The developers of hero shooter Overwatch 2 must have dropped a box full of old photographs while clearing the attic, spilling old snapshots of Route 66 onto the floor and getting snared in a nostalgic daze. The game is launching a "Classic" mode today that will let you play the first-person payload pusher as it (mostly) was back in 2016 when the first Overwatch launched. That means 6v6 fights, the original abilities of its heroes, and no limits to stop the entire team picking the same character.
]]>Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller has posted a lengthy blog on Steam about the transition from 6v6 player matches in the first Overwatch to 5v5 in the poorly received free-to-play sequel. It's a juicy read for armchair designers and lapsed Overwatchers like myself, packing in analysis of class roles and the shift from the free choice of heroes to single hero picks and enforced team compositions.
In broad strokes, Keller summarises how the Overwatch experience has drifted away from "player freedom and creativity in order to create a more balanced, consistent and competitive experience for players". It's possible, however, that Overwatch 2 will swing back in the other direction, as Blizzard are now "exploring how we can test different forms of 6v6 in the game to gauge the results", with a view to restoring some of the joyful chaos that saw entire teams of Reinhardts charging the objective in formation.
]]>Overwatch 2’s next damage hero Venture is tunnelling into the free-to-play shooter a little early - for a while anyway. Before the new drillin’ DPS makes their official arrival next month, they’ll be available to take for a spin from tomorrow through the weekend.
]]>In what's quite the shake up for Overwatch 2, Blizzard have announced that starting with Season 10, all of its heroes will be unlocked for all players. And this includes all new heroes going forwards, too, so the next hero Venture will unlock immediately for everyone when the latest season drops. Otherwise, there's changes to unlocking premium skins, earning premium coins, and some tidbits on what we can expect from Season 11.
]]>The trailer for Overwatch 2's Cowboy Bebop collaboration looks pretty good when judged in terms of style and costume design. It's even better when judged as it should be: by its music.
]]>Changes to Overwatch 2’s Competitive system in its most recent Season Nine has seen the ranked mode overtake casual Quick Play as the most popular way to play the hero shooter sequel. Its developers are also looking ahead to further changes in Season 10, including adjustments to grouping restrictions and its experimental Hacked event.
]]>Overwatch 2 is going to receive some changes designed to make teamwork easier, and to make bad teamwork less frustrating. The latter is more interesting, because one of Blizzard's proposed solution is giving Tank and Damage heroes "a modified, tuned-down version of the Support self-healing passive", which would make them less reliant on Support players to heal everyone.
]]>This past Christmas marked the anniversary of me playing Overwatch 2. 7 years of my partner and I swearing at seemingly impenetrable enemy teams, then whooping in victory when we finally pull together a plan that cracks them apart - or just as our chill W+M1 game while we chat about our days.
For the uninitiated, Overwatch is a bright, colorful, and very funny team v team FPS that ditches the dour gunmen for a cast that doesn’t all require raw aim skill. Spider-themed snipers and six-gun slinging cowboys share space with winged angelic healers and a talking gorilla with a Tesla cannon - characters who reward positioning and timely ability usage just as much as one’s ability to click on heads. When the game went free to play and slapped a 2 on the end in 2022, it got a more muted reception, but the dev team have displayed a great willingness to experiment. In fact, there's never been a better time to give Overwatch 2 a go.
]]>People who play videogames want "new content literally almost every single day", according to Blizzard president Mike Ybarra - indeed, "they want new stuff every day, every hour". I do not want new stuff every day, every hour, Mike. Frankly, the idea makes me want to burn my possessions and go spend the rest of my life under a pine tree.
]]>Overwatch 2's next hero is Mauga, a chaingun-loving tank that seems reminiscent of Team Fortress 2's Heavy. He's due to join the free-to-player shooter in Season 8 on December 5th, but you can also give him a go right now until November 5th in a limited-time trial.
]]>Hugely popular K-pop group Le Sserafim are headed to Overwatch 2 in the shooter’s first crossover with a music artist. The collab is more than just skins, too - expect a whole new game mode based on the band. And yes, there’ll be cosmetic items too, of course.
]]>Overwatch 2 is getting new skins that clothe Moria and Pharah in the outfits of Diablo 4’s Lilith and Inarius. Those skins are part of a new wave of cosmetics incoming for the game’s Season 7: Rise of Darkness, but they’re not part of the standard premium battle pass. Instead, they’ll cost you another $40 - as much as the whole of Overwatch 1 did when it was first released. As you can imagine, people aren’t too chuffed.
]]>The UK's Competition and Markets Authority have "provisionally" approved Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, removing the last major legal obstacle to the completion of the deal.
The CMA blocked the deal in April this year over concerns that it would "alter the future of the fast-growing cloud gaming market", and might lead "to reduced innovation and less choice for UK gamers over the years to come". Microsoft attempted to woo the regulator by agreeing to sell Activision Blizzard game cloud streaming rights to Ubisoft, and while the CMA have "limited residual concerns", they've largely accepted Microsoft's modifications.
