The Overwatch "Halloween Terror" event is live now

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Update: Blizzard initially said that only Legendary skins would be purchasable with credits during the Halloween Terror event. However, it now says that Epic skins, sprays, victory poses, and highlight intros can also be acquired through credits. The only items not available for purchase are player icons.

Beginning today and running for the next three weeks, Overwatch will be celebrating the time of trick-or-treat with a new seasonal event called Halloween Terror. Loot Boxes have been replaced with festive, glowing jack-o-lanterns, each of which will contain at least one of more than 100 new cosmetic items including profile icons, sprays, victory poses, emotes, highlight intros, and skins—you can see all 12 new skins here. Players will also be able to take part in the first-ever Overwatch PvE Brawl: Junkenstein's Revenge!, which Evan has given his thoughts on.

The chilling tale of Dr. Junkenstein, detailed in the new Junkenstein comic, Junkenstein's Revenge sets teams of four players, chosen from the Alchemist (Ana), the Archer (Hanzo), the Gunslinger (McCree), or the Soldier (Soldier: 76), in defense of Alderbrunn's castle, against enemies including the Doctor himself, Junkenstein's Monster, the Reaper, a witch, and "a host of shambling zomnics."

"Heroes will need to work together and develop strategies to withstand wave after wave of zomnic attacks," Blizzard said. "Will you be able to keep your cool when Junkenstein's Monster appears?"

Blizzard has also taken steps to address complaints about the previous Summer Games event, which did not allow players to purchase event-exclusive skins: The contents of each box will be determined randomly, but all Halloween Legendary skins can be unlocked for 3000 credits, and Epic skins, sprays, victory poses, and highlight intros will also available for purchase.

"We've heard the community feedback and want to provide additional options for players to get their favorite Seasonal Item, while also preserving the rarity and specialness of Seasonal Loot Boxes," a rep said.

On a completely separate note, Blizzard also announced that Overwatch has now racked up more than 20 million players. It's not at all related to Halloween, but it's an impressive number.

Legendary skins and themed Loot Boxes may not be the only treats that turn up this month: It looks like the long-teased hero Sombra may finally make her debut later this month.The Overwatch Halloween Terror event is live now and runs until November 1.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.