Overwatch has enjoyed one heck of a comeback since dropping the “2”, and its first season, packed with new heroes, was one of many of Blizzard's good turns this year. Now we have more on what you can expect from Season 2 of Overwatch, short and sweetly titled Summit.
What time does Overwatch Season 2 start?
Summit kicks off on April 14 at 11 am PT / 2 pm ET / 7 pm GMT, which also coincides with the release of the game onto Nintendo Switch 2 for the first time.
New hero Sierra for DPS mains
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The introduction of Sierra continues the overarching Rise of Talon storyline and comes with a 3-week event, which effectively lets you play through her story and unlock more lore as you work your way through the challenges.
It beats watching a short, that’s for sure. Sierra is a DPS hero wielding a rifle that spits out spiralized ammo, and she has a personal connection to the Soldier Enhancement program (her mother was the first test subject). She also gets her own combat drone that goes by the name Dorothy, so this is a two-for-one kinda deal.
The 3-week Grand Mesa event will earn you more than story segments; you can grab rewards like voice lines, battle pass tier skips, and loot boxes, amongst other goodies.
Small but important improvements
There have been a number of quality-of-life changes since the release of the newest season, including an update to post-match accolades.
The voting system has been reworked to showcase moments that don’t necessarily reflect in the pure end match stats and show more personal wrap-ups at the end of your matches.
Additionally, the Antarctica Map has been adjusted to improve the layout and staging areas. You can expect better flanking routes and improved visibility across the battleground.
Time to spend those Mythic Prisms
If you’ve been hoarding your Mythic Prisms and you’re a Soldier 76 main, this is the season to spend them. Soldier: 76 gets his first Mythic skin, Volted Overdrive, which looks like it was pulled straight out of Cyberpunk 2077. It’s got four tiers of customization, allowing you to toggle everything from biotech ability effects to different hairstyles.
For those who prefer a blade over a pulse rifle, there’s the Sumi-ichimonji Genji Mythic Weapon. As you level it up, the weapon becomes reactive, splashing ink across the screen as you rack up eliminations. It’s easily one of the slickest weapon skins they've put out to date and looks like something more akin to a Diablo cosmetic, but I’m not complaining.
Perk refreshes and Stadium shakeups
Blizzard is leaning further into the Perks system with a mini refresh that makes certain heroes feel significantly more tuned up.
- Soldier: 76 gets Agility Training, which ramps his sprint speed up by a massive 60% if you hold it for more than two seconds.
- Mercy mains get a bit more utility with Double Dose, granting a second charge of Flash Heal.
- Pharah is becoming even more of a nuisance as her Concussive Blast now deals 50 explosion damage, turning a displacement tool into a finishing move-
- Ramattra gains Prolonged Barrier, a Minor Perk that increases Void Barrier’s size and duration by 25%
- Reaper gains Trigger Finger, a new Major Perk that refreshes Dire Triggers cooldown when using an ability and reloading.
Meanwhile, Stadium continues to evolve with Ramattra punching into the mode (with a ridiculously cool Diablo skin to boot) and a balance rework for Juno. Jetpack Cat fans will be happy to know he flies into the mode mid season. Because only in a Blizzard game, can cats fly.
Crossovers and blooming looks
The LE SSERAFIM collab is returning for its third tour from April 14–27. If you missed out on those Legendary skins previously, or if you just want to see Ashe’s dynamite with new RGB effects, now is the time.
If K-POP isn’t your thing and you already filled your boots on the insanely cute Hello Kitty stuff, The Sakura Collection is also launching alongside the season. It’s a softer, cherry-blossom-inspired aesthetic for heroes like Hanzo, Junker Queen, and the newcomer Sierra.
Overwatch is now on Switch 2… too!
Finally, for the handheld crowd, the jump to Nintendo Switch 2 is pretty huge news. We’re looking at 60 FPS in both docked and handheld modes with significantly higher fidelity. It’s a far cry from the blurry but functional port of the original Switch, making it a genuine way to play competitively on the go. There’s also rumours abound that Diablo 4 could be getting Switch 2 port, so looks like Blizzard is really making sure you can’t escape it’s games this year. WoW console port when?
A quick word for the bargain hunters
If you’re looking to fund your Battle Pass without opening your wallet, you might be thinking of heading over to Microsoft Rewards. Usually, cashing in your points for Overwatch Coins is the best way to bypass the paywall, but heads up: the coins are currently showing as out of stock. Not sure if they have been pulled completely from the program and this is a placeholder or not, but it does say “back soon” so watch this space.
Will you be jumping into Overwatch Season 2? Let me know in the comments!
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