]]>Overwatch 2 has banned a quarter of a million cheaters since it launched last October, Blizzard has revealed as they outlined incoming improvements aimed at cracking down on “disruptive behaviour”.
]]>Overwatch 2 has launched on Steam and well, Activision Blizzard are probably regretting that right now. At the time of writing, the game has attracted 22,619 reviews, many written by people who've already been playing for a while on Battle.net, of which just 15% give the game a thumbs-up, making for an "Overwhelmingly Negative" rating. Tucked in amongst the usual troll reviews, cheeky links to Team Fortress 2 and dubious ASCII jokes there are some rather extensive essays on the game's direction and faults.
Many players still have axes to grind about Overwatch 2's switch to a free-to-play battle pass model - check out our launch-day Overwatch 2 review for the nitty gritty - which introduced levelling for new characters and cosmetics to a game that once handed you its entire roster almost without caveats, and encouraged you to experiment freely. Others are angry about Overwatch 2's story-driven PVE modes, the supposed focus of the sequel - announced as a full-blown Hero Missions mode with skill trees and levelling, then dramatically stripped back to a series of separately sold seasonal co-op missions, much as with Halloween events in the first Overwatch. There are complaints about Blizzard's recent handling of the Overwatch League, and more subjective quibbles about the switch to a 5v5 team format and the precise ratio of DPS to Support heroes. A few reviews touch on Activision-Blizzard's alleged culture of sexual harassment and claims of unfair labour practices, which make Overwatch's emphasis on team spirit ring rather hollow.
]]>Blizzard is going to offer its digital PC games outside of its Battle.net launcher for the first time, starting next month with Overwatch 2 - though you’ll still need to sign in through Battle.net to play.
]]>Despite scrapping the game’s major Hero Mode, Blizzard still want to tell us a few stories through Overwatch 2, starting with the first batch of story missions on August 10th. Unfortunately, we won’t be getting any more PvE missions for the next few seasons, according to the game’s producer, cutting short any potential momentum from the upcoming season’s tale.
]]>It's been one baffling decision after the other from Blizzard when it comes to Overwatch 2, and with its latest announcement that you'll have to pay for the PvE content it didn't cancel, you can add another one to that list. While the release date for the first batch of PvE content, titled Overwatch 2: Invasion, dropped over the weekend during the Xbox showcase, it wasn't until late last night that Blizzard shared some more specific details, most notably that you'll have to fork over $15 in order to even play it.
]]>Things aren't going so smoothly for Microsoft, as the US' Federal Trade Commission has now asked a court to temporarily block the $70 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. As reported by Reuters, the FTC claimed that Microsoft had pointed towards closing the deal as soon as this Friday, leading the organisation to request that a federal judge block any final agreement that might take place before 11:59pm ET, June 15.
]]>Blizzard may have abandoned their plans for a fully-fledged Overwatch 2 PvE mode, but they do still want to tell us some stories. They've just announced Overwatch 2: Invasion, a big update that'll include three story missions, a new PVP game mode, a new Support hero and a handful of hero-specific training missions. It'll land on August 10th.
]]>When Overwatch 2 was first announced at Blizzcon 2019, Blizzard promised an ambitious "highly replayable" PvE component that somewhat justified the '2' at the end of the title. Last night, the Overwatch 2 development team announced that they've scrapped most of their ideas including the Hero Missions mode which had skill trees, levelling up, and other light RPG elements shown off in the trailer below. Instead, they'll be gradually releasing co-op story missions and integrating them into their ongoing seasons, similar to how PvE operated in the first Overwatch.
]]>Support mains, relax. Overwatch 2's next playable character is a support hero called Lifeweaver and he’ll be joining the roster alongside Season 4, expected to begin on April 11th. Blizzard had previously said they were committed to bolstering Overwatch 2's support lineup since it’s currently the game’s most taxing and least rewarding role to play. It seems they’re making good on that promise, though, as Lifeweaver’s reported abilities have the potential to sway matches.
]]>Overwatch 2’s third season is well underway, adding more of the usual maps, modes, and cosmetics. The big surprise this season is the Valentine’s themed Loverwatch, a non-canon text adventure that allows you to court either Mercy or Genji. Naturally, I chose to date Genji (described as Overwatch’s “bad boy”), and the results were surprising. It’s cringe-y and occasionally grating, but it’s also surprisingly charming and stuffed with referential humour that OW fans will surely love.
]]>Overwatch 2’s third season released last week with a new Antarctic-themed map, a promised Valentine’s dating sim, and, of course, another battle pass featuring various in-game cosmetics. Blizzard had already announced that this battle pass would have in-game currency for the first time, allowing players to buy their choice of cosmetics, rather than just the passes’ selection of skins and souvenirs. But fans on Reddit have accused Blizzard of deliberately misleading players with these rewards.
]]>Overwatch 2’s third season is beginning later today and it looks to be the most substantial season yet. Blizzard have released a brand new trailer alongside a Season 3 roadmap, detailing everything we can expect for the next few months including a One Punch Man crossover, a long overdue dating sim, and a Battle Pass themed around Asian mythology.
