Two months ago, the internet gathered around and informally crowned Marvel Rivals as the new popular hero shooter of note. I'm having lots of fun with it, but its rule-breaking heroes and experimental abilities have kept a question nagging in my noggin: Why isn't Overwatch 2 trying anything like this?
Well, now it is. In a 34-minute Overwatch 2 "Spotlight" video that premiered today, Blizzard laid out the next year of Overwatch, which includes the biggest shakeups and additions the FPS has seen since Blizzard slapped a '2' on it. It's safe to say this is a bigger deal than 5v5 ever was.
During the first few seasons of 2025, Overwatch 2 is getting:
- Perks: Passive and active upgrades for every hero unlocked during Quickplay and Competitive matches.
- Stadium: Overwatch's third primary mode separate from Quickplay and Competitive. A third-person (by default) round-based mode where players purchase upgrades and craft builds between rounds. (We'll have more on Stadium in a separate article soon)
- 6v6 competitive queue: 6v6 will have its own competitive open queue in Season 15
- A new hero: Freja, a Danish bounty hunter with an explosive crossbow
- Loot boxes: They're back as weekly rewards and battle pass rewards, but we're not sure you can buy them.
- Hero bans in Competitive
From that list, only perks and the 6v6 competitive queue are arriving in Season 15: Honor and Glory, on February 18. Stadium, Freja, loot boxes, and hero bans won't arrive until sometime in Season 16.
Each hero has two pairs of perks earned throughout a match. Heroes begin at level one and gain XP through kills, damage, and playing the objective. At level two, you choose between one of two "minor" perks, which Blizzard describes as "a little boost to warm you up." Level three gives the choice of two "major" perks, which can be anything from a significant damage buff to an entirely new ability. All 42 have four unique perks, meaning longtime players will need to get familiar with 168 new variables that didn't exist a week ago. After skimming a complete list of hero perks, I'm surprised by how strong they sound. A few examples:
Orisa
- Level 2: Primary fire critical hits refund heat OR Fortify briefly grants an additional 100 overhealth when activated
- Level 3: Hold left-click to charge Energy Javelin, increasing its speed and knockback. Pierces enemies at full power. OR Convert Javelin Spin to instead launch a barrier
Zenyatta
- Level 2: Snap Kick's knockback is increased by 30% OR Activate and hold double jump to hover for up to three seconds
- Level 3: Secondary fire charges 20% faster and can store one extra Orb of Destruction OR Zenyatta heals Orb of Harmony targets for 20% of his damage dealt to Orb of Discord targets.
Genji
- Level 2: Swift Strike resets double jump OR Dragonbalde swings gain 30% lifesteal
- Level 3: Swift Strike deals 25 additional damage over time when used shortly after an elimination OR Regenerate 25 health per second while deflect is active
As a lapsed Overwatch player, I'm still in mild shock. These changes are big enough that just one of them would be the centerpiece of a regular balance patch. This is Blizzard upending its nine-year-old shooter overnight—the gall!
If you have hundreds of hours clocked in a hero, it's easy to imagine how differently they'll play after February 18. Genji mains can get more aggressive with their deflects, Zenyatta sharpshooters are rewarded with more healing, and Orisa can spec toward her old barrier role.
I got a bit of hands-on time with perks at a Blizzard HQ press event yesterday and came away nervously excited. In one game, I had a Symmetra with four turrets and an upgrade that boosted her laser's range the longer it fired. As Mercy, I upgraded her blue beam to boost two allies at once and increased her Guardian Angel range by 30%. It's way too early to say how this major change to Overwatch will be received—all I know is this is the most interested I've been in the game since the unfulfilled vision of Overwatch 2.
