Band of Brothers Blu-Ray Is 50% Off At Amazon
Band of Brothers first aired in 2001 and remains one of the best shows HBO has ever produced. The Emmy Award-winning series holds up remarkably well, and if you’ve yet to watch it (or are a long-time fan), you can pick it up in a Blu-ray box set that includes its sibling series, The Pacific, for just $29 at Amazon (down from $60).
That’s one of the best prices we’ve ever seen for the bundle, with its lowest-ever price just a few bucks cheaper at $25. Band of Brothers is no doubt worth the price of admission, and when coupled with 2010’s The Pacific, it’s an even better deal. Both series take a nuanced look at World War II, following two distinct groups of memorable characters as they battle through Europe and Japan.
Along with all episodes of the two shows, this bundle includes the Called to Service documentary featuring never-before-seen interviews from the Easy Company and 1st Marine Division veterans.
A few other historical dramas are on sale at Amazon right now, including Vikings: The Complete Series (Blu-ray) for $60 (down from $140), The Last Kingdom: The Complete Series (Blu-ray) for $45 (down from $100), and Rome: The Complete Series (Blu-ray) for $35 (down from $55). The Vikings collection is particularly notable, as it clocks in at a staggering 27 discs and has just hit its lowest-ever price.
More Historical Drama Deals
Fallout London Delayed Due To Fallout 4 Update
Team FOLON, the indie studio behind the highly anticipated Fallout London mod, recently announced that the mod has been delayed due to the Fallout 4 current-gen update.
Team FOLON took to its official YouTube channel to explain that it originally planned to release Fallout London on April 23, which aligned with St. George’s Day, a celebration that takes place in England. This is an issue because Fallout 4 is scheduled to receive a significant update on April 25. In the video, Dean Carter, the project lead, explained that prior to the news of Bethsda updating Fallout 4, the team was “tweaking and testing non-stop in order to get things as stable as we can for you all in time for that release,” but now because of the update their work is more prevalent than ever to “simply break.”
As of right now, it’s unclear when Fallout London will officially be released because everyone working on it is a volunteer. But the team says it is fully committed to releasing the mod to the masses as soon as possible.
Carter further explains that the overall update is great because now the team “can push the engine even harder than” it has pushed it in the past. Because of this, the mod will also receive quality-of-life improvements, as well as widescreen compatibility.
Despite being so popular, Team FOLON has never had a point of contact with Bethesda.
“Bethesda has never reached out to us during our entire tenure,” Carter said. “We’ve never had an in-depth conversation with [Bethesda] ever.”
Even though the new update does come with many perks, the team is still unable to bring the mod to consoles. “The mod is far too big. It’s currently standing around 30 to 40 gigabytes. It’s just not going to fit on the Xbox systems. I’m sorry, that’s the truth of it.”
The mod’s size even poses a challenge for PC players, as it’s too big to fit on Nexus Mods, the popular mod hub. However, thanks to GOG, PC players will be able to play Fallout London once it goes live using their accounts. The mod is confirmed for Steam, though the team hasn’t ruled out the Epic Games Store as a landing spot either.
As the name suggests, Fallout London takes place in London. The mod is set to take place 50 years before the events of Fallout 4, with an emphasis on realism and melee combat. Players can explore a destroyed London and visit iconic landmarks that survived the bombs, like Big Ben and the Tower of London.
For more Fallout news, check out our story detailing what’s in store for Season 2 and what level Lucy may have reached after the events of Season 1.
How To Save Up To 20% On Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Preorders
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, the spiritual successor to the cult classic Suikoden RPG series, is just a few weeks away. Rabbit & Bear studio originally announced the game back in 2020 with one of the highest-grossing Kickstarter campaigns ever–and after four years, it’s almost here.
The long-awaited RPG will launch on all platforms on April 23, but PC players who want to secure their copy ahead of launch can preorder Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes for just $39.49 (normally $50) at Fanatical. This 20% discount is available until the game launches.
While Fanatical’s preorder deal is the best price for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes on PC, the game is also available at Steam and The Epic Games Store. It will also launch for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox. However, only PS5 and Nintendo Switch are getting physical releases outside Japan, and neither version includes preorder bonuses.
