Gaming
We dig deep into the new map and discover the secrets that could change your pub games forever.
Overwatch's constant stream of content keeps delivering and its latest treat for all of us to sample is Oasis – a brand new control point map, not the Britpop band. The new map has been live for a few days, and even longer on the PTR, meaning that slowly but surely all of its secrets are being discovered.
Jump pads, dangerous highways and multi-level capture points are the headline additions that are unique to Oasis, but that isn't all the map has to offer. In fact this is one of the most unusual maps we've seen in Overwatch, and can certainly be classed as the most unusual control point offering.
With so much packed into a tiny map mastering, it's going to take even the best players in the world some time to decipher optimal strategies, but we've already started to figure out more than a few tips and tricks to help you dominate on the map.
Want to know the best spot to defend the point as a Hanzo? Or how about how to get an early boost to your ultimate progress by getting off a quick hack with Sombra? We've got you covered – just make sure you remember to thank us when you're earning millions playing in the official Overwatch League.
Dodging City Center’s death cars
It doesn't take a genius to realise that getting hit by a car going at a considerable pace is going going to kill you, and that's exactly what can happen on the first point of Oasis. One side of the map is flanked by an open highway, full of speeding traffic, and wandering into the street will almost always result in a death. So it's usually best to stay away.
Fortune favours the brave, though. For some of the more nimble heroes in Overwatch, the highway presents a high risk, high reward option for getting to a health pack, or to the control point quickly. In most cases this will be a fairly situational route, only being used to flank opponents when in dire need or if you suspect you can pick off a kill, thanks to its danger factor. However for Sombra it presents a great starting strat.
As everyone knows, hacking a health pack increases Sombra's ultimate charge, and her ultimate is really quite good. By using her two non-ultimate abilities to quickly run into the street and then teleport out of harm's way, Sombra can be at the health pack within seconds of leaving the spawn area, and can get her ultimate charging well before the real combat has started.
It's a small boost, but it could be vital when the fights kick off, and once you get the timing down there's very little reason not to do it.
Highground hijinks
As is often the case in Overwatch, controlling the high ground is quite important. However on Oasis there are more than a few vitally important high ground areas.
The first is also in the city centre section, and can be accessed by everyone thanks to the jump pad. The small walkway that's just above the control point is where many rounds will be won and lost, as controlling this area can allow medium to long range damage dealers to take out almost anyone on the point. There are areas of cover to hide if you're on the low ground, but taking out a McCree on the high ground won't be easy without some kind of distraction.
As we move into the gardens section of the map, we get to see the first multi-level control point in Overwatch. The small courtyard area is the standard control point area, but there's also a thin, and scarily open, walkway just above it. Standing here will allow you to contest the point, but will leave you very unprotected, so its use is somewhat limited. But when you're alone and need to contest the point it can provide a potential tactical advantage.
Jump around
The bouncepad that can be found in the City Center portion of the map is certainly fun at first, but after a few times its magic wears off and it becomes just another part of the map. However there are more than a few ways to keep things interesting. Why not use Widomaker to try and hit a clutch mid-air shot, or even try Ana to hit a bouncing 360 no scope sleep shot? You might look like a fool, but if you hit the shot you'll look like a god.
Outside of trying to beat the best shots from zzirGrizz's Call of Duty montages, there are actually a few more fun interactions you can use the bouncepad for.
If you time it right you can send D.Va's exploding mech ultimate flying into space while you stay out of danger, and you can even use it to kill an enemy if they stand in the right place. Then of course there's Reinhardt's charge, which will continue even as you fly up on the bounce pad and over the dome of the control point. There's little direct point to this one, but it looks cool and could distract opponents. lf you saw a Reinhardt flying over your head, you'd probably be confused as well.
While these tips and tricks may not guarantee your rise to the top of the leaderboard they will certainly help, and even if they don't, trying to hit trick shots on the bounce pad will provide hours of entertainment.
There's surely a lot more to be discovered, and chances are once the pro players start to play this in official matches more we'll see some crazy strategies, but until then it's down to you to discover everything the Oasis has to offer.
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