the environmental elements don’t favour any particular class and that asymmetry doesn’t up-end the delicate equilibrium is a nightmare. Consider then, that Overwatch has 22 individual classes with around 100 abilities between the lot of them and that some of its modes are asymmetrical in both shape and mechanics. The amount of variables take into consideration in creating a new space is giddying, but Blizzard is ploughing forward regardless with its latest creation: Eichenwalde.
It’s the first new map to grace Overwatch since launch, and with a German flavour and a huge castle to gaze at, Eichenwalde is perhaps one of Blizzard’s most detailed maps to date. Its metagame is unique among the hybrid levels. We’ve spent a good few hours inside its stone walls to identify exactly how it changes the game, and which players – pro and amateur alike – can look forward to after its release next month.
Plans Labyrinth
What’s immediately noticeable about Eichenwalde is how many nooks and crannies it features when compared to other hybrid maps, like Numbani. As the payload’s path winds up toward the castle, there exists a veritable maze of corridors and side rooms running parallel to the main path. At first it’s easy to get lost as some remain disconnected from the central path for so long.
Making use of these side routes is non-negotiable in most instances when attacking, as hard-pushing through choke points on the map is exceedingly difficult. Unlike Numbani or Hollywood, the area around the initial spawn point is far less expansive, leaving less opportunity to dart around a well-mounted defence. The initial trailer which announced Eichenwalde’s debut gives an impression of open space in the map’s lower reaches which is deceptive: it’s actually far smaller.
Hail to the King
Make no mistake, this is Reinhardt’s map. The first two choke points of Eichenwalde are unforgiving (the second is so tall that not even Gengi or Hanzo can hop over it) and the claustrophobic spaces near to the control point lend him a distinct advantage.
The usual strategies to defeat a defending Reinhardt fall flat when fighting at the castle’s base. If he stands under the first bridge, then the only way to flank him is to jump over the top, but due to its low height, any aspiring Genji is far more vulnerable to attack than they would be on Temple of Anubis or Numbani.
It’s worth noting here that the usual preamble area before reaching the first control point is significantly shorter than on other maps. On Numbani, players must trudge a significant distance to capture the payload, while on Eichenwalde there's just a short walk and single choke point in the way – far more like King’s Row. It’s a welcome change – most sensible defending teams don’t venture far from the control in Hollywood or Numbani anyway.
A sniper’s paradise
However, unlike King’s Row, Eichenwalde is a map of extreme verticality. In this the trailer doesn’t lie: none of the current map rotation is anywhere near as concerned with height differentials. Before the main castle is reached, players must pass a mini-fort around which the payload path circles, and the defending team usually decides to man its battlements and fire downwards. Let’s be clear here: the angle is somewhere approaching 70 degrees when looking upward from the second choke point. It’s punishingly high, forcing attacking players to jerk their crosshair upwards and awkwardly fire toward the heavens.
Snipers – and of course, Torbjörn – are already making full use of the opportunity to abuse their foe’s sub-optimal tracking when looking upward. A well positioned Widowmaker or Hanzo can move ever so slightly and still avoid most incoming damage. The very top-most turret is so far above ground that even Junkrat can’t fire a grenade high enough to dislodge them, assuming he keeps his head long enough to release a single volley.
It’s not just here that snipers have the chance to shine in Eichenwalde. After the map’s claustrophobic opening act, the path towards the main castle opens up, offering two enormous, perfectly straight walkways, one of which is a bridge. Snipers can hug the rear of their team and pick off enemies who are forced into their line of sight. Technically, there are two other ways to reach the entrance to the grand castle, but one is a single, narrow door that can be blocked efficiently by Mei, and the other is a precarious path with a sheer drop on either side, where Lúcio can blast enemies off the edge to their death.
Defending isn’t demanding
The community has thus far noted that Eichenwalde seems to be offering the defending team a slight advantage. Plenty of players’ win rates when defending on the map bears this out. Several encounters have ended at the first control without anyone even approaching the payload, but it’s worth noting that until everyone becomes familiar with the map’s intricacies, defenders are going to have the easier job. Breaching a solid defence requires knowledge of every possible route to a location, so Eichenwalde will challenge players to out-position their opponents more than any other map.
The introduction of fresh map content sometimes acts as a hard reset on players’ gaming instincts. Rather than tactically seeking the best location for an assault, they're often charging straight toward the objective. This will change over time as the community becomes more familiar with Eichenwalde’s many secrets.
Transition time
More than any other map, it seems important to transition between heroes mid-game. Tight spaces toward the bottom of the castle then open up, leading tanks to become less effective as they can be whittled down from a distance by Soldier 76, Bastion, and a couple of effective snipers. The recent buffs to Hanzo, which increased the movement speed of his arrows, and the hitbox of his strikes, make him deadlier than ever.
The payload regularly gets stuck when approaching the final stretch toward the castle, as defenders stood on the inside of the moat can see it from a mile away. Transitioning to a Genji or Tracer here is well advised to draw fire away from those escorting the payload forward.
Round-up
There are so many intricacies here begging to be unlocked. And while the map is yet to be available to the masses, you can bet plenty of new strategies will arise over the coming weeks. What’s certain is that Eichewalde is a triumph of design – whether attacking or defending, the verticality adds a hugely compelling new element to Overwatch.
Tips when attacking:
- Before you reach the castle, use the many corridors and nooks to reach more optimal locations for attack.
- Taking a couple of tanks to survive the first two choke points is advisable.
- Lúcio’s effectiveness in the initial phase will be hampered due to a lack of line of sight. Similar story for Ana. If you need a healer, take Mercy.
Tips when defending
- Snipers are your friend. Height is your friend. Use both, and draw the enemy’s gaze upward.
- Reinhardt is pretty non-negotiable on this map, he can be wildly aggressive at the control point. Use him.
- The constant upward slope lends Junkrat an advantage, let him siege like never before.
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