Thankfully, it’s easier for digital players to get the game. PlayStation Plus members can save 10% on their preorders if they preorder the digital versions through the PlayStation Store, while Xbox Game Pass members can play the game on launch day as part of their subscription. Nintendo Switch preorders are not yet available, but you can add it to your eShop wishlist to be notified when its available.
It’s all a bit confusing, but to help simplify things, we’ve outlined all the versions of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes below, and provided details on all the preorder bonuses included with each version.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Preorder Bonuses
Digital Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes preorders get you the Early Bird Pack item bundle, which includes a bonus rune and accessory item, and the Headquarters Custom Object DLC, which adds an extra flag you can display in your in-game stronghold. While these packs are only included as preorder bonuses on PlaySation, PC, and Xbox, both packs will be available as purchasable DLC content after launch for all platforms.
Preordering the $80 Digital Deluxe edition will let you play up to 48 hours early, starting April 21, and comes with a bunch of other exclusive items outlined below.
$50-$60
You can preorder Eiyuden Chronicle standard edition $50 on PS5 and $60 on Nintendo Switch. Not only is the Switch version $10 more expensive, it also won’t release until a month later on May 21. The PS5 version launches on April 23. Neither version includes any preorder bonuses. Nevertheless, you can preorder the game on either console at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, GameStop, and Target.
The digital standard edition is available for $50 on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PS5, and includes the Early Bird and Headquarters Custom Object DLC preorder bonuses. PlayStation Plus members can grab the PS5 version for just $45 at the PSN store. Strangely, there is no way to preorder Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes digital standard edition on PS4. It’s possible the PS4 version could get its own digital standard edition release on the PlayStation Store, but for now, it appears PS4 players who did not back the game on Kickstarter will need to preorder the $80 Digital Deluxe edition–unless you can read Japanese, in which case you can import a physical PS4 standard edition copy for $40 at Play Asia. Digital Nintendo Switch preorders will be available at a later date.
$80
The $80 Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Digital Deluxe edition comes with the base game on your platform of choice, the Early Bird and Headquarters Custom Object pack preorder bonuses, and early access to the game starting April 21, plus a bunch of bonus content, including:
- Easy Journey Pack (contains six Healing items, two Revive item, and three Evacuation item)
- Season Pass (includes three bonus DLC story chapters releasing after launch, plus three downloadable wallpapers and two Headquarters Paint options)
- Digital Mini Artbook
- Digital Soundtrack
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Digital Deluxe edition is available on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. The Xbox digital deluxe version is compatible with Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, while the PlayStation version includes codes for the PS5 and PS4 versions of the game. As mentioned above, it is currently the only way to get the game on PS4 outside of Japan. PS Plus members can also save 10% on their preorder, bringing the Digital Deluxe version down to $72 (was $80).
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is developed by Rabbit & Bear Studios, which was founded by several members of the original Suikoden development team who wanted to continue the legacy of the beloved RPG series. As such, many of Eiyuden Chronicle’s gameplay and story elements will be familiar to Suikoden fans, such as the large cast of 100 party members to recruit, strategic turn-based battle system, and high fantasy setting rife with political conflict. It also features modernized touches like voice acting and a stylized presentation that mixes 2D sprites and high-quality 3D environments similar to Square Enix’s HD-2D style seen in games like Octopath Traveler and Live A Live.
Sadly, Yoshitaka Murayama, the creator of both Eiyuden Chronicle and Suikoden, passed away on February 6 at the age of 54.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes launches for PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One on April 23. In the meantime, the game’s side-scrolling action RPG prequel, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, is available now on consoles and PC and is worth checking out if you want to learn more about this new fantasy series. You can snag a Steam key for 21% off at Fanatical. Rising is also available on Xbox Game Pass.
Disclosure: GameSpot and Fanatical are both owned by Fandom.
The Brand-New Assassin’s Creed Art Book Is Already Discounted
Clocking in just shy of 200 pages, this large volume includes an in-depth look at the weapons, characters, and environments of Assassin’s Creed Mirage. The hardcover art book was created by Dark Horse Books in collaboration with Ubisoft, and it should provide you with plenty of behind-the-scenes details as well as a better look at ninth-century Baghdad. Best of all, the book is seeing a nice discount to celebrate its launch, letting you snag it for just $41.
