Stadium is getting a huge update as part of Overwatch 2 Season 19, adding new heroes, armory upgrades, and gadgets, which will be the 'single ace up your sleeve'

Overwatch 2 Season 19 won't just bring a new battle pass and scary Halloween modes—it'll also introduce a ton of changes to its standalone competitive mode Stadium, including an armory upgrade, combat text, and gadgets.

Torbjörn, Hazard, and Sojourn will be joining Stadium for Season 19 alongside the new

Busan Sanctuary Control Map. But I'm not that bothered about the new heroes, although I'm sure Sojourn will be an absolute horror to play against—instead, I'm more interested in the structural changes.

"Armory is getting upgraded for all of your inventory indexing needs," an official blog post says. "Items and Builds will have dedicated sub-tabs, filters, and faster search tools. The Advanced Info Panel is to be fully integrated into Stadium as well, so you’ll see exactly how your chosen Items and Powers alter your weapons and abilities in raw, terrifying numbers. We want to remove the mystery from your stats."

Getting the option to see how much damage each hit deals isn't made to make you feel bad—it's actually a great change that'll let players see how their perks are performing. "You’ll be able to view your damage and healing numbers float on screen in first and third person, all Stadium matches, plus the Practice Range," the post explains. "Customise the size, transparency, and data type displayed, or turn it off entirely. It’s your game, your info, displayed your way."

I usually build into ability for Soldier 76, focusing on a Helix build (don't boo me), which usually works to delete enemy players in a couple of hits. But with the combat text, I can see just how useful my helix rockets are in a fight. If it turns out that they aren't performing as well as I'd like them to, I can switch it up for the next round and build into weapon power and speed instead.

Easier search functions in the Armory will also be a huge benefit to new players who are still figuring out their builds or reading up on all the minor perks each item has. It's also just a good quality-of-life update for the mode.

But that's not all, there's also something called Gadgets that are also coming to Stadium. These are "sinister little tricks and treats that can turn any Stadium match into a ghost story," according to the blog post. "Pick one per game for a single ace up your sleeve to unleash at the perfect moment, via customizable hotkey."

It's not clear whether this is just a Halloween update or whether they'll stick around post-Season 19, but they certainly look interesting. A couple of examples of how Gadgets will function include:

• Colossus Core lets you push through like an unstoppable wraith.
• Kitsune Charm burns away negative effects and keeps your team in the fight.
• Use Jet Skates and ghost your opponents, and escape death.

So it seems like you'll be able to buy one gadget, perhaps per game, and then use it at a crucial point in a game, like stalling a point or in overtime.

We'll have to see just how helpful these changes in Stadium are once Season 19 begins at the beginning of next week. But I'm hoping that they're all positive steps that'll help me climb the ranks all the way to that fancy-looking All-Star Cassidy skin.

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