Overwatch 2 Season 14 Approaches With A New Hero, New Battlepass And A New Competitor

Overwatch 2 promises a season of rebellion and power in Season 14 – dubbed ‘Hazard’ for the sake of theming, and also to tip their hat to the new Scottish tank that is dropping into the battlefield, being the spiky son of a gun also named Hazard.

Hazard is a unique and fun tank, given that he has a familiar mobility option – as the first to have a semi-wall climb/mantle action, he has a habit of getting to places you might not expect – and all without activating rocket boosters or similarly noisy helpers. He also brings another terrain creation tool to the battlefield – making a small wall similar to Mei, so expect to have your routes choked off by painful purple barriers at the worst of times. But in realtalk, his kit looks a great deal more fun to deal with than some tanks, so let the Hazard go to town.

As far as Mythics go, this season we see Reinhardt slip into the thunderous guise of Thor – with a mighty mythological skin befitting his giant stature. Not everyone is please though, given that Rein is literally swimming in dope skins that already feel more than legendary – but it was bound to happen eventually. Ashe also gets to sling a new mythic weapon, so if people aren’t rushing to drop prisms on the Rein-man, they have a great alternative.

And a teaser for an Avatar: The Last Airbender collab? Neato!

The big ticket of this season is the debut of the 6v6 Role Queue experiment – not to be confused with the Overwatch: Classic event that just wrapped up. This is a proper developer driven look at how 6v6 could/would/should work within the modern Overwatch landscape. In their words:

This limited-time event allows players to embrace the strategy and teamwork of the 6v6 setup while enjoying the refined mechanics of Overwatch 2. Whether you’re rekindling old memories or discovering this iconic gameplay style for the first time, the 6v6 Role Queue event offers a fresh-yet-familiar way to experience the game

This may be well timed, because the most electrifying aspect of this season is something entirely external to it – the launch of Marvel Rivals.

With Rivals up and swinging, there will be pressure on Blizzard to see how the gaming horizon shifts with such a close-competitor to the hero shooter crown. Overwatch 2’s journey to establish an identity unique to the classic Overwatch has been a rocky one, with a slow clawing to a spot where the game is seen as positive enough. Even the loudest detractors of Overwatch 2 have begrudged recent developments and decisions – while some are likely to never be forgiven. With Marvel Rivals on the radar however, there is now a point of comparison for developments.

It’s going to be a killer time for lovers of hero-based shooters – so strap in and see how some healthy competition shapes your favourite genre. Personally, I am just bummed that we likely will never see a Marvel-based Overwatch collaboration now.

Bummer.

Are you keen to check out Hazard when he crashes into Overwatch 2 season 14 on December 11? Did you get a chance to try him out on his trial weekend? Tell us all about it in the comments or on social media.