]]>Overwatch 2’s third season is right around the corner and, as always, that means we’re getting a new map. Blizzard have treated us to our first look at the Antarctic Peninsula, an icy-themed control map launching alongside Season 3 on February 7th. The Antarctic Peninsula is a big deal since it’ll delve into Mei’s backstory, it’s the first natural environment in an OW map, and it lets you fish. As in catching fish. At an ice hole. As in, you can catch fish at an ice hole in Overwatch 2.
]]>Overwatch 2 players haven't been happy with the way its ranked matches have worked since launch. Blizzard agree, it seems, although they're not going to be reverting back to how things were in Overwatch 1. Instead they'll be implementing changes in season 3 and season 4 "aimed at creating more clarity in the system."
]]>Good news! Blizzard have fixed an Overwatch 2 Kiriko bug that let her teleport while holding the flag in Capture the Flag mode. Bad news! In doing so they seem to have broken the cleanse effect attached to her Swift Step ability, meaning she can no longer purge debuffs. The bug appeared after yesterday's update and isn't mentioned in the patch notes, so yep, it's a bug rather than a balance change. Hopefully she'll get back to cleansing soon.
]]>Overwatch 2's second season has been all about Greek mythology, with several characters receiving skins based on iconic Greek gods. But now that the festive winter event has wrapped up, Overwatch 2 is debuting its next limited-time event Battle for Olympus later today, and it’s reimagining seven characters’ abilities. The free-for-all deathmatch mode begins today and will be around until January 19th.
]]>As you might have noticed, there’s just a few days until Christmas lands on us all like an overladen sleigh pulled by some very exhausted and confused reindeers. Overwatch 2’s marking the occasion by turning robotic damage hero Bastion into a gingerbread automaton with a new legendary skin. Seeing as it’s the holidays, Blizzard are charging just a single Overwatch Coin for the skin, which is way, way less than the thousands that legendaries usually cost. Bastion’s fresh look is also quite a bit more involved than some of the other legendary efforts Blizzard’s dreamt up for Overwatch 2 so far.
]]>Overwatch 2 struggled to quickly apply fixes for issues with its heroes during Season 1, but Blizzard say they’ve managed to sort all that out for the recently minted hero shooter. A hotfixing tool that was used for the first time today means there shouldn’t be any need for more weeks-long absences such as Bastion and Mei’s in Season 1. According to a Twitter thread by Overwatch 2’s commercial lead Jon Spector, the hotfix tool also lets Blizzard apply hero rebalances much more quickly. It doesn’t all sound like plain sailing, though.
]]>Season 2 of Overwatch 2 arrives tomorrow, and it's a bigger deal than it may sound. Overwatch 2 may have marked the beginning of a slightly jarring shift towards the free-to-play model for Blizzard's venerable hero shooter, but it's the release of Season 2 where players will get their first taste of the pace and quality at which future content will be released under the new regime.
I got to spend a few days exploring the new changes that Overwatch 2's second season will bring around this time tomorrow, and I've come away feeling a little torn. On the one hand, the brand new additions - the new Tank, Ramattra, and the new Shambali Monastery map - are gorgeous, intriguing, and enjoyable. On the other, the balance changes to existing heroes really don't seem to have done much to rebalance the most overpowered heroes in the game, which has left me feeling a bit frustrated.
]]>Free to play hero shooter Overwatch 2 welcomes Season 2 early next week, and with that comes some more hero balance changes and a new theme. This season, the game’s taking its inspiration from Greek mythology with a new time-limited mode, Battle For Olympus, giving the heroes some godlike powers early next year. You can take a look at some of what’s lined up for Overwatch 2 Season 2 in the trailer below.
]]>Overwatch 2's next hero is Ramattra, an Omnic shape-shifting tank. We got to see that shape-shifting in action for the first time in a new hero trailer released earlier tonight. If you want a glimpse of his powers in action ahead of his release as part of Overwatch 2's season two on December 6th, check below.
]]>Like many free-to-play live service games these days, Overwatch 2 loves its skins. Occasionally though, Blizzard stumble with their cosmetic offerings, rather like they’ve tripped over an invisible dog. Players have been taking to Twitter and Reddit to voice their irritation with support hero Moira’s rather uninspired new legendary skin, based on the classic black and white look of mime artists everywhere. Just like mime artists themselves, it’s not very popular.
]]>The mid-cycle patch for hero shooter Overwatch 2 has arrived to bring balance adjustments for multiple characters, and free Mei from her downtime at last. In particular, Zarya’s particle barrier duration has been reduced, so you should have an easier team taking her on in future. Blizzard announced there’d be a delay to the balance adjustment update earlier this week, which had been scheduled for November 15th.
]]>There’ll be no more Overwatch 2 and World Of Warcraft in mainland China from January 23rd, 2023, Blizzard and NetEase have announced. Those are among the games that NetEase have handled publishing for within the country, but the two companies have failed to reach an agreement to extend their deal. To add insult to injury, NetEase’s president Simon Zhu has taken to LinkedIn to blame “a jerk” for the deal’s collapse.