Elder Scrolls Skyrim Board Game On Sale For Best Price Yet At Amazon
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – The Adventure Game is on sale for $92 (down from $140) at Amazon. This just about matches the best price ever for the tabletop RPG, as it was on sale for $91 for a brief period in late October last year. You can also save on several expansion sets as well as the Call to Arms RPG.
Gallery
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – The Adventure Game is a cooperative game that lets you and a few friends explore Tamriel as members of the Blades. It’ll be up to you and your team to stop a new threat from swallowing up the world. You’ll earn treasure, accrue experience, and fight Daedra, Dragons, and Draugr along the way. Modiphius built the game with six chapters of two replayable campaigns, which span 25 years of Tamriel’s history and should give you plenty of reasons to dive back in for another playthrough.
Matches typically run between one and two hours and can be enjoyed by up to four players.
If you want to make the board game more visually appealing, you can snag the Miniatures Upgrade Set. This gets you dozens of updated mini-figures for your journey, including new sculpts for your playable characters. The set is currently on sale for $72 (down from $110).
There are plenty of other great board games and expansions on sale at Amazon right now, including the Elder Scrolls: Call to Arms Core Box RPG for $30 (down from $45). Call to Arms is designed for solo or two-player adventures, making it a great option for a nerdy date night or if you can’t round up the whole crew to play the Skyrim Adventure Game.
Here’s a quick look at the best Elder Scroll board game deals at Amazon. For even more Skyrim, check out The Skyrim Library box set, a gorgeous collection of three hardcover books that’s on sale for $56 (was $110) at Amazon. Elder Scrolls Online players should take a look at the two-volume box set centered on the lore of the MMO. It’s on sale for $44, down from $70.
Best Elder Scrolls tabletop RPG deals
Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Movie Adds Keanu Reeves As Voice Of Shadow
Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has added another big name to its cast. Keanu Reeves will voice the character Shadow in the film, sources told The Hollywood Reporter in a story published after The John Campea Show broke the news initially.
Paramount released the first footage of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 during CinemaCon in Las Vegas last week, but the clip was shown behind closed doors and was not released publicly. In the clip, Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik was depressed and down on his luck after Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but gets back into the swing of things when he creates Shadow.
So far, however, Paramount has not released any footage of Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, so we haven’t heard Reeves’ take on the character yet. Jason Griffith was among the voice actors who brought Shadow to life in the game series over the years.
Sonic 3 will be racing into theaters on December 20, just in time for the holidays. Additionally, Knuckles (with voice actor Idris Elba) is getting his own spin-off TV show on Paramount+, as part of the studio’s plan to create a Sonic cinematic universe.
In the video game department, Sega announced a remastered version of the 2D/3D platformer Sonic Generations, this time with extra Shadow the Hedgehog when it releases later this year.
Prime Video’s Fallout Season 1 Ending Explained: What The Final Scene Means For Season 2
If you’re anything like us, chances are you spent the weekend binging Season 1 of Fallout on Amazon Prime video. The inaugural season of the live-action adaptation of the Fallout games is an excellent step in the right direction for the series, though there remains improvements to be made, In GameSpot’s review of the series, Phil Hornshaw wrote, “The show makes a lot of hay from the weird and goofy setting of the game series, and does a great job of filling it with fun, fascinating people. Though it feels like the show could have leveraged its setting even more, seeing how characters cope with life in a world that is both murderous and ridiculous keeps Fallout entertaining, even through its shortcomings.”
While we don’t know yet if Fallout will be renewed for a second season, the makings of one was certainly set up in the final episode of Season 1, “The Beginning.”
Warning: The following contains spoilers for Season 1 of Prime Video’s Fallout. If you haven’t watched it yet, turn away now.
Quite a bit happens in the final episode, tying together the storylines of the three main characters, while setting up a larger narrative–and new location–for Season 2.
