All you need to know about Overwatch 2 Season 4: Release date, start time, skins, and more
The new update brings a lot of new content to the game.
Credits: Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch 2 Season 4 launched on April 11, 2023. Unlike previous seasons, which typically introduced a new hero or new map, Season 4 focuses on changes to the game’s mechanics and balance.
Blizzard has scrapped rotational maps, meaning that the entire map pool is available for play. In addition, the game is doing away with map pools moving forward.
Related: Overwatch 2 system requirements for PC, PlayStation and Xbox
Overwatch 2 Season 4 Release Date and Time
Overwatch 2 Season 4 began on April 11, 2023, and will last for nine weeks or 64 days. Players can expect new challenges, rewards, and updates to the game’s meta and features. With the reset of competitive mode, players can compete to climb the ranks and earn exclusive rewards. The season commenced at 15:00 PM ET, and UK players can join the action at 7 PM.
Overwatch 2 Season 4: New Hero
In Season 4, players will be able to enjoy a new support hero named Lifeweaver. This character is expected to shake up the meta with an exciting kit and immense potential in teamfights. Lifeweaver’s Petal Platform adds new verticality to combat, and his Life Grip ability gives support players more tools to intervene in what other teammates are planning on doing. Overwatch 2 Game Director Aaron Keller has confirmed that the next hero after Lifeweaver will also be a support hero.
Blizzard’s decision to focus on support heroes comes after acknowledging that there are fewer support characters compared to other roles. This focus on support heroes means that there will be no new maps in Season 4. However, the lighting on existing maps has been updated.
Overwatch Season 2 Season 4: New Battle Pass
The latest Battle Pass, which is themed around “Starwatch,” features a brand-new mythic skin for Sigma. This skin can be obtained by reaching Tier 80 of the Season 4 Battle Pass. Additionally, the new hero named Lifeweaver, who can be unlocked at level 55. Alongside Sigma’s skin, the Battle Pass includes other hero skins for Doomfist, Ashe, and Mercy, all of which are also based on the Starwatch theme.
Overwatch 2 Season 4: Buffs and nerfs to heroes
Every seasonal Overwatch 2 update comes equipped with various buffs and nerfs that tinker with the state of the game’s heroes. In Season 4, skill rating Tier updates have been altered to reflect your ranking based on more recent performances. Blizzard has also scrapped decay between seasons, and losses and ties are now visible in your competitive progress screens. The competitive points reward system has also been updated to provide players with more points based on their final ranking. Changes made to the heroes are listed below:
Reinhardt: Reinhardt’s armor health has been reduced from 300 to 250, but his base health has been increased from 175 to 200.
Sigma: Sigma’s Accretion ability has undergone changes as well. Its impact damage has been reduced from 60 to 40 (80 damage total with explosion). Additionally, the knockdown duration has increased from 0.8 to 1.1 seconds.
Brigitte: Brigitte’s Rally now grants her 100 restorable armor health pool for the duration of the ultimate, and she no longer gradually builds temporary health like her nearby allies. During Rally, Shield Bash impacts multiple enemies and briefly stuns them. The bonus movement speed has been reduced from 30 to 15%. Moreover, Rally upgrades her Barrier Shield, increasing both its size and health. The barrier health has been increased from 300 to 750 during the ultimate. The range of Brigitte’s Repair Pack has been reduced from 30 to 25 meters.
Ana: The maximum duration of Sleep Dart on Tank heroes has been reduced from 5 to 3.5 seconds.
Cassidy: Cassidy’s base health has been reduced from 225 to 200, and her Magnetic Grenade’s damage has been reduced from 131 to 120.
Sombra: EMP can now disable Blizzard.
Mercy: Mercy’s Caduceus Staff healing-per-second has been increased from 45 to 55, but healing is no longer increased for allies under half health. The cooldown of Guardian Angel has been reduced from 2.5 to 1.5 seconds, and its Jump and Crouch cancel active ability state duration has been increased from 1.0 to 1.5 seconds. However, the Jump and Crouch cancel active ability state can no longer be manually interrupted to begin the cooldown early. Mercy’s Valkyrie now allows her Support role passive healing to be active for the duration of the ultimate.
Moira: Moira’s Fade can now be activated during Coalescence. The bonus movement speed of Moira’s Coalescence has been reduced from 50 to 40%. Moira’s Biotic Grasp now has an increased lingering heal duration from 2 to 3 seconds.
Overwatch 2 Season 4 represents a significant shift in the game’s seasonal updates. Rather than focusing on introducing new heroes or maps, Blizzard is instead focusing on improving the game’s mechanics and balance. With the addition of Lifeweaver, players can look forward to experimenting with a new support hero and exploring the updated lighting on existing maps. The changes to the competitive points reward system and skill rating Tier updates are also welcome improvements for players. With the onset of Season 4, Overwatch 2 fans have a lot to look forward to.
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Pranav Maytray
(377 Articles Published)