PSA: Overwatch Anniversary Event Now Live, Full Patch Notes Released

Liana 'LiLi' Ruppert

05/23/2018 10:17 am EDT

When Blizzard first announced that they were diving right into the FPS genre with their title Overwatch, many fans were understandably confused. Many wondered what Diablo had to do with a shooter, or how World of Warcraft would work ... silly, but the company was known for a particular market. Not only did they pleasantly surprise fans with how enjoyable Overwatch was, but they completely blew them out of the water and continued to do so with a monthly rotation of tweaks, new events, and even more reasons to play. Because of that, Blizzard is celebrating 2 amazing years in their biggest event yet!

Not only can players enjoy a new map, Petra, but also revisit every missed opportunity that has occurred since launch. Missed that sweet Halloween Reaper skin? He's now available! Missed a certain game mode? Check it out now! Pair that with the new skins and sweet new Deathmatch map - well, it's an event worth jumping back into. To see what else is new, check out the full patch notes below, courtesy of Blizzard:

Celebrate Overwatch's two-year anniversary with a new FFA (free-for-all) Deathmatch map—Petra—and more than 190 Anniversary items (60+ new for 2018), including eight legendary skins: Stealth Bastion, Shieldmaiden Brigitte, Formal Doomfist, Buccaneer Junkrat, Sherlock McCree, Forest Spirit Orisa, Magician Symmetra, and Cybjörn Torbjörn. Did you miss an item from a previous event? Throughout Overwatch Anniversary, you'll be able to unlock items from past seasonal events with credits (and opening Anniversary Loot Boxes)!

Many of our past seasonal brawls will be available to play in the Arcade, and the brawl of the day will rotate throughout the event.

As a bonus this year, each Anniversary Loot Box can contain items from past seasonal events! You'll also get one Legendary Anniversary Loot Box, with at least one guaranteed legendary item, just for logging in to the game during the event.

New Map: Petra

A group of archaeologists have begun an excavation and preservation project among the ruins of Petra, a new FFA (free-for-all) Deathmatch map that puts all heroes on their own, facing off against one another until one hero scores enough eliminations to win the match. Take in Petra's majestic views, from high vistas to twisting passageways and deep caverns. Travel along deadly cliffs, but be careful to not fall off! A dilapidated bridge stretches across the map, and the ground underneath it can crumble away into a lethal pit (with a little firepower). Hopping on a green jump pad will boost you up to Petra's higher levels and unlock new strategic possibilities for you.

New Competitive Play Mode: FFA Deathmatch

Petra and Château Guillard will also be available in an optional Competitive FFA Deathmatch mode with placement matches, skill rating, leaderboards, and the opportunity to earn competitive points.

Hero Updates

Ana

Developer Comments: These changes should help Ana when she is trying to land clutch heals in the middle of a big fight. Allies that do not need healing will no longer potentially block shots meant for teammates that do need it. Increasing her magazine size makes it less likely that Ana will be forced into a reloading in the middle of an important fight.

Brigitte

Developer Comments: Brigitte's ultimate is very powerful, especially when it is placed on the entire team. This change will reduce the maximum armor value of Rally, but does not reduce the overall amount of armor given by the ability over its duration. This means when used in combat while her allies are taking damage, it should feel about the same, but the lingering effects of the armor should have less of an impact. Her Shield Bash is a very strong ability on a fairly short cooldown, making it difficult for her opponents to play around. Increasing this cooldown allows for more options when battling against her.

Hanzo

Developer Comments: Hanzo's Storm Arrows are doing too much damage considering his other changes, such as Lunge and projectile speed. This damage reduction will give Hanzo's enemies a more reasonable chance to react and fight against him while using Storm Arrows.

Comp Play

Rialto

General

FFA Deathmatch

Bug Fixes

Game Browser and Custom Game

Highlights

Heroes

Maps

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of Paramount. Sign up for Paramount+ by clicking here.

Latest News