Blizzard held a Developer Update stream with recreation director Aaron Keller, who gave new details about how Overwatch 2 will change up its launch pipeline. This consists of addressing one of many greatest complaints across the hero shooter sequel: new heroes will now be free to all gamers with out having to purchase every season’s battle go, identical to they had been within the first recreation.
This change might be applied in season 10, which can introduce Venture, a brand new Damage hero (and Overwatch’s first non-binary character). They would be the first Overwatch 2 hero to be accessible freely to all gamers at launch. This change might be retroactively applied for earlier heroes, that means that every one Overwatch 2 heroes from Sojourn to Mauga might be freely accessible to all gamers.
Heroes aren’t the one factor Overwatch 2 is making extra available to all gamers. Mythic Skins, the customizable appears for heroes that often act as the ultimate reward on the finish of a season’s battle go, are getting their very own store tab within the recreation’s retailer. This will enable gamers to earn Mythic Skins from earlier seasons, even when they missed them within the battle go. Keller says the group can have extra info on “how it works,” however trying on the picture proven in the course of the presentation, it appears prefer it won’t be so simple as dropping cash to unlock the pores and skin and its customization choices in full. Each pores and skin is proven to have a “level” which will unlock by way of some means. We’ll know extra as we get nearer to the tip of the present season on April 16.
Keller closed out the presentation with an intensive discuss how Overwatch 2 will deal with maps shifting ahead. Some of this was fairly commonplace stuff, like releasing a brand new Push mode map known as Runasapi in season 11 that gives a glimpse into Illari’s backstory. Two extra maps deliberate for 2024 are for the brand new Clash mode detailed in the course of the group’s Blizzcon 2023 presentation. One of those might be playable throughout season 10 as a part of a limited-time playtest. But on prime of latest maps, Keller additionally talked about plans to remodel previous maps much like what the group lately did for Junkertown. Colosseo will obtain a rework in season 11, after which someday after season 12, Blizzard might be doing a season of map reworks fairly than releasing a brand new map. The map checklist isn’t finalized, however Keller particularly pointed to Dorado, Circuit Royal, Havana, and Numbani as maps that may see adjustments.
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Notably, Keller didn’t point out Overwatch 2’s story missions, which have been absent from the group’s updates for the reason that first batch’s launch in August 2023. Speaking to Kotaku, a number of ex-developers are apprehensive these missions will not be launched following the corporate’s layoffs in January, which affected a number of staff engaged on that pillar.
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