Welcome to the new season of Overwatch 2

Blizzard employees have unveiled the contents of Season 19 for their free online shooter. It is entirely dedicated to the upcoming Halloween: there’s room for both a special event and themed cosmetics for the heroes. In particular, until December 9 players can take part in battles under the rules of «Ghostly Masquerade», where characters are granted unusual properties that turn the match upside-down. Let’s take a closer look at the changes in the game.

The «Arcade» section now hosts the «Ghostly Masquerade» mode. The gist is that masks alter heroes’ skills mid-match. For example, Ramattra slows all enemies around him by 30%, Reinhardt gains extra armor, Genji quickly masters a double jump, and Reaper restores his health by eliminating opponents on the map. In addition, masks have a secondary effect—they empower one of your teammates. If fate puts the aforementioned Genji on the same squad as Hanzo, the archer receives auto-aim for his arrows. It is precisely such synergy between heroes that can flip the entire confrontation on its head.

Themed modes have also become available. In the first, «Revenge of the Rat King», you must team up with three comrades to defend Adlersbrunn from the villain and his minions. The battle continues in «Wrath of the Bride». Gamers will fend off hordes of zombies and fight bosses such as the gargoyle Winston. At the same time, the solo format «Hero Mastery» has been removed so the developers can redirect resources to other popular activities. In addition, the rules of «Stadium» have changed: matches are now played to three wins, and all victory bonuses have been increased. Among the new devices added to the shooter are «Aura Remedy», «Exo-Springs», «Winged Soles», and «Jet Skates».