In a significant update since its debut, Overwatch 2 is unveiling one of its largest reveals today, giving fans a sneak peek at what’s in store for the game up until 2025. To ramp up the anticipation, all these exciting changes will commence shortly as Overwatch 2 Season 15: Honor & Glory commences on Tuesday, February 18th. As ComicBook was fortunate enough to be at Blizzard’s campus, we were able to gather exclusive information about what the future holds for Overwatch 2 in 2025, including fresh insights from the development team about upcoming features and this latest announcement.
Overwatch 2 Introduces Hero perks
The Overwatch 2 team initially discussed the integration of a new feature called Perks during their highlight, describing it as their “major breakthrough to core gameplay” for Overwatch since its release in 2016. If you’ve been following the game and witnessed the evolutions in its mechanics and character transformations, you should realize they’re not joking about this update.
In the course of a game, players will receive two sets of benefits, one minor and one major. These perks are presented during the game itself rather than between rounds, so decisions need to be made swiftly, although there’s no strict time limit. The minor perk offers a well-rounded yet thrilling experience; potential enhancements include reduced heat for Orissa’s main weapon or an amplified soundwave ability for Lucio.
On a different note, the significant benefits are more extensive in nature, and the development team refers to them as “impressive enhancements.” For instance, Torbjorn could opt for his turret to upgrade to level 3 upon activating Overload, or choose to affix it onto walls. Both options have their merits, but ultimately the decision lies with you, considering both your preferred playstyle and the team you’re up against.
According to Alec Dawson, the lead hero designer for Overwatch 2, the inclusion of a perk system was necessary for the game to progress and adapt. Many of the perks are familiar as they resemble assets and abilities that have been featured in previous versions of the game, such as Torbjorn’s level 3 turret and Orissa’s barrier. A perk that almost made it into the game was Symmetra’s shield generator from the early days of Overwatch. Given the team’s intention to make perks versatile, there’s a chance we might see this perk again in the future.
“I think that will probably come back in some form,” Dawson said.
As a dedicated fan, I can tell you that the decision to swap out one team perk for another isn’t made lightly. It depends on several factors, such as which abilities are overperforming or underperforming, and what resonates with our player base. Player feedback has been instrumental in shaping our perks, and one significant addition is a revamp of Ramattra’s Ravenous Vortex ability. When players opt for this upgrade, they’ll be able to detonate the vortex mid-air and drag airborne heroes towards them. This change was driven by community feedback about how they believe the ability should function.
As a dedicated fan, crafting the unique abilities and their implementation was guided by a core principle: immersing myself in the dream of embodying that particular hero and ensuring they operate as I envision in my mind. Dawson emphasized that these abilities for heroes should be “ambitious enough to create a fresh, exciting experience.
Regarding the point, during our trial run of the character upgrade system, the additional features they introduced to the game seamlessly blended with the pace and flow of matches as well as the development of characters. At times, these new elements even presented thrilling new methods of play. For instance, in one game we played as Lifeweaver, a support character, who was equipped with the minor perk Cleansing Grasp, enabling Life Grip to remove negative effects; and the major perk Superbloom, which made his thorn volley explode for an additional 30 damage when it adhered to a target within 1.5 seconds. These two perks not only expanded Lifeweaver’s versatile support abilities, but also boosted his previously absent offensive power since his initial release.
Initially, Season 15 will offer just two benefits, but Dawson hasn’t discounted the possibility of more enhancements down the line. When queried about the prospect of a Perk level 4, Dawson hinted: “Possibly! If it continues to be popular, there might be an update with Perks 2.0.”
Overwatch 2’s 2025 Competitive Rework
To get things going for 2024, just like how they did with season 9, the Overwatch 2 team is preparing for another rank reset in their competitive mode. Beginning in season 15, Overwatch 2 will introduce fresh competitive rewards, such as a stunning new player weapon skin called Galactic Weapons. These weapons will replace the Jade weapons from last year, which will now be offered as a “legacy weapon variant” and can be obtained using legacy competitive points (more details to come soon). The Galactic weapon skins boast a captivating purple hue that seems to stretch out into the infinite expanse of space. Additionally, players will have the opportunity to exchange their current competitive points for legacy points right away if they find themselves in possession of 2000 legacy points and 1000 new points.