]]>Blizzard have postponed the release of a patch for Overwatch 2 so they can fix an undisclosed “critical issue” with the game. The patch had been scheduled for November 15th, and is meant to include hero balance adjustments for Zarya, Genji, Sombra, Kiriko, and D.va. The mid-season update should also see Mei return to the hero shooter after her two-week stint on the bench, Blizzard’s statement said, following issues with her icewall ability last month. You can now expect the patch to arrive tomorrow, November 17th, at 7pm GMT / 9pm CET / 11am PST. Not too long to wait, then.
]]>Overwatch 2's commercial lead Jon Spector has revealed the free-to-play hero shooter's next new character will bolster the ranks of its support heroes. Spector dropped the hint about Overwatch 2’s next hero in a Q&A session with Korean site Inven. Spector said that the next hero would be a “more solid support”. We can expect them to arrive in Overwatch 2 when Season 3 of the game begins in early February 2023.
]]>Overwatch 2's next hero was introduced during last night's Overwatch League Grand Finals, as planned. It's Ramattra, an Omnic war machine and Tank class hero who can shift between two different styles of fighting. There's an origin trailer and more details below.
]]>There’s not long to wait until we find out who the next hero coming to Overwatch 2 will be, as Blizzard have revealed they’ll be announcing the character during the Overwatch League Grand Finals. They’re due to air tonight, November 4th, in the US, and in the early hours of tomorrow morning for people on the other side of the Atlantic. That leaves enough time to place your bets on who it’ll turn out to be.
]]>Frosty damage hero Mei has been removed from play in Overwatch 2 for the next fortnight while Blizzard address bugs affecting her ice wall ability. Unlike when Bastion was disabled because of his glitching ultimate, however, Mei does at least have a return date pencilled in. Blizzard are aiming to get her back in Overwatch 2 for November 15th, when the game’s next scheduled patch drops. That still might slip, though. What? I had to get an ice crack in.
]]>Canny Overwatch 2 players have reported more success in obtaining skins by grinding for in-game gold in Blizzard’s long-running fantasy MMO World Of Warcraft and converting that into Battle.net balance than by completing weekly challenges in the hero shooter itself. The trick involves trading gold farmed in WOW for tokens that convert to Battle.net balance, which can then be spent on Overwatch 2 cosmetics. It’s a cunning ploy that speaks volumes about player frustration with the multiplayer shooter’s new free to play mechanics, a situation that might still change if Blizzard listen to results of a recent survey.
]]>Overwatch 2’s lead hero designer has revealed Blizzard are working on new support heroes for the game as one of their “long-term focuses”. The admission came as part of a response to players asking for more support characters in Overwatch 2, as there are currently only eight of them to pick from right now, versus the ten tanks and whopping 16 damage characters in its overall roster. It's not just the number of supports Blizzard have been thinking about either. Over the weekend, it also emerged the Overwatch 2 devs are sending out a survey to current players, with emphasis on the game’s store and the divisive battle pass introduced when the series went free to play. The developments follow on from hero balance changes being brought forward from season two to mid-November.
]]>Overwatch 2 developers Blizzard previously said that players would need to wait until season two for balance changes, but they've now changed their minds. "There are some Hero balance adjustments we’d like to make sooner," and it includes tweaks to heroes D.va, Zarya, Genji, and Sombra.
]]>Overwatch 2’s arctic scientist Mei has had a notable bug in her toolkit since launch, but the problem is becoming more persistent for some players. All of Mei’s abilities revolve around ice, whether slowing down enemies with a snowy spray or incubating in a cocoon of ice. However, a compilation on Reddit showcases various problems with her Ice Wall ability, which seems to be in need of some serious TLC.
]]>Today marks the start of Overwatch 2’s first double XP weekend, one of three lined up for the hero shooter before the end of season one. You’ll be able to net your heroes twice the match XP until October 24th, starting at 7pm BST/8pm CEST/11am PDT today and ending the same time on Monday, but the bonus doesn’t apply to daily and weekly challenges. Blizzard have also revealed that Overwatch 2’s first seasonal event, Halloween Terror, begins on October 25th.
]]>Overwatch 2 hero Bastion has been missing-in-action for over a week now, but Blizzard have now set a date for his return, alongside fellow missing hero Torbjorn. In an update on the Overwatch forums, Blizzard confirmed that the missing characters should be returning to the game on October 25th, alongside the Junkertown map, which has also recently been disabled due to graphical performance bugs. Their return coincides with the game’s next planned update.
]]>Robot damage hero Bastion has been unplayable in Overwatch 2 for the past week due to some unfortunate shenanigans with his artillery ultimate. It was only meant to be temporary, Blizzard said. Yet this increasingly lengthy absence from the game's resulted in some players treating the poor droid as though he'd passed away rather than becoming glitched out for a little while.
]]>On this week's episode of the Ultimate Audio Bang, we deliver our impressions of Overwatch 2 and discuss whether Overwatch really needed a number "2" slapped on the end of it.
