Experimental is a temporary game mode in Overwatch that allows the development team to experiment with changes outside of the monthly patch cycles. The changes are not necessarily related to hero balancing, and entire game modes may be reworked.
Experimental changes can be applied to Custom Games, under the "Lobby" settings.
Differences from the PTR
Unlike the PTR, Experimental is available in the live version of the game, meaning players in all platforms can use it, and players can level up their accounts while playing it. Furthermore, the main purpose of the PTR is to test stability and bugs; any balance changes on the PTR are intended to go live and modification of the changes, while possible, are usually minor. On the other hand, Experimental tests more radical changes that the team is unsure of and allows players to offer direct feedback; the changes are not guaranteed to go live in any shape or form.
Some changes are impossible to implement on Experimental (i.e. it involves more than changing number values), so the PTR will still used for balance changes. Experimental does not replace the PTR.
While a new PTR patch is generally available within 1 or 2 weeks of a new live patch and lasts for roughly 3 or 4 weeks, the Experimental card comes abruptly and arbitrarily, usually without warning, and only lasts a few days. The Experimental mode rolls out changes server-side, removing the need for a patch to be downloaded. This also, in turn, allows changes to be released on console simultaneously and without affecting PC release scheduling, due to not needing to wait for certification from Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo. This makes it behave more like an Arcade mode, rather than a large update.
Current Experiment
None.
Previous Experiments
Hero Balancing - December 3rd, 2020, to December 7th, 2020
Hero changes were experimented on. All of the changes came live.
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Hero Balancing - November 12th, 2020, to November 16th, 2020
Hero changes were experimented on. All of the changes came live.
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Hero balancing and adjusting HP by 25 - October 22nd, 2020, to October 27th, 2020
Hero changes were experimented on. Notably, many heroes' HP were adjusted by 25 instead of the usual 50 for the first time, to better fine tune them. All of the changes came live, though the changes to Amplification Matrix were delayed by a patch.
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Soldier: 76 changes - October 3rd, 2020, to October 7th, 2020
Soldier: 76 changes were experimented on. All the changes came live; however, it was proven to be too strong so he also received a small damage nerf.
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Hero Balancing - September 18th, 2020, to September 22nd, 2020
Hero changes were experimented on. Most of the changes came live, with the exception of using Combat Roll in the air.
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Hero Balancing - September 4th, 2020, to September 9th, 2020
Hero changes were experimented on. All of the changes came live.
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Scaling Down Power - August 24th, 2020, to August 28th, 2020
Hero changes were experimented on to scale down damage and healing. All of the changes came live.
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Moira Changes - August 18th, 2020, to August 21st, 2020
Moira changes were experimented on. Phasing was also changed, which indirectly nerfed Reaper. None of the changes came live.
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Hero Balancing - August 6th, 2020, to August 13th, 2020
Hero changes were experimented on. Most of the changes came live, with the exception of the increase to Photon Projector's primary fire charge uptime.
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Failed Assault Rework - July 30th, 2020, to August 4th, 2020
The Assault game mode was reworked. This was advertised as a failed experiment, meaning it was never intended go live.
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Hero Balancing - July 23rd, 2020, to July 28th, 2020
Hero changes were experimented on. The changes to Genji came live; the changes to Moira did not.
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Hero Balancing - June 23rd, 2020, to June 26th, 2020
Hero changes were experimented on. All of the changes came live.
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Hero Balancing - June 2nd, 2020, to June 5th, 2020
Hero changes were experimented on. Most of the changes came live, with the exception of the adjustments to Biotic Grasp.
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Hero Balancing - May 12th, 2020, to May 19th, 2020
Hero changes were experimented on. All of the changes came live.
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Crowd Control Reduction - April 23rd, 2020, to April 29th, 2020
Multiple Crowd Control effects were toned down, also Whole Hog got buffed. Most of the changes came live, with the exception of the reduction to Shield Bash.
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Hero Balancing - April 1st, 2020, to April 6th, 2020
Hero changes were experimented on. All of the changes came live.
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Hero Balancing - March 5th, 2020, to March 12th, 2020
Hero changes were experimented on. Most of the changes came live, with the exception of B.O.B.'s immunity to Sleep Dart.
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Triple Damage - February 25th, 2020, to March 3rd, 2020
Introduced alongside Experimental, "triple damage" changed the role queue system from 2 tanks, 2 damage, and 2 support to 1 tank, 3 damage, and 2 supports. Many heroes in the tank role received significant balance changes to accommodate being the only tank. None of the changes came live.
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Trivia
- Experimental is one of the few ideas that the development team unanimously agreed upon after the initial pitch.[1]
References
- ↑ 2020-02-22, JEFF KAPLAN AND MICHAEL HEIBERG ON EXPERIMENTAL MODE, TRIPLE DAMAGE, AND ICE CREAM ECONOMICS. PlayOverwatch, accessed on 2020-02-26