Overwatch 2 season 9 is about to bring several quality-of-life changes to the game, most notably in competitive play.
The online first-person shooter’s new season is set to be released today (February 13), and Blizzard Entertainment has provided a detailed breakdown of the major update in advance.
The most significant changes in this season are focused on competitive play, which has undergone a complete overhaul. Players will experience a soft reset of their rank, presenting an “opportunity to climb higher while maintaining a standard in match quality.”
Placements are also making a return, and Competitive Overview is now “more transparent than ever,” offering skill modifiers to help players gauge their progress as they ascend the ranks.
Speaking of ranks, Overwatch 2 will be introducing a new rank above Grand Master, known as Champion, the highest rank achievable. Additionally, a new Jade Weapon Variants collection will be added as a reward for competitive play. Jade Variants can be unlocked as players earn new Competitive Points, similar to the Gold Variants that have been present since the first Overwatch game.
A new season also means a new battle pass containing over 80 tiers of rewards, including a range of new character skins like Survivor Soldier: 76 and Tentacle Horror Torbjörn, as well as Valentine’s Day-themed skins.
Furthermore, there’s a new non-canon co-op event called Cosmic Crisis, which features challenges and branching objectives. Players will need to complete unique missions as Sigma, Roadhog, Soldier: 76, Mei, Torbjorn, Widowmaker, Lifeweaver, Moira, Ana, and Illari.
A new multiplayer experience called Gauntlet can be found in Hero Mastery, where teams must fend off waves of enemies while defending their tower from damage. Each session of Gauntlet will offer a new experience with different enemy waves, objectives, and upgrade options.
Junkertown has received a major update as well, with the first section of the map – originally a wide open space – now featuring new buildings for cover advantages as the payload passes by. Then, a new night-time lighting theme has replaced the old lighting, and the outhouse has been substituted with a tall water tower to block the line of sight from the entryway, thereby encouraging new strategies.
This season also brings significant changes to heroes across the board. For example, the health pools of all heroes have been increased, and Blizzard has made adjustments to how damage is dealt, making it more consistent by increasing the projectile size. The full list of hero changes can be found in the patch notes, featuring significant buffs to Pharah by reducing her reliance on Mercy and changing up her air movement and downtime.
For more, check our list of the best FPS games as well as the best co-op games available right now.