The story so far…
Basically, Lucy (Ella Purnell) finally tracked down her father Overseer Hank (Kyle MacLachlan), who had been taken captive by Moldaver (Sarita Choudhury). We learn she was one of the surviving members of the New California Republic, a unified people that organized a Californian government after the bombs fell. They were based out of Shady Sands, the former home of Maximus (Aaron Moten). The destruction of that city is what sent him on his journey with the Brotherhood of Steel.
Upon Lucy’s arrival to Moldaver’s compound, we learn that Hank isn’t some innocent Overseer. Instead, he was an executive at Vault-Tec whose role was to keep order in Vault 31. Meanwhile, two doors over in Vault 33, there wasn’t an underground community. Instead, that was where Vault-Tec had its executive branch cryogenically frozen so they could rebuild the earth in Vault-Tec’s image.
Some time later, after Hank was thawed out and put in charge of Vault 33, his wife Rose realized the lies he’d been telling and that people had survived on the surface. She left Hank to be with the NCR, taking Lucy and her brother with her. When Hank came looking, he took the children back with them. Rose was left to become a ghoul, whom Moldaver keeps alive, unable to kill the woman she loved. In Hank’s own words, Rose “stopped” being their mother when she left.
What’s the purpose for all of this?
All season, the severed head of Wilzig (Michael Emerson) has been a MacGuffin powering the story forward. As we reached the end of the season, we finally discovered why. Wilzig had implanted an experimental cold fusion particle in his head, something that both the Brotherhood of Steel and the remains of the NCR wanted. The NCR wants it to provide ultimate power to the people, free from the Brotherhood or anyone else that wants to lord over them. The Brotherhood, of course, wants it so they have more control.
Another group that wants it is what’s left of Vault-Tec that isn’t frozen–including Hank. As his story unraveled and we learned the depths he sunk to, you could see a sense of cockiness and villainy wash over MacLachlan’s face. The happiest, goofiest person around is actually pretty devious.
Enter The Ghoul
As if everything Vault-Tec had done wasn’t enough, we learned of even more misdeeds that bring The Ghoul (Walton Goggins) into the mix.
Before the bombs, when he was still Cooper Howard, the movie star was married to a high-ranking Vault-Tec employee and even starred in commercials for the company–becoming the basis for the iconic Vault Boy “thumbs up” image. After a run in with a group that opposes Vault-Tec–and has been labeled Communist–Cooper used a spying device to listen in on his wife’s work conversations, learning that not only did Vault-Tec conspire with its biggest competitors on the Vault program, but that the company itself planned the nuclear attack that wiped out the world.
The End of “The Beginning.”
When Maximus arrived to help Lucy, he released her father, not knowing all Hank had done. While Lucy explained, Hank slipped into a suit of discarded power armor and knocked Maximus unconscious.
With Lucy horrified by the man her father has been all along and Maximus knocked out, The Ghoul finally arrives at Moldaver’s compound. He wants nothing else but to know where his family is. Given Vault-Tec froze a bunch of their executives in Vault 33, we’re guessing that’s where his wife ended up. As for his daughter, we know Cooper and his daughter were at a birthday party together when the bombs dropped. If she’s alive, she either found her way into a vault or, quite possibly, she is also a ghoul out there in the wasteland somewhere.
Before getting his answer, though, The Ghoul fails to stop Hank from getting away. So he set out to track him down, convincing Lucy to join the adventure. She’s forced to leave an unconscious Maximus to follow The Ghoul, with the Brotherhood of Steel arriving for him. Before leaving, though, she finally put her own ghoulified mother to rest with a single bullet to the head.
Some point after that, Moldaver manages to activate the cold fusion particle, immediately lighting up the Wasteland with free electricity. She then dies, succumbing to injuries she incurred while fighting the Brotherhood.
What’s next?
Thankfully, the show gives a pretty big indication of what’s coming next. With Hank off to find people sympathetic to his cause–and potentially other Vault-Tec executives, he is last week outside of a location Fallout fans should know very well.
As you can see above, that’s the skyline of New Vegas, the central location of Fallout: New Vegas. In the game, New Vegas is controlled by post-apocalyptic mobsters, with the story following multiple factions as they attempt to gain control of the Hoover Dam.
While chances are we don’t see that story play out in Season 2, it’s entirely possible we could see some characters from that game, including Mr. House or members of Caesar’s Legion.
