Blizzard has announced that Season 17 is set to begin next Tuesday in Overwatch 2. The developers also shared what players can expect to find in the upcoming season of the free-to-play team-based hero shooter game.
The team previously said that Stadium continues to be very popular among Overwatch 2 players, so it is no surprise that much of this season is dedicated to the mode. Three heroes (Zenyatta, Sigma, and Junkrat) will be available in Stadium, and two new maps are being added: Esperança and Samoa. Moreover, thanks to expanded build tools and the debut of Stadium Forge, match strategy will run deeper. Stadium Forge is a create/save/share system that will allow players to test and refine team compositions. It will even include early and late game example loadouts for every hero.
Season 17 will also see the first-ever Stadium rank reset, giving everyone a fresh start to prove their skill. Drives will reward consistent performance, Custom Games will let users create their own rules, and fresh All-Star rewards will incentivize players to partake in the mode.
At long last, map voting is being added to Overwatch 2 in Quick Play and Competitive. After the role queue locks, players will see three randomized map options to choose from. Every vote adds a 1-in-10 chance to that map's odds, and the winner is selected using a roulette-style roll. Team chat, battle tags, and individual votes are hidden to minimize pressure. Leaver penalties kick in as soon as voting begins, by the way.
Blizzard is also introducing three new maps. In Core mode, Aatlis is a vibrant new Flashpoint map showcasing the beauty and culture of Morocco. With lush gardens and luxury resort spaces, this map is built for tighter fights, cleaner rotations, and fast-paced momentum. As mentioned before, in Stadium mode, the streets of Esperança return in a round-based format with new elevation layers, allowing teams to switch tactics between rounds. It's kind of a Push map designed specifically for Stadium's unique format. Finally, the volcanic control point from Samoa joins the Stadium pool, bringing lava and loadouts together. Expect open arenas, intense vertical action, and ample space for high-mobility competitions.
Blizzard is launching two Mythics on day one for the first time in Overwatch 2. These are D.Va's Mythic Horang Hero Skin and Reaper's Mythic Steel Death Weapon Skin, both of which evolve through four tiers.
In about a month, the game will get a limited-time 6v6 mode called Hacks & Hijinks in which match modifiers change every round. Players might float in low gravity, chase down health packs that charge your Ultimate, or react to brand-new mechanics that shake things up. Hacks & Hijinx is only going to be available on Control maps between July 15 and 28.
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