]]>Overwatch 2 won’t be seeing any significant rebalances to its roster of heroes until the free to play shooter enters its second season in early December, Blizzard have confirmed. The game’s developers shared a blog post updating players on how the company are monitoring gameplay, maps, and competitive rankings in the immediate post-launch period. There will, however, be a targeted adjustment to tank Zarya in the next major patch going live on October 25th, Blizzard said.
]]>What are the best counter picks for each Overwatch 2 hero? With a roster as large, varied, and balanced as that of Overwatch 2, and with so many abilities at each hero's disposal, it's hard to pin down which heroes perfectly counter one another. In reality, there are too many variables in play, and so you shouldn't expect there to be a simple rock-paper-scissors format to counter picking heroes in Blizzard's newest hero shooter.
But even so, for each of the 35 heroes on offer, they'll have a harder time against certain enemies than others. And while it's possible to defeat any hero no matter who you play as, changing your hero on the fly to combat the enemy's team composition is a very important skill to learn if you want to consistently win matches in Overwatch 2.
Below you can take a look at our very own Overwatch 2 counters chart, which shows you which heroes you should pick to give you the best chance against any of the 35 characters in the roster. Further below, we'll walk you through each hero and counter pick in turn, explaining why they are ideal counter picks against their chosen enemy.
]]>Want to know how to play Competitive in Overwatch 2? Overwatch 2 features several game modes for you to choose from, but if you're specifically wanting to take part in ranked matches that pit you against players of a similar ability level, then Competitive is what you're looking for.
If you're wondering how to get into Overwatch 2 Competitive look no further, because on this page we've got details on how to unlock Competitive mode, how ranks and points work, and more!
]]>How can you unlock every skin in Overwatch 2? There are 35 heroes to choose from in Overwatch 2, but if you're looking to stand out on the battlefield, then you're probably interested in unlocking some alternate skins for your favourite characters. There are about 700 of these skins to choose from in Overwatch 2 at launch, so no matter what your fashion preference, you're bound to find something that your main can wear that that suits your style.
On this page, we've put together an illustrated list of every skin for every hero in Overwatch 2. We've also included a step-by-step guide to transferring your Overwatch 1 skins into the sequel, and everything you need to know about unlocking new skins in Overwatch 2.
]]>A DDoS attack on Blizzard caused issues for Overwatch 2 players earlier today, following on from similar attacks on the company during the free to play shooter’s launch last week. The latest attack came just after Overwatch 2 had finished a period of emergency maintenance. Although Blizzard have confirmed the DDoS attack has now ended, the recurring attacks aren’t exactly a good sign for a game already beset by technical issues.
]]>Looking for a full list of all the characters in Overwatch 2? Only if you've been living under a rock for the past 6 years (goodness, has it really been 6 years?) could you not have heard about at least some of the colourful, larger-than-life characters in the Overwatch 2 roster. These characters hail from all over the Earth - or beyond, in some cases - and they each come equipped with a set of unique abilities that allows you to play them completely differently from any other character.
If you're fairly new to Overwatch 2, then allows us to catch you up with our list of every character in the game. Below we'll go into detail on each of the 35 characters in Overwatch 2 and their abilities, along with handy tips and information on their strengths and weaknesses, and how to play them effectively.
]]>There being no actively updated Overwatch game has meant there's been no Overwatch animated shorts in recent years. Now Overwatch 2 is live, there's a new nine-minute, fully-animated short introducing the hero Kiriko, one of the free-to-play sequel new characters. You can watch it below.
]]>Who are the best heroes in Overwatch 2? Blizzard's top-tier hero shooter Overwatch 2 inherited its predecessor's impressive and vibrant roster of heroes, plus a few new ones to boot. But the meta is not the same as it once was, thanks to Overwatch 2's new 5v5 meta and the myriad changes that have been applied to almost every single one of the 35 heroes on offer to players.
The meta has begun to settle after the first couple of weeks since Overwatch 2's release, and so we've accordingly updated our Overwatch 2 tier list of heroes, which range from the very best, essential picks for any team, to the least effective characters on offer.
Further below we've provided writeups on each of the best heroes in the game, to help give you a well-rounded impression of the current meta as you delve further into the new era of Overwatch 2.
]]>Blizzard have said they’ve disabled the phone number account requirement for most Overwatch 2 players, following issues with registration for some. The company originally insisted on all players providing a phone number as part of the hero shooter’s new anti-cheat system, dubbed Defense Matrix. The planned change should go into effect from October 7th.
]]>Want to know how to unlock all the heroes in Overwatch 2? One of the major changes made in Overwatch 2 in order to bring Blizzard's venerable hero shooter over to the new free to play model is that players who never played the original game will start with only a portion of the total hero roster unlocked. You won't be able to play as any of the locked heroes until you unlock them by playing matches.
Follow our guide below to learn how exactly to unlock every hero in Overwatch 2, from newcomers such as Kiriko and Sojourn to old favourites like Cassidy, Roadhog, and Zenyatta.
]]>How do you level up fast in Overwatch 2? Blizzard's hero shooter has gone free to play with the release of Overwatch 2, and part of the brand new free-to-play model is that many cosmetics (and even heroes) are locked behind a new Battle Pass. Instead of player or account levels, there is now simply the Battle Pass level, and players will no doubt be racing through the Battle Pass to unlock everything as quickly as possible.
