Overwatch 2 Unleashes Chaotic April Fools’ Mode: Try it Before it’s Gone!

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Summary

  • Blizzard has released the Totally Normalwatch mode for Overwatch 2, available until April 14.
  • The mode introduces absurd hero changes, such as Hanzo being able to ride Orisa into battle.
  • The patch also includes several general bug fixes.

For a short period, Blizzard Entertainment has introduced the temporary “Totally Normalwatch” gameplay mode for Overwatch 2, running until April 14th. This special Overwatch 2 feature is in celebration of April Fools’ Day and brings some unexpected changes to characters, offering an enjoyable and fast-paced gaming experience that’s full of surprises!

Yearly, various video game creators mark April Fool’s Day with temporary activities showcasing unique modes and events, often incorporating amusing or unforeseen elements into their games. Lately, the developers of PUBG surprised gamers by introducing a novel dating sim experience, enabling players to engage with the game’s weapons in an entirely new manner. In contrast, Overwatch 2 typically honors April Fool’s Day by applying extreme balance adjustments leading to a chaotic and comical gaming environment—and this year is no exception.

From April 1st through April 14th, Overwatch 2 carries on its annual April Fools’ tradition with a special mode titled “Totally Normalwatch”. This temporary gameplay option can be found in the Arcade section and introduces some wacky alterations to characters. For example, Doomfist no longer uses his Hand Cannon but instead leaps towards opponents when he melees, with increased melee speed and damage by 50%. Hazard’s Jagged Wall Knockback is amplified by 400%, while his cooldown decreases from 12 to 8 seconds. Moreover, Magua can propel himself backwards if he fires both Chainguns simultaneously in the air.

Among the amusing alterations made to the characters in Overwatch 2 are: Hanzo hitching a ride on Orisa into combat, boosting her movement speed; Reinhardt’s speed accelerating by 150%; Roadhog hurling three Hooks simultaneously; and Ashe’s robot companion B.O.B., who has shed his weapons completely, now only able to chase enemies, knocking them down. These types of changes are also present in Totally Normalwatch, a mode where players can jump into this crazy, time-limited experience.

Beyond addressing the game’s main settings, Blizzard is also implementing bug fixes. These solutions address problems such as one that prevented players from using Perks in the 6v6 Maximum 2 Tanks Open Queue Quick Play and a glitch affecting Zarya’s Hero Mastery kit.

To ensure an enjoyable gameplay for the players, Blizzard consistently works on updating “Overwatch 2”, incorporating new content and fine-tuning the game. The latest March update made essential adjustments to 11 characters in both 5v5 and 6v6 game modes, focusing on damage, tank, and support roles. As April Fools’ Day festivities carry on, players are invited to participate in Totally Normalwatch, where they can engage with their favorite heroes, but with a delightful twist.

Overwatch 2 Totally Normalwatch Update Patch Notes

Tanks

D.Va

Developer Comments: The Meka Squad is finding it tough versus the Gwishin Omnics, so they’re exploring innovative design ideas to conserve resources (materials and rations).

Mech Size reduced by 50%.

Mech Base Health reduced from 375 to 25.

Mech Armor Health is unchanged.

Pilot D.Va size reduced by 50%.

Pilot Base Health reduced from 175 to 25.

Fusion Cannons

Rate of fire increased by 100%.

Damage reduced by 50%.

Light Gun

Rate of Fire increased by 100%.

Reload Speed increased by 25%.

Damage reduced by 25%.

Self-Destruct

Press Interact during Self-Destruct to freeze mech in place.

Doomfist

Developer Comment: Doomfist decided the best way to win is by punching the opponents… a lot.

Hand Cannon

Removed from Primary Fire.

Quick Melee

Replaces Hand Cannon as the Primary Fire.

Melee speed increased by 50%.

Melee damage increased by 50%.

Doomfist now lunges toward nearby enemies when he melees.

Rocket Punch

Melee damage now builds Rocket Punch Charge meter.

Charge meter no longer decays.

Charge time reduced by 50%.

Seismic Slam

Cooldown decreased by 1 second.

Hazard

Developer Comment: Tired of fixing people in position, Hazard decided to experiment with pushing them around instead.

Jagged Wall

Jagged Wall Knockback increased by 400%.

Jagged Wall Cooldown decreased from 12 to 8 seconds.

