Overwatch2 Spotlight

The Overwatch2 spotlight just concluded, and I will give you a breakdown of everything covered. There was a lot of ground covered and some teases for future seasons, but quickly, let’s hit the highlights.

PERKS

Perks are a shift in how you experience gameplay, an upgrade to your hero’s kit. This allows you to alter your play style in-game. The minor perks are light upgrades or boosts to your kit, but the major perk is a powerful upgrade that changes your impact through the rest of the game. For example, Orissa Minor is heat dissipation or fortify upgrade. The Major perk is high-energy javelin or swapping javelin for her original shield. These perks will be adjusted on a regular cadence throughout the season, with big refreshes mid-season. They are meant to assist in balancing gameplay in real-time.

SEASON 15

This season’s competitive reward is the “Galactic Weapons.” This year’s weapon variant feels out of this world. You will receive weapon charms in the following season at platinum and above. Additionally, rank icons are returning in competitive modes. The rank reset is more of a soft than a hard level set this season. Hero-bans are coming to competitive modes. In addition, map-voting will arrive after hero-bans and will only be available in competitive mode.

Improved hero information is coming this season. These are more detailed statistics of your hero to help you understand your impact. On a lighter note, loot boxes are making a comeback this season; they will be available in the free battle pass and the weekly challenges.

6v6 & OW CLASSIC

Pick rates, tank queue times, match stalemates, and long matches made the game feel more grueling than it was meant to be. With those concerns in mind, they have been fine-tuning the 6v6 mode and will be bringing 6v6 to open-queue competitive mode. Events returning are Lunar New Year, April Fools, the Summer Games, and Doctor Junkenstein will be returning. Overwatch Classic returns in season 15 with OW Classic “GOATS.” This meta is heavy on shields and ultimates; enjoy possibly one of the most frustrating metals this upcoming season!

HEROES

Freya, codenamed Wind-Dasher, is from Denmark. She was initially a search and rescue operative but is now a bounty hunter. She has a unique kit: an “explosive” crossbow and cape that provides flight—think Echo or Juno. Her ultimate is the bolo-shot, which wraps up your enemy and possibly draws in nearby opponents for a destructive explosion. Hero 44 will be introduced in Season 18. Aqua is a water wielder, and more details will be released in the coming months.

STADIUM

A new game mode is coming in Season 16; this mode is fast-paced with 5v5 teams where the best-of-seven wins. Mods unlock and customize abilities for your hero, purchased through in-game coins. It’s unclear how these coins are earned. You can play this from a first-person or third-person perspective. These upgrades build throughout the match, so you must know your choices as you build out your hero. Early mods are cheaper and provide immediate benefits while slowly increasing cost and capabilities. As you work through the match, you will earn traits without cost that enhance hero gameplay. There will be 14 heroes and seven maps immediately available. More hero modes and maps will be added as the months progress.

COSMETICS

The season 15 mythic skin is a new skin for Zenyatta; this skin was inspired by the golden dragon Pixiu. Widomaker receives the fifth mythic weapon, which arrives mid-season. Mahou Shoujo, Dokiwatch, inspires season 16 myths. Juno receives Season 16 mythic skin, pink and pastel yellow, including her animal familiars from Dokiwatch. Mercy gets the sixth mythic weapon mid-season. In Season 17, D’Va receives the mythic skin based on the Korean national animal, the Siberian tiger. Reaper will receive the seventh mythic weapon mid-season, with separate weapons for each hand. In addition, this season, a second collaboration with Le Sserafim with new skins and cosmetics.

ESPORTS

In 2025, OWCS will go from 2 to 3 stages and live events. They will be doubling the number of games and broadcasts, introducing FaceIT leagues, and integrating them directly into the OWCS. Additionally, they are adding a promotion relegation tournament allowing more chances to qualify. You can purchase in-game items from your favorite teams, with all revenue headed to those teams. Finally, they are adding two new regions; China will be playing in its own region, with Australia being added to the Pacific Subregion and OWCS Asia. The 2025 season of OWCS is happening right now!