You can earn XP simply by completing matches, but there's a far, far better method if you want to really level up fast in Overwatch 2. We'll go over everything you need to know in order to quickly earn Battle Pass XP below.
]]>Overwatch 2 launched earlier this evening, prompting the traditional New Blizzard Game Experience of thousands of players waiting in long queues to play. According to president of Blizzard Entertainment Mike Ybarra, however, today's launch issues are being made worse by a "mass DDoS attack" on their servers.
]]>Put a screenshot of Overwatch 2 next to a screenshot of Overwatch 1, and you'd be hard-pressed to spot any difference. Both display a vast chaotic ballet, in which two teams composed of some of the most well-realised characters in hero shooters wage war until one team emerges triumphant. Just like its predecessor, Overwatch 2 is one of the most delicately crafted sensory onslaughts I've experienced in a game.
Guiding my old favourite heroes through venerable maps like King's Row and Route 66, it's like I never left. In many ways, it feels like I've simply been given a reason to play Overwatch 1 again. Is that enough for a sequel? Is it enough to justify the incredibly confusing, lengthy, and oft-botched process of trying to make Overwatch feel relevant again? I'm not certain it is. But perhaps it should be.
]]>What are the biggest changes in Overwatch 2? Compared to the original, Overwatch 2 looks and feels startlingly similar. It could even be the same game at first glance. That is, until you look a little closer and realise just how the little differences stack up to create a markedly different experience.
With Overwatch 1 shut down for good to make way for its long-awaited successor, we're all gonna have to get used to the brand new world introduced by Overwatch 2. Thankfully, a great many of the biggest changes are also very positive and exciting ones.
Here we've laid out all the biggest Overwatch 2 changes to get you up to speed. So if you haven't been keeping track of the dozens and dozens of patches, buffs, nerfs, removals and additions over the past year, fear not. Read on to learn about all the major differences between Overwatch 1 and Overwatch 2.
]]>What time does Overwatch 2 release? It's been a long and often confusing journey up to this point, but at last the time has arrived. Yesterday Overwatch 1's servers were shut down for good, and later today its replacement, Overwatch 2, will launch in Early Access.
If you're one of the thousands of players waiting to see the fruits of Blizzard's labour over the past several years, then check below to see the exact Overwatch 2 release time for your region, along with when you can start preloading the game, and what to expect when you finally start playing.
]]>Tomorrow, October 2nd, is the last full day during which the Overwatch 1 severs will be online. Blizzard's first-person shooter will switch off at 8am PT on the 3rd (4pm BST) ahead of the release of the free-to-play Overwatch 2 on October 4th.
How do we feel about that?
]]>Shoehorning in appearances by pop-culture favourites du jour isn’t something you’d normally associate with Overwatch, but Blizzard are considering it in some form or another for Overwatch 2. Overwatch VP Jon Spector discussed brand crossovers during an interview with Game Informer, saying that Blizzard is “interested in exploring” partnerships like those you might see in Fortnite. Although, he did qualify that it would have to be in keeping with the Overwatch franchise.
]]>Overwatch 2 differs from its predecessor by being free-to-play, which means it will be more vulnerable to players who are up to no good. Blizzard today outlined how they intend to prevent "disruptive behaviour" from players, including the use of SMS verification and machine learning. More awkwardly, game modes will be locked for first-time players, and Overwatch 1's original heroes will only be unlocked "over the course of approximately 100 matches."
]]>Free to play hero shooter sequel Overwatch 2 finally arrives on PC on October 4th, and today Blizzard have officially unveiled new hero Kiriko along with details of season one. They’ve also detailed how the game’s free and premium battle passes will work, and what you can expect in each. Watch the trailer below for some new Overwatch and pretend like it’s 2016 again. Just more grindy.
]]>Overwatch 2 won’t be locking new heroes behind a paid battle pass, it’s emerged. Blizzard VP Jon Spector confirmed that heroes will be available through a free track for the battle pass. Spector’s comments were an attempt to put an end to speculation over what he described as “incomplete info” circulating online about Overwatch 2’s battle pass.
]]>What are Junker Queen's abilities in Overwatch 2? Junker Queen is one of two new playable characters joining the already expansive hero shooter's line-up in the upcoming Overwatch 2, and the latest to be revealed as part of the most recent closed beta. In-story, Odessa "Dez" Stone is an Australian ex-gladiator and the ruler of Junkertown, familiar as the former home of returning hero Jamison "Junkrat" Fawkes. In-game, she plays a tank role within her team who wields a lethal combination of shotgun, throwing knife, and axe weaponry to inflict wounds and deal high damage over time to her opponents. Read on for everything we know so far about Junker Queen's kit in Overwatch 2.
]]>Liam and I thought Overwatch 2's first PVP beta was fine! It was just hard to say just how much of that came down to the "2" in its title. We jumped back into its ongoing second beta, in the hopes that we'd finally wrap our heads around the game. Maybe we'd got it all wrong the first time around? It's the sequel to the biggest hero shooter out there! This time, this time we'd feel the "2" part come alive beneath our fingertips as we insta-locked Torbjorn on attack.