Before any of that happens, though, Prime Video needs to renew the series. All eight episodes of Fallout Season 1 are streaming no.
Ori Devs Showcase New Direction With No Rest For The Wicked Trailer
Moon Studios has released the launch trailer for No Rest for the Wicked, showcasing its art style, gameplay, and story.
What’s immediately apparent is how different the art direction for No Rest for the Wicked is compared to the Ori series. The new game has a more gothic inspiration as opposed to Ori’s more cartoonish art style. Instead of being a 2D platformer and cute creatures like Ori, No Rest for the Wicked is a 3D action RPG from a top down perspective.
Now Playing: No Rest for the Wicked – Official Steam Early Access Launch Trailer
Looking at the gameplay, players will be able to fight against monsters, big and small, with a variety of weapons such as bows and swords. No Rest for the Wicked is set in the year 841 and follows a member of a group called Cerim, a group of mystical holy warriors with magical powers. With these powers, players must fight against the Pestilence, an unholy plague, and Madrigal Seline, a ruthless church figure who aims to weaponize the plague to prove herself to her god.
No Rest for the Wicked enters Early Access on April 18 on PC. Once the game reaches 1.0 status, both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions are planned for release. While Moon Studios is best known for the Ori series, the third game isn’t currently in development–at least not yet.
Overwatch 2 Season 10 Introduces New Hero, Game Modes, And More
Activision Blizzard has just revealed more information on what players can expect for Season 10 of Overwatch 2 ahead of its launch tomorrow, April 16. Season 10: Venture Fourth introduces Venture, a new playable hero, new limited-time modes, new ways to earn rewards, and more.
On April 16, players will finally be able to get their hands on Venture. Unlike past seasons, they’ll be free to play alongside all the other heroes. Venture is the newest DPS hero to join the game’s ever-growing roster. In addition to being able to dish out a lot of damage, they’ll also be highly mobile. Her abilities allow her to borrow underground, dash through the air, push her enemies back, and jump incredibly high.
Now Playing: Overwatch 2 – New Hero Venture Gameplay Trailer
Going forward, coins and challenges will be part of the battle pass. Players will now be able to earn up to 600 Overwatch Coins. Season 10 also introduces Mythic Prisms, a new way to earn Mystic skins. Those who purchase the battle pass will earn 80 Mythic Prisms once they’ve completed it, which is enough to complete one Mythic skin.
Season 10 will also introduce new game modes. Some of these include Clash Trail, which will be playable from April 16 to April 29. In this mode, players are tasked with capturing five points placed on a mirrored map. That’s not the only limited-time mode being introduced. From April 23 to May 13, players will be able to participate in Mirrorwatch, a mode in which all the heroes become villains, and the villains become heroes.
Below are the official patch notes:
Limited-Time Mode: Clash Trial
Clash is an upcoming core game mode in Overwatch 2. Teams must battle back and forth over five capture points, with each captured objective adding a point to the prevailing team’s score. Teams can win in two ways: either by having control of all five objectives at once, or by scoring five points total before the other team. Clash will be available as a limited-time trial through April 29.
How Clash is played
- Five total objectives placed in a linear pattern on a mirrored map.
- Only one objective is active at a time.
- Matches start with the center objective active.
- Players capture an objective by standing on it and filling in a progress bar. Capture progress cannot be made if enemy players are contesting the objective.
- When a team captures the current objective, they are awarded one point to their total score and a new objective moving forward from the scoring team’s side is activated.
- Objectives can be secured multiple times. If a team is pushed off an objective and the other team successfully captures it, the next active point will be in the opposite direction.
Win Conditions
Complete one of these conditions to win the match:
- A team has successfully captured five objectives throughout the match to reach a total score of five.
- Regardless of score, a team manages to take the final objective (A or E) on the opponents’ side.
Hanaoka – New Map Explore never-before-seen corners of Hanamura in the new map Hanaoka, inspired by the visual themes of the beloved Assault map. Explore the shops and restaurants around town or follow the scent of Sakura trees into the once-proud Shimada castle.
Mythic Hero Skin Updates
Mythic Hero Skins
- Mythic Hero Skins are now unlocked in the new Mythic Shop in exchange for Mythic Prisms.