In Overwatch 2’s competitive mode, we can expect new features like Hero Bans and Map Voting starting from Season 16 in April. Hero Bans will be a regular feature across all levels of competitive play, while the release date for Map Voting is yet to be announced. Senior Systems Designer Gavin Winter shared insights on how these features will work once implemented, stating that both hero bans and map voting will be incorporated in every tier, from Bronze 5 to Top 500. This means players at all levels will get to vote for the heroes they want to ban as well as choose the maps they prefer to play.
In the present version of hero bans (which we’ve been informed about but not demonstrated), each player will receive a ranked preference ballot, allowing them to select up to three characters they wish to ban. Teams can collaborate on a strategy regarding which heroes they want removed, but during the voting process, teams won’t be able to see who their opponents are choosing on the enemy team. So, if you encountered an annoying Wrecking Ball player in your last game, you won’t know if it’s the same person this time around, so ban Wrecking Ball at your own risk. Hero bans have been a frequently requested feature among the Overwatch 2 community, with developers confirming that the size of the roster was a challenge that delayed its implementation. Now that the game offers more than forty heroes to pick from, it’s time for hero bans to be implemented.
In the game, the map selection process works by providing three potential maps to each team. Each individual player within the team will then choose their preferred map. Importantly, it’s not just about the most popular choice winning; King’s Row, for example, may be one of the options, but the final decision could look like this:
1. Team A votes for King’s Row, Hybrid, and Nepal.
2. A simple majority vote would select King’s Row, but if the players within the team decide to veto each other’s choices, the map selection process may become more complex. In such a case, the final decision might not be King’s Row after all.
In this game, you’ll have three map options: New Junk City, King’s Row, and Ilios. You’ll choose one of these maps, and when all votes are tallied (like 7 for King’s Row, 2 for Ilios, and 1 for New Junk City), the game will select the map based on these results, with the most popular choice being more likely to win. However, there’s still a chance that less popular maps might be chosen. This process is similar to the track selection in Mario Kart 8 online, but here, no one will know who voted for which map. If you happen to be the player who picked the least popular map and it gets selected, keep in mind that your choice remains anonymous.
Winter mentioned that these two options, which won’t be implemented into Competitive play right away, don’t significantly delay the start of gameplay. In truth, the decisions are made so swiftly and occur so rapidly that they barely impact the overall game duration. Furthermore, Winter disclosed that the team is content with how rapid the choices have become before the game commences.
Overwatch 2’s New Heroes in 2025
In addition to announcing Overwatch 2, they’ve also revealed the next two characters joining the game. Starting in April with Season 16, players can look forward to meeting Freya, a new Damage-Per-Second (DPS) character. Originally part of Denmark’s search and rescue team during Overwatch’s active years, Freya now roams her homeland as a bounty hunter. Notable narrative designer Jude Stacey hinted that Freya’s connection with characters such as Ana will be distinct from other former Overwatch agents. While figures like Reinhardt and Cassidy hold Freya in high regard, it seems she may not reciprocate their sentiments.
As a gamer, I found myself drawn to Freya, the cape-wearing bounty hunter with a crossbow. You see, it was when Hudson hopped on board our team that we stumbled upon a treasure trove of art materials from an old director, and there among them lay the sketch that would shape Freya’s appearance – a piece dating back even before the first installment of Overwatch.
Her unique “slow-down ability” was already in the works, allowing players to halt time when they aimed down sights with her crossbow. This sparked an idea – the bounty hunter fantasy. And once that idea took root, Freya’s kit came together swiftly.
As a gaming enthusiast, I’m thrilled about the upcoming addition of Freya in Overwatch 2. The dev team has hinted that she boasts a steep learning curve, which is something they haven’t offered since Echo was introduced back in April 2020. When I finally get my hands on her during the planned playtest in Season 15, I can sense her potential shining through. The Overwatch 2 team emphasizes that their design philosophy of making new characters “strong but safe” is crucial to Freya’s gameplay experience when she joins the fray.
As a gamer, I can’t help but get excited when Blizzard drops hints about a fresh character, hero number 44, who goes by the name “Aqua.” Although the specifics of their abilities or role within the game remain under wraps, the concept art suggests they could bring something completely novel to the table for both the game and this universe. It’s intriguing to imagine what unique powers a water-wielder might possess!
