Summary
Overwatch 2has revealed some major changes coming with its Season 9 update, which will arrive on February 13.Overwatch 2’s Season 9: Champions will introduce a significant overhaul to Competitive, a new Hero Mastery, and much more.
Following the demise of the Overwatch League, Blizzard has pushed to reviveOverwatch 2’s esports scene by announcing a new leaguein partnership with ESL FACEIT Group. The Overwatch Champions Series will launch this year and will introduce an entirely new format that’s more focused on openness, rather than the Overwatch League’s closed-off franchise format. Ahead of the OWCS’s launch, it seems that Blizzard is looking to revampOverwatch 2’s regular Competitive mode as well.
Overwatch 2released a trailer that revealed many of the features coming with February 13’s Season 9 update. Most notably, all Competitive players will have their rank reset in the new Competitive system, which will also allow players to view their progress after every match. Competitive players will have a new max rank to work towards called Champion. In Season 9, users can also earn new Jade weapon skins, as well as play in a new co-op event known as Cosmic Crisis where users will battle against a Lovecraftian monster. Season 9’s theme is Eldritch Horror and its battle pass features a handful of strange but stylish Lovecraft-themed skins.Overwatch 2’s new Season 9 trailer is packed with additional reveals.
Overwatch 2 Season 9: Champions Trailer
Overwatch 2’s Season 9 will also introduce a new Hero Mastery mission, called Gauntlet, that sees players defend towers against computer-controlled enemies. Interestingly, the end of the trailer also seems to hint towards a crossover with thepopular animeCowboy Bebopby playing its intro music. Some fans expressed their disappointment that the trailer made no mention of a new map, but others pointed out thatOverwatch 2developers previously announced they were working on a new game mode, which may release next season alongside a new map or two.
At BlizzCon 2023,Overwatch 2revealed that the new mode Clashwill release sometime in 2024 alongside the new map Hanaoka, a redesigned version of Hanamura. Clash will see teams fight over five points arranged in a line between both spawns. Teams must capture the middle point first, after which they will have to capture each successive point until they capture the final point closest to the enemy team’s spawn. Teams can also win by reaching a round’s score limit.
Although Season 9 will not introduce the new Clash mode, a new map, or new heroes, Blizzard previously announced that two new heroes will be added toOverwatch 2’s hero poollater in 2024. In Season 10, the new Damage hero Venture will be added, and in Season 12, the new Support hero Space Ranger will be added.
Overwatch 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Power up your railgun and disrupt the battlefield as Sojourn, or yield your axe and command attention as Junker Queen. Battle to take control of a robot and move it toward the enemy base in the new Push Mode. Bring the fight to new destinations across the globe in iconic locations like New York, Rome, Monte Carlo and Rio. Daily challenges and frequent updates mean there is always something new to play.
