Route 66

Route 66
Type	Escort
Location	Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Terrain	Desert road

Route 66 is an Escort map in Overwatch and Overwatch 2. One of the 12 maps included in the game's release on 24 May 2016.

Background

Though the travelers and road trippers who used to cross the US on historic Route 66 are gone, the Main Street of America still stands, a testament to a simpler time. The gas stations, roadside shops, and cafes have gone into disuse, and the fabled Deadlock Gorge is mostly seen from the comfort of transcontinental train cars. But amid the fading monuments of that earlier era, the outlaws of the Deadlock Gang are planning their biggest heist yet.

Gameplay

Route 66 is an escort map which takes place in three locations: A Gas Station, Western Town Complex, and a Bunker. Players must escort the payload to the end of the map to win.

Gas Station

The first point takes place at the rubble of a train crash, with attackers having access to a high ground and tunnels to attack on the left, with a dangerous lower route on the right, which can be utilized by the enemy for environmental eliminations. The payload moves through the middle, under an archway. Defenders can sit atop the large gas station which the payload must curve around. There are ridges all along both sides of the gas station for more high ground fighting, and a bridge leads the high ground to the top of the gas station, as well as step access at the back of it. Attackers spawn at the diner at the start of the map and defenders spawn at a shop in the Western Town complex.

Western Town Complex

The next stage is a complex of buildings, mainly a garage, a motel, and a saloon. The motel can only be accessed through the lowest floor and leads into the attackers third spawn later. The garage is present on the right side of the map for attackers and can be stood on top of to lead players around a high ground which trails across the rest of this segment, up to the checkpoint. Attackers also have access to a tunnel system on the right highground, or they can use the tunnels near the checkpoint, or the ridge down to the garage from the high ground. The saloon has an accessible interior on both floors, and the roof can be accessed by those capable of reaching high areas. The saloon roof does not have much access to sightlines however. The forward right side of this segment has an environmental hazard. Attackers spawn to the right of the gas station and defenders spawn in the bunker, near the start.

Bunker

The last stage is the bunker which is an indoor location. Attackers can use either of the two entrances near the checkpoint, or can access the high ground which led from the attackers tunnel in the previous area. Inside the bunker are various rooms and elevated areas to attack from. There are a series of moving platforms which move along the attacker's left side of the map, and can be used for transport to behind the defenders. Once the attackers get the payload to the end of the bunker, they win. Attackers spawn at the motel at the start / end of the Western Complex (This segment is a U shape), and the defenders spawn at the end of the bunker.

Strategy

Heroes

• Heroes that can easily maintain or reach highground are especially effective on this map, as almost every point has a highground overseeing the payload. Heroes such as Baptiste, D.Va and Pharah are especially useful on this map.
• Due to the U-Shaped second point, Hanzo's Dragonstrike can be particularly effective. On the third point also, there are many walls and buildings which may allow the ultimate to be especially useful at clearing areas.
• Area denial heroes such as Mei can easily wall off certain chokepoints, as although there are many areas to come through, they are often very thin.
• Sombra can be useful as there are several crucial large health packs on parts of the map, such as the Large one in the tunnel on the first attack, the large one in the Gas Station, and the large one in the motel or garage.

Trivia

• An outhouse can be found on the map that originally contained magazine images of Symmetra and Mercy. The magazines were removed in a later patch, as the themes it was suggesting did not fit the game's rating or atmosphere..
• Inside the attackers' first spawn, there is a picture of Cassidy on the underside of the bar at the front of the diner. There is also a rifle next to it, indicating that he is not welcome in the diner. Cassidy himself commented that the coffee "[tastes] like boiled dirt" ^{Overwatch 1.}
  • It also references the opening shot of Reunion where Cassidy ate a slice of apple pie and a cup of black coffee.
• The payload was originally a closed container. Alongside the release of the Reunion animated short where Cassidy retrieves Echo from the container, the tip of the container was removed.
  • As such, like Numbani for a significant amount of time, the payload delivery on this map does not make any sense, as nothing is being delivered.
  • The Reunion short also takes place at the Attackers' spawn and the battle ends at the first Checkpoint of the map. In which Ashe and Bob are swapped for the container.
  • The Train Crash section of the map was revealed in the short: A tip from McCree was given to the Deadlock gang to blow up the bridge. For the package to drop alongside some grenades which will be used at the final stages of the battle.
• Inside the Diner, on the wall to right of the Jukebox, a poster of flapjacks can be found along with the line "It's never too early for flapjacks." This is a reference to the 1993 fantasy comedy film, Groundhog Day.
• Inside the Diner, next to the service counter, there is a check for $5.00 signed by Deckard Cain. A character from the Diablo series. The check is dated 5/15/12, which is the release date of Diablo 3.
  • There is also a barcode under the signature that when scanned with a barcode scanner, produces the message "Cain lives".
• On the Diner's soda fountain, a beverage named "Dr. Boom" can be seen. A reference to the NPC found in World of Warcraft as well as a popular Card from the game Hearthstone.
  • It's also a possible double entendre, also referencing the real life soft beverage Dr. Pepper.

Development

Season 7 design changes

The map received few changes in Season 7 of Overwatch 2. There are now additional places for the attacking team to take cover around their initial spawn. The doors on the first checkpoint will now only close one of the two doors after the payload passes by giving attackers more options to work through the difficult choke points. There will also be fewer places to take cover in the later parts of the map.

Gallery

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  The thumbnail for the map as it appeared in Overwatch, with a daytime setting.