Junker Queen

Developer’s Note: Players grew weary of Junker Queen’s constant yelling and began to tune her out. As a result, she has become more self-centered and is now stockpiling her Commanding Shout abilities for personal use. She seems eager to engage head-on with anyone who encounters Gracie.

Jagged Blade

Can no longer be recalled with Secondary Fire.

Junker Queen flies towards Gracie while Secondary Fire is held.

Commanding Shout

No longer affects allies.

Overhealth increased by 50%.

Bonus Move Speed increased from 30% to 60%.

Mauga

Developer Comments: Gunny and Cha-Cha will now lift up their Papa, and whoever is tethered to him.

As Mauga simultaneously unleashes bullets from his Chainguns mid-flight, he gets propelled backward along the line of his target.

Incendiary Chaingun

Ammo reduced from 300 to 150.

Reload Speed increased by 15%.

Volatile Chaingun

Ammo reduced from 300 to 150.

Reload Speed increased by 15%.

Overrun

Can now be used during Cage Fight.

Cage Fight

Tether is now centered on Mauga and follows him.

Grants Mauga infinite ammo for the duration.

Orisa

Developer Comments: “I see you glancing at me. You wish to ride me into battle?”

Hanzo has the ability to approach Orisa and click on ‘Interact’ button to hop onto her for a swift ride towards the battlefield. This action provides Orisa with an additional boost in movement speed.

Javelin Spin

Javelin Spin now pulls enemies towards Orisa.

Ramattra

Developer Comments: Ramattra has elevated the discourse of battle, along with his opponents.

Ravenous Vortex

Now reverses the gravity of all enemies inside.

Reinhardt

As a passionate gamer, I (Reinhardt) can’t help but share my latest obsession – street racing anime! It’s got me hooked and I’ve even taken up drifting as a result of watching it!

Charge

Cooldown reduced from 7 to 3.5 seconds.

Turn speed increased by 150%.

Charge lasts until you collide with a wall.

Roadhog

Developer Comment: To address the long-standing issue of Chain Hook’s inconsistency, we’re planning to enhance its effectiveness by deploying three of them simultaneously, aiming for a more dependable lethality.

Chain Hook

Now throws 3 Hooks at once.

Sigma

Developer Comments: Realizing that he wasn’t adhering to Newton’s Third Law of Motion, Sigma thought that if he could redirect the projectiles he catches with Kinetic Grasp, it would make him a more law-abiding user of psychic abilities.

Kinetic Grasp

Deflects projectiles instead of absorbing them.

Sigma gains free flight during Kinetic Grasp.

Winston

Developer Comment: “Winston Slam!”

Jump Pack

Press Crouch to do a body slam and deal more damage while coming down during Jump Pack.

Wrecking Ball

Developer Comment: Hammond has decided to try imitating tumbleweeds and snowballs.

Size reduced by 50%.

Wrecking Ball gains Overhealth based on his size.

Roll

Damaging enemies during Roll increases Wrecking Ball’s size.

Piledriver

Area of effect increases based on Wrecking Ball’s size.

Zarya

Developer Note: Enemies once quaked at Zarya’s combat abilities, now they’ll tremble even at the sight of her mirror image.

Particle Cannon

Primary Fire now ricochets off of enemy heroes and the environment.

Damage

Ashe

Developer Note: Bob’s gun arms are being repaired, yet he’s extremely enthusiastic about joining the battle.

Coach Gun

Increased knockback on enemy heroes and briefly reduces their air control.

B.O.B.

B.O.B. no longer shoots.

In a continuous motion, B.O.B charges swiftly towards the closest enemy hero and tries to lift them off their feet.

Ultimate Cost reduced by 70%.

Bastion

Developer Comments: Bastion made a new friend that happens to be grenade-sized.

A-36 Tactical Grenade

Now spawns an explosive training bot.

Configuration Artillery

Impacts spawns explosive training bots.

Cassidy

Developer Notes: Cassidy has been using Hanzo’s scatter arrows, managing to create fresh ammo from the technology.

Peacekeeper

Primary and Secondary Fire both ricochet three times. Ricocheted bullets deal increased damage.

Echo

Developer Notes: Echo appears to be experimenting with advancements in aerial technology, yet there’s an indication that her other skills may have been impacted as well.

Tri-Shot

Now fires Sticky Bombs.

Damage reduced from 25 to 14.

Sticky Bombs

Now fires a volley of Tri-Shot projectiles.

Damage increased from 17 to 20.

