Overwatch is dropping the 2 and adding five new heroes, among its many updates
Blizzard hosted their Overwatch update video early this morning and revealed Overwatch: Reign of Talon, a new year long story arch that kicks off next week, bringing 5 new heroes and much more. One of the things I know some players were hoping for was a dedicated Nintendo Switch 2 release, that is happening and will launch in Season 2.
Perhaps the biggest news is that Overwatch 2 will simply be known as Overwatch going forward, which is likely going to piss off players who hated that Overwatch was taken away and replaced by Overwatch 2. The first season of Reign of Talon arrives on February 10, it includes 5 new heroes, new maps and kicks off a new year long story, there is a lot to get through for this, so let’s get into it. The below infographic will give you a good overview of what is coming, just swap the seasons at the top for those of us down under.
Before we go any further, check out the animated trailer for Reign of Talon below.
Now that you have watched the trailer, the new story of Talon seizing global momentum under Vendetta, with Overwatch struggling to counter the organization’s expanding influence, makes more sense. The coolest part is that players will see the story evolve in real-time, over the course of the year.
With the launch of Season 1, five new heroes are being added to the game, they are Domia, Emre, Mizuki, Anran and Jetpack Cat, you can see all their details below.
Domina: Tank (Talon‑Aligned) – Heiress and vice president of Vishkar Industries. Though Domina is not a formal member of Talon, a partnership with Vendetta has granted Vishkar Industries lucrative redevelopment rights for territories under Talon control.
Using advanced Vishkar technology, Domina is the first true poke tank since Sigma—an elegant long‑range controller with deadly zone dominance.
Photon Magnum (Primary Fire) – Medium-range beam that culminates in a high impact shot.
Barrier Array – A segmented hard‑light barrier deployed in front of Domina. Each segment must be individually destroyed, creating dynamic defensive angles.
Crystal Charge – Project an explosive crystal and reactivate to denotate it.
Sonic Repulsors – Push enemies back, stunning them if they hit a wall.
Ultimate: Panopticon – Fire a hard-light projectile that imprisons enemies and detonates on expiration.
Passive: Reconstruction – Dealing damage with abilities restores shields.
Emre: Damage (Talon‑Aligned) – Emre is a former member of the Overwatch Strike Team. He once stood as an example of Overwatch’s ideals, but as Overwatch lost sight of its mission, Emre chose to leave. Freja tracked him down and discovered that his body has been altered with cybernetic modifications. His mind appears to be in conflict; sometimes he behaves like the person he once was, and other times he seems detached.
Synthetic Burst Rifle (Primary Fire) – Three-round burst weapon.
Take Aim (Secondary Fire) – Hold to zoom in, tightening accuracy and increasing fall off range.
Siphon Blaster – Temporarily wield a semi-automatic pistol with life stealing explosive rounds. Move faster and jump higher while wielded.
Cyber Frag – Throw a grenade that detonates shortly after bouncing.
Ultimate: Override Protocol – An override initiates, transforming you into a living weapon. Fires rapid explosive blasts or charged mega‑shots capable of wiping teams.
Passive: Altered Vitals – Passive health regeneration activates sooner and instantly restores 30 health when activated.
Mizuki: Support (Talon‑Aligned) – Mizuki is a member of the Hashimoto clan, which is aligned with Talon. He has endured years of misfortune and pressure within the clan’s hierarchy. Some believe he may not be suited for the life he has been raised into, but through dedication and influence from senior clan members, he has become a key player. Mizuki has been tasked with infiltrating the Yokai near Kanezaka, but there is concern that he may be influenced by them or potentially drawn to Overwatch.
Spirit Glaive (Primary Fire) – Throw a spinning blade that can bounce off walls, impacts enemies and deals damage.
Healing Kasa – Throw your hat to heal an ally, bouncing to nearby allies and healing you when it returns.
Katashiro Return – Leap forward, leaving behind a paper doll. Reactivate to return and gain increased movement speed while active.
Binding Chain – Launch a tethering chain that hinders the first enemy hit.
Ultimate: Kekkai Sanctuary – Create a sanctuary that heals allies and absorbs enemy projectiles from outside the area.
Passive: Remedy Aura – Heals nearby allies. Healing scales with resource generated by dealing damage and healing.
Anran: Damage (Overwatch-Aligned) – The older sister of Wuyang, Anran harnesses the power of Fire when in the heat of battle. She is confident and hardworking, holding others to the standards she maintains for herself. Anran joins Overwatch with the intent to save the world and to keep Wuyang out of trouble. - A trial of this character will begin later today and run until Season 1 launches.
Zhuque Fans (Primary Fire) – Hand fans that shoot fiery projectiles.
Fan the Flames (Secondary Fire) – Hot wind blast that amplifies burning damage.
Inferno Rush – Propel yourself forward and damage enemies you impact.
Dancing Blaze – Strike nearby enemies while dodging all damage.
Ultimate: Vermillion Ascent (Alive) – Charge forward, exploding on impact and instantly igniting enemies.