Dear reader, Liam and I emerged from our Overwatch 2 session having had a marvellous chat. We caught up on life, talked about Monster Hunter Rise, and how nice it is that the RPS Treehouse is complete again. Everything except Overwatch 2 itself was discussed... Which says it all, really.
]]>Overwatch 2 sees the start of its second closed beta test today, which runs until July 18th. You’ll need to wait for 7pm BST/11am PST to arrive before you can jump into the beta though. It’s also the first proper opportunity to play as the new tank Junker Queen, revealed at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase earlier this month.
]]>Blizzard have revealed that Overwatch 2’s next closed PvP beta starts on June 28th, and it’s set to introduce new tank character Junker Queen. Also coming in the beta is a new map. Blizzard’s announcement tweet promised more information about what’s to come when sign-ups begin tomorrow, June 16th.
]]>After many delays, Overwatch 2 has a release date. Blizzard's sequel will launch on October 4th - and it'll have a new free-to-play model when it does.
]]>Blizzard Entertainment have announced the next news drop for Overwatch 2 will be taking place on June 16th. The game's first PvP beta drew to a close today, but we should find out what's next for the hero shooter at next month's event. The blog post doesn't give much away, all told, but according to the game's official Twitter account the event will include more details about its next PvP beta. Fingers crossed for an invite this time.
]]>Liam and I have given Overwatch 2's PVP beta a whirl and it's been... interesting. Both of us have come away with mixed feelings, especially around that big "2". Does it really seem like a sequel? To answer that question, we've teamed up in this article like a Müller and its corner to mingle our thoughts in word form. Of course, if you'd rather hear us grumble at each other in glorious video form, you can watch that down below.
]]>Overwatch 2's first beta test has been ticking along for a week now, and Blizzard have written a response to the feedback. It's almost relentlessly peppy, but there are details in there covering why things are the way they are, and how they'll be changing in future updates.
]]>You can finally play Blizzard Entertainment’s hero shooter follow-up Overwatch 2 from today, two and half years since it was announced. Well, you can if you signed up to the first closed PvP beta and satisfy Blizzard’s conditions enough to receive an invite, that is. Blizzard confirmed in a tweet that emails with instructions on how to access the game will start firing out from 11am PDT/7pm BST to those who opted in to the beta at the Overwatch site. You can still sign up as of now, too.
]]>Overwatch 2 may have been delayed, but it’s finally, almost, here in a playable form! It’ll be available from April 26th in a closed beta, and Blizzard are still taking sign-ups over on their site right now. According to an earlier post on the Blizzard website, this’ll be the first of many betas, with players getting access to the game in phases. Earlier this month it was announced that Overwatch 2 was splitting up the PVP and PVE sections of the game, and this beta only includes the PVP half.
]]>Overwatch 2 has been repeatedly delayed, but it looks like it's finally on its way - albeit in a changed form. In a blog post and video earlier today, the Overwatch team announced that they were decoupling the game's PvP and PvE modes, and that the PvP mode was now entering the first of several testing phases.
]]>Blizzard's monster-clicker Diablo 4 and face-shooter Overwatch 2 have both been delayed, pushing their uncertain launches even further into the future. Blizzard had never stated a release date for either game anyway, we only had a vague hint that they didn't expect to launch them in 2021. Now, maybe 2023 at earliest?
]]>This week's episode of the Ultimate Audio Bang is marked by competition. Imogen and I quiz each other on all things shooter trivia, and someone knows more than the other. Anyway, before that, there's plenty of news to catch up on. Call Of Duty: Vanguard has fixed a weird dognado glitch, time-loopy shooter Lemnis Gate is out, Halo: Infinite tech preview number two arrives very soon, and Overwatch 2 announces some reworks. Spoiler alert: Bastion now has a hat.
]]>Rejoice! The absolute pain in the arse that is Bastion is getting a rework for Overwatch 2, and he'll no longer be able to heal himself or turn into a murderous tank. He will be a lot more mobile and have a sticky grenade however, so watch out for that. Over the weekend, Blizzard revealed the changes coming to both Bastion and Sombra in the sequel. While Sombra's tweaks are a little more minimal, it looks like Bastion's will make him play a whole lot differently. Importantly, he'll also wear one of Torbjorn's caps. Fashion.
]]>Predictably, Imogen and I begin this week's episode of Ultimate Audio Bang by getting excited about Deathloop before realising that there's plenty of other newsy bits to cover. Listen to get our hot thoughts on the Call Of Duty: Vanguard reveal, Battlefield 2042's delay, the Overwatch League using an early build of Overwatch 2 in 2022, and plenty more shootery things.
]]>Hero shooter sequel Overwatch 2 doesn't have a release date yet. Some folks will be getting their hands on it next spring though, so perhaps it isn't all that far off. Blizzard plan to start the next season of competitive play for the Overwatch League in April of next year, they've confirmed. They've also mentioned that the season will be played using an "early build" of Overwatch 2.