Flight

Flight is now always active.

Activating Flight now causes Echo to dash a short distance.

Focusing Beam

Now does extra damage to enemies above half health.

Genji

As an enthusiastic admirer, I can’t help but notice that Genji has regained the ability to use his healing emote excessively, which was a bit grating before. However, it seems that this time, there could be potential drawbacks associated with its overuse.

Genji once again can occasionally heal himself when requesting healing.

Don’t abuse this. You’ve been warned.

Hanzo

Developer Comments: It’s not a preposterous thought. Hanzo is making a longtime dream come true.

Storm Bow

Fully-charged arrows ricochet twice.

Storm Arrow

Each arrow ricochets up to 5 times.

Wall Climb

While wall climbing, press Reload to attach yourself to the wall.

Samurai Kishu

New Passive

Press Interact while near Orisa to ride her into battle.

While riding, gain 25% damage reduction.

While riding, Orisa controls Hanzo’s movement.

While riding, feel 20% cooler.

Junkrat

Developer Comments: Junkrat loves explosions so much he decided to become one.

Concussive Mine

Can now place up to 5 mines at once.

Maximum damage reduced by 50%.

Max charges increased to 5.

Cooldown reduced to 4 seconds.

RIP-Tire

Junkrat becomes invisible and untargetable while using Riptire.

Junkrat teleports to Riptire when it explodes.

Junkrat dies if the Riptire is destroyed.

Mei

Developer Comments: The cold doesn’t bother Mei anymore, but it may bother Mei’s enemies.

Cyro-Freeze

Now creates a miniature Blizzard.

Mei can now move during Cryo-Freeze.

Moira

As an avid gamer, I’m thrilled to share the news that a long-standing problem has finally been addressed! The team behind our favorite game has fixed the bug that misclassified Moira as a Support Hero and unintentionally limited her healing abilities. This seven-year-old issue has held back Moira main players like me from fully realizing her ultimate damage potential. I’d like to express my gratitude for their diligence in resolving this issue, allowing us to enjoy the game even more!

Moved to Damage role.

Now has Damage role passive.

No longer has the Support role passive.

Biotic Grasp

Primary fire no longer heals and instead deals damage.

Biotic Orb

Healing Orb removed.

Coalescence

Now only deals damage.

Pharah

Developer Comment: Pharah now takes her enemies on a magic rocket ride.

Rocket Launcher

Direct hits deal increased damage to airborne enemies.

Jet Dash

Pull nearby enemies along with Pharah.

Jump Jet

Pulls nearby enemies along with Pharah.

Reaper

Developer Note: Reaper’s excessive use of shotguns has become a concern for Talon, leading them to restrict his weapon budget until he demonstrates better resourcefulness in ammunition management.

Hellfire Shotguns

Reaper can no longer reload and drops his shotguns on the ground when empty.

Dropped shotguns must be picked up to restore ammo.

Movement Speed increased by 25% when out of ammo.

Picking up shotguns increases attack speed for a short duration.

Note: It’s hard to melee enemies without your shotguns.

Sojourn

Developer Note: The Railgun now has the ability to be supercharged, increasing its damage output. CAUTION: The recoil suppressors on the Okoton Kelvin-87 Railgun are not approved for use with heavy-duty ammunition.

Raingun

Max charge is now 300%.

Railgun Secondary Fire deals increased damage at above 100% charge.

Railgun Secondary Fire knocks back Sojourn if fired at above 100% charge.

Soldier: 76

Developer Comment: The veteran soldier, 76, maintains his pride and insists he doesn’t require assistance, boasting that he can outrun every opponent on the battlefield.

Soldier 76 can no longer see allied or enemy health bars. Including his own.

Passive healing starts faster and heals much faster.

Sprint

Running speed increased by 100%.

Sombra

As an avid player, I’ve noticed that when Sombra is causing trouble due to a memory leak, the best way to bring her down is by quickly pressing the keyboard shortcut combination of Alt + F4.

Hack

Hacking enemies grants a stacking buff (with a maximum of 10) of movement speed and magazine size.

Stacks are lost on death.

Symmetra

Developer’s Note: Symmetra has decided to sport the newest Vishkar fashion trends on her comrades, specifically turrets. Additionally, she has upgraded her weapon to an overcharged tank-busting gun.

Photon Projector

Primary Fire now does damage based on target’s maximum health.

