Overwatch’s Clash - Level Design Review
Overwatch has always thrived on dynamic teamplay, creative hero interactions, and objective-focused battles that encourage strategy and mechanical skill. Clash feels like a natural extension of what makes Overwatch great. By blending elements of push-and-pull gameplay, Clash rewards teamwork, and punishes incoordination.
In this post, I’ll break down why Clash is inherently a well-designed gamemode, and what could be improved in the level design to reduce frustrations with snowballing and stomping.
Overwatch 2 - Throne of Anubis
Hi, I’m Jonathan Lopes, a Level Designer with over four years of experience and a deep passion for Overwatch. I’ve been playing since the game’s closed beta in 2016, accumulating over 2,000 hours and reaching a competitive peak of Top 500 in North America—#202, to be exact. A Winston main, for those curious :)
In early 2024, Overwatch introduced Clash - a new game mode that builds on the push-and-pull dynamics seen in Push, refining the experience into something fresh yet familiar. Clash challenges teams to capture a series of objective points, creating a battlefield where strategy, coordination and adaptability are key.
Clash features five objective points spread across a symmetrical map, with the goal of capturing a total of five objectives to secure victory. When a team captures a point, the next objective unlocks further along the map, pushing the battle deeper into enemy territory. If the opposing team captures a point, the next objective shifts one step closer to your side.
This creates a dynamic tug-of-war, where every capture secures progress but also dictates the flow of the match, constantly shifting the frontline and demanding adaptability.
Overwatch 2 - Throne of Anubis - Capture Points
Highlighted above are the 5 total capture points in Clash, specifically using Throne of Anubis as an example.
Side A spawns are indicated by 🔵
Side A spawns are indicated by 🟡
Each team spawns on their respective side, always starting at their 2nd starting point (A2/B2). If a team reaches the enemy side capture point (1 past the middle point), their spawn is adjusted to the 3rd forward spawn. If the current objective is closest to your side, your spawn is moved back to the 1st position.
This determines a few things:
Neither team should have an advantage for the 3 middle capture points, as each team spawn is located the same distance away from the point
Map is symmetrical, including within each objective point (except for furthestmost points)
Ensuring neither team has an advantage, reducing snowball potential
After a new objective point is reached, there is a grace period before the point “unlocks”, affording each team time to regroup
“This game mode is really about momentum and how you come together as a team in order to stop the enemy team’s advance, then regroup and start pushing into enemy territory. It does require a lot of teamwork and a lot of coordination, and that’s the part of the mode that we’re a little bit worried about.”
Overwatch has always been about teamwork and coordination. As a long-time player, especially in the high-ranks of competitive, fully coordinated Overwatch gameplay is like no other. That’s when it’s the most fun.
That level of teamplay is rare in lower ranks and quickplay. However, Clash excels at naturally funneling players into teamfights through smart level design.
Here’s how it achieves this:
Bottleneck chokes between and into objective points
Symmetrical objective areas
Delayed and grouped respawn times
Forward spawn when objective is on enemy side
Small objective point area to cluster teammates together
The first and center objective point is designed to naturally encourage teamwork. The narrow doorway leading into the objective room creates a moment of hesitation—isolated players risk being eliminated if they rush in alone. This encourages teams to group up before pushing in together.
The side entrances provide flank opportunities, but are positioned farther from the main objective. This design subtly guides tanks (and usually their supporting healers) through the central entrance due to their slower mobility, while agile heroes like Tracer or Sombra are incentivized to take the side routes, pressuring the enemy backline and forcing them to split their attention.
Overwatch 2 - Throne of Anubis Central Objective Chokepoint
The central objective itself is a symmetrical, tightly packed space that naturally pulls teams into close-range team fights. Healers hold positions behind tall pillars, tanks control the frontline, and flankers pressure from the sides to create spatial opportunities.
What I love about this level design is the “dance” it creates around the obstacle on the point—success comes down to who uses the space best. One mistake in positioning can quickly decide who wins the objective.
Overwatch 2 - Throne of Anubis Central Objective
While the three central objectives are largely symmetrical, the final objectives near each team’s spawn are heavily defender-favored.
The defender's spawn opens directly onto a raised platform with a tall barrier, granting them a height advantage over the objective. Attackers must filter through side stairways to reach the main point or flank the wide lanes to engage with backlines, while defenders can hold the upper ledge and push enemies into the choke by dancing around the central pillar.
Flankers can approach from the sides, but the surrounding walls naturally funnel them toward the center. While this gives them closer engagements with defenders on the high ground, they still face a vertical disadvantage, making it harder to break through without coordinated pressure.
Overwatch 2 - Throne of Anubis Furthest Objective Chokepoint
This setup creates a strong defensive position, but also highlights a key flaw in the design.
If the attacking team gains control of the objective, they can easily lock their sights onto the defender’s spawn, turning it into a tight bottleneck. This design punishes uncoordinated pushes and can lead to snowballing. This is usually associated with players throwing their bodies on the point, staggering their respawns in a desperate attempt to eliminate enemies.
If the team successfully regroups, I find Clash truly excels at allowing for comebacks from 4-0 leads. The level design itself encourages momentum and movement, while also urging teams to stay grouped. This is where Clash feels best - a true tug of war.
Despite faster defender respawns and a longer capture time for attackers, Clash often leads to one-sided stomps for uncoordinated team. I believe adjusting the spawn orientation and objective layout could help reduce frustration while still promoting teamwork and strategic play.
In my proposed adjustments below, I’ve added two additional spawn exits on the upper level of the defending team’s spawn room. These exits provide a slightly obstructed view of the objective from above, while DPS and tank players can focus on contesting the point. Stairs on either side of the balcony ensure that the position can be accessed from outside spawn. Additionally, I’ve increased the size of the central pillar on the objective. This affords better cover and reducing the risk of instant collapses from the attacking team.
With these changes, defending teams should have an easier time regaining control, preventing attackers from snowballing, and reinforcing strategic teamplay with more viable defensive angles.
Overwatch 2 - Throne of Anubis Furthest Objective Chokepoint Update
Clash leans into the game’s strengths of teamwork, strategy, and objective-driven combat. However, its current design presents challenges, particularly with snowballing at the final objectives. The defender-favored spawn setup creates frustrating bottlenecks, making it difficult for losing teams to stage a comeback.
Through my analysis, I’ve identified potential improvements to help balance the mode.
Overall, Clash is a well-designed mode with strong fundamentals, but there’s room for refinement. I’m excited to see how Blizzard iterates on it in future updates.