]]>Imogen and I recorded this episode of Ultimate Audio Bang last week, as I've been enjoying a few days off this week. We thought it would be a lighter episode, but in fact, we touched on many things in shooterland. Mainly, we focused on pinging, rounded up the news, and we talked about Imogen's knees.
]]>Overwatch 2 might be the more exciting name in recent headlines, but it seems Blizzard still have at least one big plan for their original hero shooter. Earlier this week, Overwatch developers answered questions about the series during a Q&A on Reddit. While there were plenty of lore queries I could go on about for hours, some more interesting titbits came out too. Game director Aaron Keller said a "large feature" for the first Overwatch would be announced "somewhere in the timeframe between soon and really soon".
]]>Blizzard have still yet to tell us when Overwatch 2 is coming out, but last night they at least shared a load of what they've been working on for the game's PvP multiplayer. We got a fresh look at the hectic new mode Push, and saw a few matches on new maps like New York and Toronto. Perhaps the most surprising bit of info the devs revealed, however, is that teams in Overwatch 2 will have five players, rather than six, dropping a tank from each side. As a tank main, I have thoughts.
]]>Blizzard will be putting a bandage over Jeff Kaplan’s departure from Overwatch by showing off a heck of a lot of Overwatch 2 next week. In the first post-Jeff Overwatch talking head, new game director Aaron Keller made a brief announcement detailing the May 20th stream, which will focus on PvP.
]]>Of course, I'm excited that Overwatch 2 features some new hero looks inspired by "technical wear" and "techy fabrics", like cowboy McCree for example, who's serape looks waterproof now. But what I'm really into are Blizzard's plans to shake up the tank role in PvP, by transforming them from beefy damage sponges into aggressive brawlers.
]]>While Blizzard did not announce a release date for Overwatch 2 at BlizzConline today, they did show some of what they've working on since the FPS's big showing at BlizzCon 2019. New maps! New sounds! New skills! New singleplayer! And most importantly, new fashion.
]]>The slightly delayed and entirely online BlizzCon Online is just over a week away now, so Blizzard have gone and released the full schedule of talks and events that you'll be able to watch. As expected, there are plans to talk Overwatch 2, Diablo, Hearthstone, World Of Warcraft, and more.
]]>This morning, I imagine you are relistening to that Handforth Parish Council meeting, cackling when that fella does his Gollum voice and texting your pals "YOU HAVE NO AUTHORITY HERE". That's cool. That's fun. But you know which conference calls are really cool? Activision Blizzard quarterly financial results conference calls. That's what I, a cool and fun person, listened to today. And you know what hot viral info I gleaned? Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 probably aren't coming out until 2022 at earliest.
]]>Like all of last year's physical gaming events, BlizzCon didn't actually happen as usual in November. Blizzard chose to move the convention to an online format and bumped BlizzCon 2020 to BlizzConline this month. Would you look at that? It's nearly upon us, so Blizzard have pushed out a trailer and some starter details on what to expect on February 19th and 20th.
]]>What a pleasant Christmas surprise! Here I thought that most development would've shifted onto Overwatch 2 by now, but it seems Blizzard aren't finished with their original hero shooter just yet. Overwatch is adding a pretty new deathmatch map set in Japan, called Kanezaka, and it's coming to the Player Test Realm (PTR) this month.
Kanezaka is a lovely-looking Japanese village placed just below Hanamura (the assault map that also features in one of the game's animated shorts), and there's a cat café!
]]>Blizzard have confirmed that they’ll be hosting BlizzCon as an online event due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The annual celebration of their games and communities was cancelled this year, with a suggestion that they’ll be holding it virtually in 2021. During a recent earnings call, Blizzard’s president J. Allen Brack confirmed that it will be happening “early 2021”.
]]>Imagine you're having a scuffle in Blizzard's funky little FPS, Overwatch. Most of the enemy team is here, except one of their tanks is definitely missing. That's when you see it - a drop pod hurtling down from the sky. It crushes your teammates upon landing, before the gentle giant mech Orisa emerges from it. According to the Overwatch devs in a recent Q&A, this is what Orisa's ultimate could've looked like in early development.
]]>The game event cancellations are pushing even deeper into the year now, as Blizzard have announced BlizzCon 2020 is a no-go. The event usually takes right at the beginning of November, but due to ongoing concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic they've made the decision to cancel it.
"We've talked about different paths we could take, and how each one could be complicated by fluctuations in national and local health guidelines in the months ahead," they said. "Ultimately, after considering our options, we've come to the very difficult decision to not have BlizzCon this year."
]]>Here we go again. Blizzard are teasing us with the tiniest pieces of Overwatch lore and I can't get enough of it. Yesterday, the Overwatch Twitter account tweeted out a personal log from a Dr. Mina Liao, who's been building an Omnic codenamed "the Athena prototype". Now, I don't know about you, but this all sounds like we're about to get our first proper look at Echo, the Omnic hero Blizzard have been teasing for over a year.
"The Athena prototype has been deemed a success," the tweet reads.
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