- Mythic Hero Skins are unlocked for 50 Mythic Prisms with a starting set of customizations and then can be leveled up with 10 Mythic Prisms per level. You can unlock the skin and all available customizations for a Mythic Hero Skin for 80 Prisms.
Introducing Mythic Prisms
- Mythic Prisms can be earned in the Premium Battle Pass and used in the Mythic Shop to purchase the current featured Mythic Hero Skin for the season and select previous Mythic hero skins. You can earn a total of 80 Mythic Prisms when you complete Premium Battle Pass.
- Earning Mythic Prisms in the Premium Battle Pass is the easiest way to unlock a Mythic Hero Skin and all customizations each season. You can also purchase additional Mythic Prisms in game or in your platform’s store marketplace.
General Updates
Challenges
- Completing Weekly Challenge milestones will now reward additional Battle Pass XP.
- Overwatch Coins that were earned in the Weekly Challenges can now be earned in the Battle Pass for all players.
- Reduced the number of Weekly Challenges.
Developer Comments: The number of Weekly Challenges has grown over time, and we are simplifying what players can aim to accomplish, while also making earning Battle Pass XP more straightforward.
Endorsement Changes
Players who are actioned for disruptive behavior and reduced to Endorsement Level 0 cannot use text or voice chat features until they return to Endorsement Level 1.
Developer Comments: Since we added the Endorsement system to Overwatch, players who have been actioned because of social reports (Inappropriate Communication, Gameplay Sabotage, etc) have had their Endorsement Level reduced to Level 0. That part of the system isn’t changing, but going forward, Level 0 players will no longer be able to speak in voice channels or type in text chat in most modes.
Hide My Name
- Updated option in Streamer Protect, found in your Social Options.
- You are now able to hide your BattleTag from other players in your group and from your friends in the match as well.
- When enabled, anywhere your BattleTag is displayed to players during a match now displays a random anonymized BattleTag, instead of only to the player with the “Hide My Name” setting visibly enabled.
Developer Comments: “The “Hide My Name” setting in the Social Options now displays a random anonymized Battle Tag to all players in a match, instead of only to the player with the “Hide My Name” setting enabled. New settings have been added to “Hide My Name From Friends” and “Hide My Name From Group.” Of these two settings, “Hide My Name From Friends” takes priority when group members are also friends. A large list of hand-crafted BattleTags have been created to support this feature. Could it contain easter eggs or silly references?”
Progression
- Added progression badges/sub-badges and rewards for Venture. Rewards can be found in Hero Challenges.
Leaver Penalties
Two new thresholds for Unranked Leave Penalties have been added:
- Leaving two out of 20 games will result in a five-minute suspension from queuing for most modes.
- 10 or more out of 20 games will result in a 48-hour suspension from queuing for most modes.
- All other threshold tiers are unchanged.
Developer Comments: Overwatch 2 is a competitive game even for Unranked game modes, and the match experience for all remaining players is negatively affected when a player leaves before it is completed. Remember a penalty only applies when you leave games and not when you complete games.
By introducing a lighter five-minute penalty, we aim to discourage players from deliberately leaving games they don’t want to play, while not impacting those who may have a technical issue or an urgent need to step away from the game which they can resolve by the time the queue suspension is finished. The larger 48-hour suspension aims to target a very small portion of players who are aggressively leaving games.
Leaving 10 games in Competitive Play will now result in a season ban regardless of the number of games completed.
- Players can still get banned from Competitive Play in as few as five games if they leave very consistently and don’t complete enough games to get back into good standing.
Games completed in Competitive Play now count toward the 20-game window of the Unranked Leaver Penalty.
Developer Comments: We already suspend players who leave a Competitive and increase penalties up to a season ban for leaving games frequently, but players can work their way back into good standing if they complete several matches. However, this new rule will stop players from gaming the system over time.
Competitive Updates
Competitive Role-Specific Titles
- End-of-season titles for Competitive Role Queue now include the role the rank was achieved in.
- Examples include Champion Tank, Champion Support, Champion Damage, and Open Queue Champion.
Competitive Progress
- Each Role Rank Card now displays the associated Competitive Role-Specific title.
