Image: Blizzard Entertainment
Overwatch 2 Season 4 is stacked with content, from a new hero and fanmade map to ranked changes, Brigitte reworks and all-new events.
Overwatch 2 Season 4 kicks off next week on April 11, adding the new Thai Support hero Lifeweaver along with a space opera-themed battle pass. When we interviewed Blizzard about Lifeweaver, the team told us that this was the most excited they have ever been about an Overwatch season - and we can see why. From new story events and long-awaited hero reworks to a fanmade map and ranked changes, this is a stacked season of content.
Here’s the Season 4 trailer:
Events and game modes
First off, that Tracer synthwave skin is not a want, but a need. Season 4’s big ticket item is Lifeweaver, a Support hero with a pretty varied kit and a high skill ceiling to master. Players can try out Lifeweaver in a new introductory Arcade game mode called B.O.B. and Weave, wherein Lifeweavers will take on other Lifeweavers in a 3v3 deathmatch. The catch? Each team comes accompanied by Ashe’s robotic friend/ult B.O.B., who can be dragged around the map using the Life Grip ability. This game mode expires on April 25.
There are plenty of other game modes to look forward to as well, including the extremely limited-time return of Season 2’s Battle for Olympus mode, which runs from May 23 to May 29. The season’s main event will be an all-new game mode called Starwatch: Galactic Rescue, which reworks the currently-missing Horizon Lunar Colony map for a 4v4 story event. All heroes will play with space opera-themed skins equipped and fight it out in two factions - the Watchers and the Infinite Empire. A comic will also drop for this event, presumably to fill in the blanks on this non-canonical sci-fi universe.
Overwatch 2 is also planning an event for Pride Month starting on June 1, but Blizzard hasn’t spilled any details on it just yet. Seeing as the roster is composed of multiple LGBT+ heroes, including Lifeweaver himself, expect new themed skins, sprays and voicelines. The Season 4 battle pass also includes skins themed after Starwatch’s spacefaring characters, ranging from aliens to space pirates. This season’s customisable Mythic-tier skin is for Sigma, who gets to look like a space pirate captain. Lifeweaver and Symmetra get unlockable skins via in-game challenges, while even more skins hit the in-game shop - and a few look pretty tempting too, particularly the synthwave-style 80s skin for Tracer.
Balance updates
This season’s balance updates are slim but far-reaching. We’re finally getting the long-awaited Brigitte rework that was promised many months ago, though it mainly focuses on her ult. Now, Brigitte’s ult will expand her shield massively while reincorporating her old Shield Bash-stun combo while it’s active. She can also stun multiple enemies with her Shield Bash, and gains a fixed 100 restorable armour pool for the duration of her ult. Overall, it’s a lot better than her old Rally - and the return of her Shield Bash stun as an ult is a pretty fun idea.
Cassidy, Reinhardt and Sigma are getting small nerfs to decrease their effectiveness after staying in the meta for most of Season 3, and Mercy is once again getting the changes that hit her in Season 3 reverted. Her boosted jump has been slightly nerfed, and we can probably expect to see her in the patch notes next season with yet another puzzling change or two. Moira is getting a much more positive tweak, as the hero is now able to Fade during her ult without interrupting it, and her healing effects linger on allies for longer. With this boosted healing potential, she could make a strong duo with Lifeweaver.
Ranked changes
A ton of great changes are coming to Competitive Mode too. Skill tiers and divisions will no longer decay in between seasons, and players can now see the average skill rating of a match to see how close they are to their opponents. You’ll also receive more consistent updates on your win/loss records after matches, and see exactly how close you are to reaching the next Competitive division. Players with similar skill ratings will also be grouped up together in unranked matches now.
We’ll also be getting a huge increase in Competitive Points earned for the divisions we reach by the end of the season. Here’s a breakdown:
- Ending in Bronze will now earn 300 Competitive Points (previously 65)
- Ending in Silver will now earn 450 Competitive Points (previously 125)
- Ending in Gold will now earn 600 Competitive Points (previously 250)
- Ending in Platinum will now earn 800 Competitive Points (previously 500)
- Ending in Diamond will now earn 1000 Competitive Points (previously 750)
- Ending in Masters will now earn 1200 Competitive Points (previously 1250)
- Ending in Grand Masters will now earn 1500 Competitive Points (previously 1750)