Overwatch: First look at new map gameplay

Overwatch’s new map, Eichenwalde, has just become available on PTR. This means that some people are already trying it out. Lucky for us, we get to watch.

Ramparts, catwalks, and a payload that resembles a battering ram.

If you’ve ever found yourself playing Overwatch and thinking to yourself, “Man, I wish I could take this fight to a castle/fortress,” Eichenwalde is the map for you.

Blizzard added Overwatch‘s newest map to the PTR today, and players are happily exploring every nook and cranny of it.

Eichenwalde is a hybrid map, meaning the attacking team must first secure an objective and then escort a payload from the objective to a destination. In Eichenwalde, the first objective seems to be inside a little village at the town square. Overturned tanks dot the landscape, a reference to the famous Omnic Crisis battle which was waged at this location.

The goal of the attacking team is to escort the payload (read: battering ram) from the village to the castle. So as the attackers, you are literally trying to storm the castle. As the defenders, you are trying to keep those pesky invaders out. If you find yourself feeling the need to shout “DEFEND THIS HOUSE!” while playing this map, I don’t think you’d be that far off from the truth.

In terms of map details, this one also has a lot to offer. You can wander into many of the buildings in the village, and there are many passageways you can take when moving from the town to the castle. For those who prefer an aerial or sniper approach, there are plenty of rooftops and ramparts to station yourself on.

As you get closer to the castle, the passageway options seem to increase even further, including a multi-story fortress and a bridge that spans itself over the route the payload has to take. With such an expansive area and so many options for flanking, defenders will have their work cut out for them to ensure no one of the opposition sneaks in unnoticed.

Perhaps the best part of the map is when the payload reaches the castle’s tall double doors because, being a battering ram, it literally blasts a hole in the castle’s doors. How satisfying is that?

Aside from the map itself, two new Reinhardt skins will be released. One of the skins references the suit of armor that can be actually found on the Eichenwalde map right at the very end on the throne inside the castle.

Eichenwalde will go live in September.