- Role Rank Cards can now be selected to open the Match History for the selected role.
- Match history will display the following: Map / Game Mode, Heroes / Role, Date, Score, Results of the match
- Match History can now be selected to open the Game Report for a match.
Grouping Restrictions
- All previous Competitive Grouping Restrictions have been removed.
- All groups in Competitive Play are now classified as Narrow or Wide.
- Players between Bronze and Diamond must be within five divisions of each other player in their group to be in a Narrow Group.
- Players at Master must be within three divisions of each other player in their group to be in a Narrow Group.
- Players at Grandmaster and Champion cannot be in Narrow groups, regardless of how close their ranks are. This restriction ensures that our highest-ranked players have the highest quality Narrow matches.
- Narrow Groups will always be matched against other Narrow Groups or solo players. If a group has both Wide and Narrow configurations of players, the Narrow configuration will always be prioritized.
- Any group that does not meet the criteria is considered a Wide Group.
- Wide Groups of four players may not queue. This restriction exists so that solo players are never required to make a Wide match.
- Wide Groups have increased queue times and reduced match quality because it’s more difficult to find another group of players with the same ranks in the same roles to match against.
- The amount a player’s Rank Progress changes after each match is modified by the group’s width.
- The wider the group is, the less their ranks will change when winning or losing.
- The higher the rank of the highest-ranked player in a Wide Group, the less the ranks of all players in the group will change when winning or losing.
- Players will now be informed if the configuration of roles they have selected would result in a Wide Group.
- The Tier Legend has been updated, and a new banner has been added to explain the rules described above.
Rank Information
- New Modifier: “Wide”—this modifier reduces changes in Rank Progress when winning or losing matches. The wider your group, the less your Rank Progress will change with each win or loss.
- The modifier “Volatile” has been renamed to “Demotion.”
- Arrows displayed under the modifiers have been changed to point from left to right instead of right to left.
- New Modifier: Demotion Protection
- This modifier appears on the Rank Progress bar to denote when you did not go down in Skill Division because of a loss. If you lose the next match after, then you are dropped down to the previous Skill Division.
- Victory and Defeat have been added below the Rank Progress bar where modifiers are displayed.
Golden Weapons
- Golden weapons can now be purchased with either Legacy Competitive Points or 2024 Competitive Points. You cannot purchase weapons with a combination of both currencies.
Hero Updates
New Hero: Venture
- Venture has been added to the line-up.
- Venture is immediately available to play in Competitive Play.
Developer Comments: This is a pretty major change from past heroes, but we’ve always wanted to allow new heroes into Competitive when a new season for Overwatch 2 launches. In the past, we wanted to make sure new heroes were free of any bugs or outstanding balance issues, as well as giving players enough time to unlock a hero from the Battle Pass. Because of the recent hero trial, we’re confident Venture is ready to jump into the action right away.
Tanks
Doomfist
Rocket Punch
- The empowered punch is no longer consumed when the windup is canceled by using Seismic Slam or Power Block.
Developer Comments: This quality-of-life improvement streamlines the transition between charging up an empowered Rocket Punch and another ability by removing the requirement of pressing the cancel input first.
Junker Queen
Carnage
- Impact damage increased from 90 to 105.
Reinhardt
Earthshatter
- Knockdown duration increased from 2.75 to 3 seconds.
- Shockwave range increased from 20 to 25 meters.
Sigma
Experimental Barrier
- Movement speed increased from 16.5 to 20 meters per second.
Developer Comments: This change will improve Sigma’s ability to protect allies that are further away from him.
Wrecking Ball
Grappling Claw
- Hold the jump input while the Grappling Claw is attached to terrain to retract it, pulling yourself towards the anchor point. This action can be rebound in his hero settings.
- Now has a one second cooldown if Wrecking Ball never reaches ramming speed before canceling the ability. Interrupting him with Hack, Hinder, and stuns will still trigger the full cooldown.
- The maximum duration timer no longer triggers unless he reaches ramming speed.
Adaptive Shield
- Can now be reactivated to redistribute up to 300 overhealth to nearby allies, capping at 75 per person.
- Enemy and ally detection radius increased from 10 to 13 meters.