Ultimate: Vermillion Revival (Dead) – When dead, revive yourself in a fiery explosion.
Passive: Ignition – Hit enemies with fire attacks to burn them.
Jetpack Cat: Support (Overwatch-Aligned) – Found as a stray in Gibraltar, little is known about Jetpack Cat other than how dangerous she is in fights, with quick reflexes and a kit befitting a feline Hero.
Biotic Pawjectiles (Primary Fire) – Mid‑range projectile spread that heals allies and damages enemies.
Lifeline – Toggle into transport mode, allowing an ally to be towed. Increases movement speed and heals your ally.
Frenetic Flight – Accelerate in your movement direction. Fuel recovery is slower while carrying another player.
Purr – Pulsing area heal that increases in frequency over time. Knockback nearby enemies when activated.
Ultimate: Catnapper – Dive towards a ground location, knocking down enemies and tethering the nearest one to you.
Passive: Jetpack – Permanent flight.
The launch of Season 1 will also see a number of updates applied to the core roles of the characters. While characters are still known as Tanks, Damage and Support heroes, there are now going to be classes within those. These are the breakdowns for the new classes and the heroes that fall into them:
Tank
Bruiser – Reduces critical damage received. While at critical health, gain movement speed.
Mauga / Orisa / Roadhog / Zarya
Initiator – Staying airborne lightly heals you.
D.Va / Doomfist / Winston / Wrecking Ball
Stalwart – Reduces knockbacks and slows received.
Domina / Hazard / Junker Queen / Ramattra / Reinhardt / Sigma
Damage
Sharpshooter – Critical hits reduce your movement ability cooldowns.
Ashe / Cassidy / Hanzo / Sojourn / Widowmaker
Flanker – Health packs restore more health.
Anran / Genji / Reaper / Tracer / Vendetta / Venture
Specialist – Eliminating an enemy briefly increases your reload speed.
Bastion / Emre / Junkrat / Mei / Soldier: 76 / Symmetra / Torbjorn
Recon – You detect enemies below half health through walls after damaging them.
Echo / Freja / Pharah / Sombra
Support
Tactician – You can gain excess ultimate charge which carries over after using your ultimate ability.
Ana / Baptiste / Jetpack Cat / Lucio / Zenyatta
Medic – Healing allies with your weapon also heals you.
Kiriko / Lifeweaver / Mercy / Moira
Survivor – Using a movement ability activates passive health regeneration.
Brigitte / Illari / Juno / Mizuki / Wuyang
There is a new event coming to the game, Conquest and it is a five‑week faction war where each week players align with Overwatch or Talon.
Rewards include:
75 Base Lootboxes
12 Epic Lootboxes
Seven Legendary Lootboxes
Nine new Voice Lines
31 2D Cosmetics
Two Weapon Charms
One of two faction-themed Legendary Echo skins
Exclusive new Rare, Epic and Legendary titles (and a secret hidden one!)
VI. Competitive System Updates
Season 1:
Crimson Wolf competitive weapon skin
Diamond+ Doomfist competitive skin
Rarity‑based Competitive titles (Coming in Season 2)
Challenger Tier integration with FaceIt tournament invites
VII. User Interface / User Experience Refresh
A full interface overhaul—the largest menu redesign in franchise history:
New 3D hero lobby (Season 1), expanding to full party in Season 4
New Notification Hub
Faster navigation and reduced friction
Revamped hero gallery, social panel, global navigation
VIII. Stadium
Significant updates include:
Armory icon overhaul (70 redesigned icons)
Hero Builder: Smart recommended builds based on global player data
Round‑based build suggestions, including counter‑builds
Vendetta joins the lineup!
IX. Cosmetics and Mythics
2026 includes:
New faction‑themed skins
Rainy Day and Valentine’s collections
Lootbox refresh (adds last six seasons of regular shop skins)
Season 1 Mythics:
Season Launch – Mercy: Celestial Guardian, Juno: Star Shooter
Mid‑Season – Mei’s first Mythic
X. Hello Kitty & Friends Collaboration
From February 10 to 23:
Juno – Hello Kitty
Kiriko – Cinnamoroll
Mercy – Pompompurin
D.Va – My Melody
Widowmaker – Kuromi
Lucio – Keroppi
XI. Esports
OWCS season begins with Seoul Bootcamp; ends with World Finals in China
Overwatch World Cup returns at BlizzCon
Overwatch Esports Lootboxes
XII. Future Updates
These are just some of the updates coming to Overwatch over the next few seasons!
Overwatch releases on Nintendo Switch 2 in Season 2
Two New Core Maps
One New Hero Every Season (Season 2 to 6)
Post-Match Accolades
Hero Reworks
Some Mythic Skins
Mythic Hero Skins – Soldier: 76, Ana, Illari, Mauga, and Genji
Mythic Weapon Skins – Genji, Hanzo, and Sojourn
And done, as you can see there is a LOT of changes coming to Overwatch 2 if you want to watch the full presentation, you can do that below.
