Blizzard Entertainment put the spotlight on Overwatch 2 on Wednesday with a showcase that laid out the future of the team-based hero shooter. There are some big changes in store for Overwatch 2, including a new Perks system that will change how every hero in the game plays, a new core game mode with a new third-person view (yes, like Marvel Rivals), and two more heroes confirmed to launch in 2025. Of course, there are also plenty of new cosmetics and in-development features coming to Blizzard’s game.
For a recap of the biggest announcements from the Overwatch 2 Spotlight event, read on.
Perks
Perks are new upgrades to each hero’s ability kit that unlock during the course of a game. According to lead gameplay designer Alec Dawson, perks are “the most significant innovation to core gameplay since Overwatch launched in 2016” — and longtime Overwatch 2 players will already be familiar with some of them.
Perks will let players alter their play style and adapt to situations, Dawson said. As players progress through a match, a new meter will build — much like how a hero’s ultimate ability builds — and when it’s full, players will be able to pick a minor perk at level 2, and a major perk at level 3.
Minor perks include gameplay alterations like cooldown reductions and small passives that will “keep things balanced but exciting,” Dawson said. Major perks are “gameplay-shifting additions to your hero’s kit.”
One example of a major perk is Orisa’s ability to swap out her existing Javelin Spin ability and replace it with a shield, just like the one she used to have in her kit in the original Overwatch. Torbjorn’s major perk will let players throw his turret against a wall or ceiling, an option previously seen in April Fool’s Day events.
For more on perks, read our full story on the new abilities coming to Quick Play and Competitive modes in season 15.
Stadium
While Perks will bring new abilities and upgrades to core Overwatch 2 game modes, Stadium is an entirely new mode that builds on the gameplay-changing abilities seen in previous limited-time game modes like Mirrorwatch, Junkenstein’s Laboratory, and Trials of Sanctuary. The team at Blizzard pitched Stadium as a new strategic game mode that’s designed to sit next alongside Competitive and Quick Play, offering a play space in which to try highly customizable builds of characters without worrying about serious gameplay balance.
In Stadium, players will compete in 5v5 matches with fast-paced rounds and a best-of-seven scoring system. Each round starts with a buy mode, in which players purchase hero mods — abilities that affect their weapons, abilities, and survivability — from the Armory. Players earn coins each round, based on their performance and their team’s, that can be spent on additional mods in later rounds.
Stadium allows for some wild, transformative builds, some of which players got a preview in with last year’s Junkenstein’s Laboratory. Players can pick from dozens of mods, kitting out a heavily armored Moira, a Kiriko that can teleport halfway across the map, or a Cassidy that has 24 bullets in his revolver for a ridiculous Fan the Hammer display.
Even more interesting is that Stadium will allow Overwatch 2 players to play the mode in third-person, “from which to see more of the battlefield and your modifications in action.” Yes, just like Marvel Rivals, though Blizzard says it’s been working on Stadium and its third-person view option for years now.
Stadium will launch with 17 heroes, with more added over time. (Overwatch 2 currently has 42 heroes on its roster.)
For more on Stadium, read our full story on the new mode and how it’s different from perks.
New heroes Freja and Aqua
A new damage hero is coming to Overwatch 2 in season 16: Freja, a Danish bounty hunter who the devs describe as one of the highest-skill characters in the game. Freja is armed with a rapid-fire crossbow that also fires explosive bolts. She can also launch up into the air, dash-jump like Hanzo, and ensnare enemies with her bolas with her ultimate ability.
Freja will be playable as part of a playtest during season 15 ahead of her official launch.
The team also showed off a new hero code-named Aqua, who is described as a Chinese water wielder and boasts “one of the most unique ability sets we’ve ever developed,” said Jude Stacey, senior narrative designer at Blizzard.
Loot boxes are coming back
Original Overwatch loot boxes will return to Overwatch 2 in season 15. The team at Blizzard says the return of randomized cosmetics will be “keeping it fun” while “being transparent about what’s inside and the rate of various drops from opening each box.” This time, loot boxes can be earned through the free track of Overwatch 2’s battle pass and through weekly rewards by completing in-game challenges.
New cosmetics
Season 15 will introduce a new Competitive weapon variant type, Galactic, that showcases “the power of the stars in the palm of your hand.” Competitive players can also earn new weapon charms. If players reach platinum or higher competitive ranks, they’ll be rewarded with a weapon charm based on their rank and role to be handed out during season 16.
Blizzard also confirmed new Mythic skins for Zenyatta in season 15 and a new Mythic weapon skin for Widowmaker in the same season. Additional Mythic skins of D.Va, Reaper, and Juno were shown.
Hero bans and map voting
In season 16, which is expected to launch in late April, Overwatch 2 will add hero bans, a feature in competitive games like Dota 2, League of Legends, and Marvel Rivals. Senior systems designer Gavin Winter said Blizzard’s implementation of hero bans “punches up at the strong or frustrating heroes, without punching down at weaker, niche picks.” In an interview with Winter, he said that teams will be able to ban two heroes per match. Winter said that the hero ban system will be very fast and give players “nuanced control over outcomes and that we can tweak based on your feedback.”
Another highly requested feature, map voting, is coming in “future seasons,” sometime after hero bans, Blizzard announced.
Both hero bans and map voting will be exclusive to Competitive play.
New and reworked maps
Blizzard is working on updated versions of Flashpoint maps Suravasa and New Junk City, and teased more major reworks of classic maps. The developer also teased two more maps, an Atlantic Arcology map and a new metropolitan Tokyo map, both of which are expected after season 19.
The post All the game-changing announcements from Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 Spotlight stream appeared first on Polygon.