There’s curiosity among players about whether the consistent release of playable characters in Marvel Rivals (with a new one appearing every 45 days) might impact the approach of the Overwatch 2 development team. We posed this question to the team, and hero producer Kenny Hudson replied that they are always deliberating over what’s best for the game and whether a change could be beneficial. It’s important to note that considerable research and localization efforts go into creating each character in Overwatch 2, ensuring they feel authentic and vibrant. Crafting top-tier heroes demands time, and Blizzard is committed to maintaining high quality and thorough investigation into new characters without cutting corners.
“We want all of these heroes to feel alive and relatable,” Hudson said.
Fans of Overwatch 2 might be curious if plans for an animated series based on the game’s universe are still alive. The developers expressed enthusiasm about the possibility of exploring new tales through different platforms, but at this moment, there is no news to share. Interestingly, even though player-versus-environment (PVE) missions that were originally planned for Overwatch 2 have been scrapped, the team is still discussing and contemplating the narrative paths they would have chosen for those missions and finding ways to incorporate them into the game instead.
Overwatch 2’s New Core Game Mode, Stadium
Among the thrilling disclosures during the Overwatch 2 showcase, one standout was the unveiling of the Stadium mode. In this fresh feature, matches span multiple maps in a “best out of 7” setup, and it introduces character enhancements and personalized builds throughout that players can tailor to their preferences. Players who participated in temporary game modes such as Junkenstein’s Laboratory last October or the Mirrorwatch event might find some familiar game-altering abilities within this mode.
Noteworthy about Stadium is that despite the vast array of options it offers, the games progress at a brisk pace. Here’s how it operates: Players will line up according to their roles and be presented with a restricted selection of heroes to pick from, starting with seventeen playable characters out of over 40 available. As each round commences, players can select enhancements for their hero, such as boosting the strength and speed of a weapon or transforming health into armor. Additionally, players will have the opportunity to acquire new abilities on every odd-numbered round, from Junker Queen getting an extra swing with her Carnage axe to Kiriko firing three kunai instead of one.
The game presents a large volume of data at once, which can be quite overwhelming for players. To help alleviate this issue, the developers have introduced what they call “starter build tabs,” offering two options per character to provide useful guides for different play styles tailored to each character. For instance, if you prefer a Soldier 76 build that focuses on helix rockets, there’s an option for that. Or, if you want to play DPS Moira and deal massive damage to the enemy team, the game allows you to do so easily. Essentially, Stadium is designed to enhance the excitement of playing each hero by optimizing their fantasy.
In Stadium mode, unlike Quick Play or Competitive modes, there are a few key distinctions. Firstly, instead of playing on a single map, you rotate through several maps during gameplay, although there’s some condensing as you only play one map for a Control round, such as Ilios Ruins. Initially, Stadium will offer only three game modes: Clash, Push, and Control. In this mode, Push is restricted to the first checkpoint, while Clash only encompasses the first two points.
In Stadium, once a player selects their character at the start of the game, they cannot change it until the end. This contrasts with Overwatch, where players often switch characters during gameplay. However, what makes Stadium unique is that it allows players to customize their characters in such a way that they can counter opponents who might have previously been unbeatable. For instance, if you’re a support character being attacked by Genji, you should focus on increasing your health and armor as the match goes on. If you’re a damage-dealing character struggling against Reinhardt, consider equipping lifesteal when attacking his armor.
One significant distinction lies in the camera perspective, as Stadium initially provides players with a third-person view of their characters. However, the choice to switch to a first-person view is also available if preferred. Some might think this shift, particularly in this action-packed new mode, is a response to Marvel Rivals. Nevertheless, it’s important to note that Stadium has been under development for more than two years. The third-person camera in Stadium wasn’t inspired solely by observing another game use the same view, but rather stemmed from the game’s maximalist nature, making it advantageous for players to have a broader view of the game and map to fully comprehend all the ongoing activities.
Dylan Snyder, the senior game designer, shared that our aim was to create an experience that was straightforward for beginners,” he said. “Something easy to dive into, yet challenging enough to keep experts engaged.
Throughout every season, Stadium plans to introduce fresh heroes as well as additional building choices for characters who were previously playable. A powerful tactic that was effective in season 16 (when Stadium begins) might not work anymore in season 17.
In the game Overwatch 2, the new season titled “Fortune and Glory” is set to debut on Tuesday, February 18th. This exciting update introduces a revamped hero perks system, new weapon variations, a plethora of brand-new skins, and a reset for competitive ranks. Following this, Season 16 of Overwatch 2 will make its entrance in April, introducing the Stadium game mode and the option to ban heroes in Competitive play.
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2025-02-12 21:41