Blizzard has teased 3 new heroes and more plans coming out next year.
This news was announced at Blizzcon 2023’s opening ceremony along with many more tidbits of gaming information.
In an unexpected twist, this disclosure followed the introduction of Mauga, the game’s latest hero, who had been one of its worst-kept secrets. During the event, Overwatch 2 Game Director Aaron Keller also provided a glimpse into the 2024 roadmap, revealing plans for the introduction of these three new heroes.
This is no real surprise though as they add a new hero every once in a while.
Before this event, Blizzard teased the news with a Twitter/X post:
The big surprise though is exactly how many details were revealed.
Displaying artwork for the initial two heroes scheduled for 2024, Keller mentioned that the first hero to debut that year will be a DPS character named Venture. The second hero, currently without an official name, has been temporarily referred to as “Space Ranger” by Blizzard, indicating a support role. As for the third hero slated for 2024, Keller did not provide any specific details.
Considering the Overwatch 2 season schedule, it is reasonable to anticipate the introduction of Venture in Overwatch 2 during the initial or second week of April, coinciding with the commencement of season 10. Subsequently, the outer-space-themed support hero is likely to make an appearance in August, coinciding with the initiation of season 12.
Mauga:
You can check out the new hero Mauga in the below trailer:
Mauga’s full integration into the game is slated for the conclusion of Overwatch 2 Season 7 next month. However, from now until the end of BlizzCon weekend, which concludes on the 5th of November, players can freely access Mauga in all Overwatch 2 PvP modes, with the exception of Competitive play.
This means you can experiment with Mauga in Quick Play or the Arcade. This opportunity is particularly valuable if you’re contemplating the acquisition of the Premium tier of the Season 8 Battle Pass to have immediate access to him upon his official release.
Venture:
The next hero, “Venture,” was unveiled, drawing strong inspiration from miners and mining equipment. This influence is evident in the design of their drill weapon, which serves a dual purpose as a long-range rifle-type weapon with explosive projectiles and a tool for executing a swift charge. Additionally, Venture possesses the ability to burrow underground, emerge from beneath enemies, and gain temporary invincibility while doing so. Regrettably, details about their Ultimate ability were not disclosed.
Clash Mode:
Blizzard also introduced Clash, a new PvP mode scheduled to debut in Overwatch 2 in 2024. Similar to several other modes in the game, it will involve capture point objectives that both teams must vie for. However, what distinguishes Clash from other game types is its unique win condition.
In Clash, the central point is unlocked at the beginning of each round and there are five consecutive capture points. Your team must first take control of the center point before moving forward and seizing the two points located in the opponent team’s territory in order to win. In the meantime, the other side must push back and attempt to counterattack in addition to defending these points. The winning team is the one that accumulates all five points or hits the score limit for that round.
In conjunction with the unveiling of Clash, Blizzard introduced Hanaoka, a new map for the game. This map, designed as a replication of the Hanamura Assault (also known as 2CP) map from the original Overwatch, is set to be released concurrently with the mode in 2024. Hanaoka, like its predecessor, will be situated in the ancestral residence of the Shimada clan, the forebears of Overwatch 2’s characters Genji and Hanzo.
Cherry blossom trees and Japanese architectural features will be highlighted extensively on the map. Furthermore, parts of the original Hanamura map will be discernible in Hanaoka’s background countryside. The reason for this relationship is that Hanaoka is actually a street that borders Hanamura.
In addition to a new rank above Grandmaster named Ultimate, Overwatch 2’s Competitive mode will also get a makeover when Season 9 comes early in 2024, as revealed at BlizzCon 2023. Its main objectives are to enhance the competitive play experience overall, provide players with additional feedback, and create new rewards for them to pursue.
Competitive mode will completely change, adding a new Competitive Overview page, to accomplish these goals. This feature will provide you regular updates on your rank, showing you where you’ve come from—or where you still need improvement—after every battle, making it easier to track your progress up the talent ladder. A more responsive ranking system will also be ensured by eliminating the requirement for players to finish a certain number of games before their rank is updated.
Significantly, Competitive matches will now showcase the range of ranks among players in each lobby, and most grouping restrictions will be lifted by the developers. This change means that you’ll have the flexibility to team up with friends, even if they are in a rank significantly higher or lower than yours. The matchmaker will make efforts to assemble a group of players with a comparable rank distribution for you to compete against.
Placement Matches are back:
Placement matches will be back in Season 9, along with a potential rank reset. When Overwatch 2 evolved from the first Overwatch, placement matches were eliminated from the Competitive system. Even while there won’t be a full MMR reset, players will still have a great chance to significantly alter their rank thanks to this rank reset and placement matches that now significantly affect where you rank on the Competitive ladder.
As an alternative to using their Competitive Points on golden weapons, players can anticipate the arrival of emerald weapons in Season 9. Furthermore, winning and losing will both count toward the season’s final Competitive Point awards. In addition, players will be able to obtain role-specific player titles based on the rank they achieved during a particular Competitive season.
Hero Mastery courses are training modules that Overwatch 2 released earlier this year to help players learn and become proficient with the abilities and mechanics of particular heroes. Players can choose between three different difficulty levels on these courses.
Hero Mastery classes were first offered for Winston, Tracer, Sojourn, Reinhardt, and Mercy. But Blizzard has said that Overwatch 2 will incorporate the Mei, D.Va, Echo, Lúcio, and Genji courses at the release of Season 8. Even if it makes sense to eventually expect classes for all heroes, this project is probably going to take a while.
That is all the news we have for you about Overwatch 2 for now but stay tuned for more as the story progresses.