Payload: What is the payload in hero shooters?

In the context of hero shooters like Overwatch 2 and Marvel Rivals ^[1], the payload is typically referred to as the objectives players must escort or defend depending on the team’s role. 

The payload mode usually has two steps for the attacking team. The first is to capture the general point that’s fairly similar to any other capture-the-point mode in the game. Then, the attacking team must stay close to the objective, or “payload” to push it. There are typically multiple checkpoints the payload goes through, and every checkpoint the attacking team reaches changes the spawn point of that team to be closer to the checkpoint.

As for the defending team, it only has one objective. The objective is to stop the attacking team from pushing the payload to the final checkpoint, as that would lose them the round or match depending on the game. The mode is perfect for hero shooters as they have tanks or Vanguards that can sponge more bullets.

References

1. [1] "Official Marvel Rivals website". www.marvelrivals.com. Retrieved January 05, 2025