During Blizzcon 2019,Blizzard Entertainment announced thatOverwatch 2is currently in development and will include a long-requested brand new PvE mode. Rumors concerning the game have been circling online for the past couple of weeks stating thatOverwatchwill be replaced with the new sequel, similar toFortnite: Chapter 2, and that all progress and unlocks would carry over. The former was proven to be untrue in a sense, whereas the latter was confirmed.
Overwatch 2will introduce a lot of new contentincluding new story missions for heroes, a new PvP game mode, four new maps on top of all existing maps, new heroes, and complete redesigns for some existing heroes. Here is everything that we learned aboutOverwatch 2’snew PvE mode during Blizzcon 2019!
RELATED:Overwatch 1 Getting Same New Maps and Heroes As Overwatch 2
Story Missions
While the originalOverwatchdidn’t have a PvE mode, there was plenty of back story and world-building to explain the heroes' existence.Overwatchwas created by the United Nations in response to an event known as the “Omnic Crisis,” that saw human-created robots turn against humanity and attacking civilians. When a rift built between the two leaders of Overwatch, public reception was at its worse which eventually led to the death of the leaders and the team was disbanded permanently.
InOverwatch 2, a new generation of heroes has reunitedOverwatchas the rising threat of Omnic forces has returned. The new Story missions will be four-player cooperative missions that are weaved into a consistent story with cinematic intro’s and outro’s that will push the storyline further.
Hero Missions
As well as Story Missions,Overwatch 2will also feature a new cooperative activity called Hero Missions where players will need to complete a number of objectives, played on multiplayer maps from both games - similar toDiablo’sAdventure Mode. In Hero Missions “theOverwatchteam will be called upon to go beyond their limits as they deploy across the planet, defending cities against robot invasions, taking on elite Talon agents, and battling the villainous forces laying siege to the world,” Blizzard stated.
Confirmed Heroes
All of the PvE and PvP content inOverwatch 2will be played with new and existing heroes and Blizzard has introduceda new levelingOverwatchsystemwhere players will be able to level their heroes and unlock new talents and bonuses similar toHeroes of the Storm.One example shown see’s the player being given the option to choose between two new abilities for the hero, Tracer. The first ability is called Flash and makes Tracer’s standard blink ability damage enemies, while the second is called Chain Reaction and gives Tracer’s Pulse Bomb secondary explosions from enemies that were damaged by the initial blast. All of these upgrades will only be available in Story or Hero Missions to ensure that PvP is a “fair playing field.”
Right now, it’s still very early days meaning that a lot more information will likely come out between now and the launch of the game regarding the PvE modes and playable heroes. For now, the following heroes have been confirmed: Genji, Reinhardt, Lucio, Tracer, Mei, Winston, Brigitte, Torbjorn, Bastion, Zenyatta, Widowmaker, Doomfist, Winston and abrand new hero toOverwatch 2- Sojourn.
RELATED:Overwatch 2 Will Carry Over Progression From Overwatch 1, Including Cosmetics
Despite the announcement,Overwatch 2’srelease dateis still a long while away with game director Jeff Kaplan stating “I have a feeling we’ll be talking aboutOverwatch 2again next year at BlizzCon.” However, from what little information we know so far,Overwatch 2appears to be delivering on exactly what fans have been asking for since the original game released back in 2016. Introducing a new PvE cinematic story mode, as well as secondary hero missions and a meaningful progression system shows that the team at Blizzard wants it to be as important to the overall experience as PvP.
Overwatch 2is in development for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
