Overwatch Welcomes You to Season 9 With Big Update

After that incredibly Brigitte reveal earlier this week as the latest hero to join the Overwatch roster, it's time to look ahead as season 9 of the popular shooter kicks off! So get ready mains, it's time to get on that payload and defend the objective with the latest update from the team over at Blizzard.

As per usual when a new competitive season kicks off, Blizzard prepares both veteran and new players for battle with a low-down of how it all works:

"Before you can kick off your competitive career, every player must first complete 10 placement matches to obtain their initial skill rating. This rating will be a number between 1 and 5000, with higher values indicating a greater skill level. Players will also be assigned a tier based on their rating—Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master, or Grandmaster—and climbing into the next tier is possible as you improve.

"Skill ratings and tier icons will be visible at the beginning of every match. As you compete, your rating will increase or decrease with each win or loss based on a number of factors, including your own performance and the skill of the other players in the match."

Competitive rewards for the additional challenge includes a special spray and player icon to show off those skills, while the top 500 players will receive their own set of special rewards for their incredible feat.

In addition to playing for sprays, Competitive Points are also earned to put towards a gold edition of your main's favourite weapon of choice.

Looking for something to liven up competitive play? Good news, Jeff Kaplan and the crew have listened and they are bringing the latest map into the comp arena for additional motivation:

"We are proud to announce our newest Assault/Escort map—Blizzard World—is now available in Competitive Play. This theme park brings the magic of Blizzard's many worlds into one place so your most epic memories can come to life as you attack and defend the payload across Azeroth, Tristram, and the Koprulu Sector."

Season 9 for Overwatch is live now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC players. Happy gaming!