Minefield
- Health increased from 50 to 60.
Developer Comments: The general goals here are to add a direct way for Wrecking Ball to support his allies aside from purely enemy team disruption, make the hero more approachable while also adding more avenues for skill expression, and improve quality of life around the grapple.
Damage
Sombra
Virus
Total damage over time decreased from 100 to 90.
Tracer
Recall
- Cooldown increased from 12 to 13 seconds.
Pulse Bomb
- Base projectile size decreased from 0.2 to 0.1 meters. The total projectile size is now 0.25 meters.
Developer Comments: There is now more downtime before Tracer can safely reengage after driving her away and Pulse Bomb will require more precision.
Venture
Drill Dash
- Impact damage decreased from 60 to 40.
- Damage over time increased from 40 to 60.
Clobber
- Impact damage decreased from 40 to 30.
- Damage over time increased from 30 to 40.
Tectonic Shock
- Vertical knockback decreased by 30%.
Developer Comments: We are redistributing the damage on some of their abilities so that positioning relative to the enemy and tracking a target are more important for dealing maximum damage.
Support
Illari
Solar Rifle
- Primary fire recovery increased from 0.2 to 0.25 seconds.
- Secondary fire heal-per-second increased from 105 to 115.
Lúcio
Sonic Amplifier
- Damage per projectile decreased from 20 to 18.
Soundwave
- Damage increased from 35 to 45.
Lifeweaver
Rejuvenating Dash
- Heal increased from 50 to 60.
Tree of Life
- Pulse healing increased from 75 to 90.
Moira
Biotic Grasp
- Damage per second decreased from 65 to 60.
Coalescence
- Self-heal per second increased from 50 to 55.
Bug Fixes
General
- Hero Mastery Gauntlet – fixed a bug that could cause more AI teammates than intended.
- Fixed a bug with Wall Climb that could allow Heroes with the passive to climb infinitely.
- Fixed a bug with Diamond, Masters, and Grandmaster not playing any effects when entering the Top 500.
- Fixed a bug with duplicate entries on the Leaderboard.
- Fixed the missing flash notification on taskbar when joining a game as a backfill.
Maps
- Fixed in a previous update – resolved an issue where jump pads could become deactivated.
Circuit Royal
- Fixed an issue with the payload tires launching players unexpectedly.
Paraíso
- Fixed an area near the second point where the payload dock could negatively impact Earth Shatter and Tectonic Shock’s ability to hit larger heroes.
Heroes
Echo
- Fixed an issue with Duplicate that could prevent a death being counted if it was used as Echo falls off the map.
Doomfist
- Fixed an interaction with Mei’s Ice Wall that could allow you to get under the map.
- Fixed a bug with Power Block sounds triggering even if it was not blocking damage.
Illari
- Fixed an issue with Captive Sun affecting targets through floors and ceilings.
Junkrat
- Fixed a bug with Riptire receiving the self-healing passive.
Lifeweaver
- Fixed a bug where some un-targetable heroes could be healed by Tree of Life.
Mauga
- Fixed an interaction with Overrun and Brigitte’s Shield Bash that resulted in Mauga being knocked down with Overrun active.
Mercy
- Fixed a bug with the Caduceus Staff not opening up with the Parasol emote and Pose.
Venture
- Fixed a bug that would prevent Drill Dash from activating while underground if the input was pressed while falling through the air and Burrow was active.
- Fixed a bug where Drill Dash could deal damage multiple times with the initial impact and instantly kill targets or knock them back exceedingly far.
- Fixed a bug where certain heroes were still being pushed back even if they escaped from Drill Dash.
- Fixed a bug where Venture would sometimes launch very far if using Drill Dash off a ledge while Burrowed.
- Fixed a bug where attempting to emerge during Burrow near ledges would sometimes end the ability prematurely.
- Fixed a bug where the third-person camera would snap back to first-person instantly if you were in the air when burrow ended.
- Fixed a bug where UI prompts for emerging and Drill Dash were not visible during Burrow.
- Fixed a bug that could allow players to prevent footfall audio from playing.
For more Overwatch 2 news, check out our story detailing why Blizzard is changing the game to be more “generous.”
