Blizzard has taken the decision to start developing non-standard maps, which will be playable in the gamemodes with smaller parties.
Among the announcements during BlizzCon 2016 was the upcoming Arcade mode, which will replace and include the Brawl gamemode we have known since Closed Beta. The Arcade will house all wacky rulesets Blizzard has provided to its players and will soon be the only place to queue up for no-hero limit matches (with regular Quick Play introducing hero limits as well).
Two of the gamemodes included in the Arcade are especially interesting: 3v3 Elimination and 1v1 Mystery Duel. Since both modes offer matches with less than 6 players per team, the regular maps are too large to accomodate good gameplay. So, Blizzard has taken on the task of developing non-standard maps that (probably) won't be used outside of the Arcade.
The first such map is called Ecopoint: Antarctica, the homebase of Mei. This map features no objectives, and also lacks Health Packs. What it does hold is a lot, a lot of ice:
As stated, no Health packs can be found on the map, making healing abilities from heroes such as Soldier: 76 and Roadhog very important. We think the exclusion is a smart move as it prevents the battles from dragging out too long.
Another instantly obvious thing is how much verticality there is. There are 2 levels to the map, top and bottom, and you do not want to be caught on the bottom. Nearly every battle takes place on the high ground.
Pick a hero that can jump up to this level though the hole in the floor, or risk getting chased into a corner.
You might think most windows have glass in them, but they don't! So don't think your opponent(s) won't shoot and kill you right through the open walls.
This part of the map reminds us of the Nepal: Sanctum point, where you can drop down to flank your opponents. We are also curious about what kind of experimentation Mei actually did here...
This map is already available on the PTR, and will hit the live servers and console in about a week!
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