Secondary Fire charge time reduced.

Sentry Turret

Turret health Increased by 50%.

Cooldown reduced by 40%.

Projectile speed increased by 100%.

Can now stick to allies.

Torbjörn

Developer Comments: Torbjörn’s turret just needs some hammering to reach maximum potential.

Deploy Turret

Turret can be Overhealed by Forge Hammer.

When Overhealed, Turret gains increased size, damage, and health.

Tracer

Developer Notes: Reinhardt showed Tracer the technique of charging over brief distances, as long as she maintains a low profile.

Blink

Blinking while crouching collides with enemies.

Colliding with enemies deals damage and knocks them back.

Venture

Developer Comments: Venture got tired of working underground. We hope you dig these changes.

If a projectile is fired at Venture from Accretion or an equivalent power, Venture won’t fall over but rather absorb the rock and recover health instead.

Burrow

Can now fly while burrowed.

Emerge can be charged longer for a stronger effect.

Widowmaker

Developer Comments: Widowmaker has learned how to catch her prey in her webbing.

Grappling Hook

Can now hit enemy heroes, dealing damage and granting Widowmaker Overhealth.

Quick Melee

First successful melee attack after hitting a hero with Grappling Hook deals extra damage.

Support

Ana

Feedback Received: Players of character Ana find that their teammates disregard them when they signal a reload, often resulting in the teammates getting killed by enemies instead. Our intention with this adjustment is to encourage players to become more mindful and supportive of their Support teammates.

Biotic Rifle

1. The magazine’s size has been significantly decreased, now only holding one round.

2. The reload speed has seen a notable improvement, accelerating by 25%.

3. Both damage inflicted and healing capacity have undergone a substantial enhancement, raising them from 75 to 150.

Baptiste

Developer Note: Baptiste has found some classic, retro-style platformer video games and he’s become captivated by them; that’s all he seems interested in now.

Exo Boots

Press Crouch while airborne to stomp on enemies.

Brigitte

Developer Comment: Since Mace-to-the-face approach worked effectively, Brigitte decided to test out her shield as well.

Shield Bash

Removed.

Shield Throw

New Ability.

Shield Throw will toss Brigitte’s Shield which stuns and bounces between enemies.

Rally

During Rally, Shield Throw can hit more enemies.

Illari

Developer Note: Due to Illari frequently finding herself unable to heal her allies from a distance, she made modifications to her gun instead.

Solar Rifle

Primary Fire now heals allies and does not deal damage.

Secondary Fire now damages enemies and does not heal allies.

Secondary Fire range increased by 50%.

Juno

As an enthusiast, I’m thrilled to share that we’ve tackled an issue! Previously, when my character used her Ultimate, neither friends nor foes were properly greeted upon entering orbit as suggested by the voiceover. Now, it’s all set and working smoothly!

Quick Melee

Knockback increased.

Oribital Ray

Reverses gravity on all allies and enemies inside.

Kiriko

Developer Note: Kiriko adjusted her pace, focusing more on increasing her attack speed instead. Is there a potential issue with this approach?

Swift Step

With Swift Step active, Kiriko gains extra health and faster attack speed, however, she loses the ability to pick her own target.

Lifeweaver

Developer Comment: Be careful, as you don’t not want Lifeweaver to be a thorn in your side.

Thorn Volley

Projectiles now home in on enemies.

Projectiles per shot reduced from 2 to 1.

Rate of fire reduced by 35%.

Projectile speed reduced by 70%.

When enough projectiles hit an enemy, they explode for 160 damage.

Lúcio

Developer Comments: “Can’t stop, won’t stop.”

Wall Ride

Lúcio gains increasing Move, Reload, and Attack Speed while wall-riding.

Buffs from Wall Ride persists for several seconds after touching the ground.

Mercy

Developer Comment: Mercy’s new pistol is just like a loot box… you’ll never know what you’ll get.

Caduceus Blaster

Now fire random projectiles.

Zenyatta

Developer Comment: “We are all one within the many, googly irises.”

Orb of Destruction

Now fires sticky googly eyes instead of orbs.

Damage reduced by 25%.

Attack Speed increased by 50%.

Bug Fixes

General

Resolved a problem that stopped players from utilizing Perks within the 6v6 Maximum 2 Tanks Open Queue Quick Play during Season 16, ensuring it functions correctly going forward.

Fixed an issue preventing Perks to be selected while Overtime is in progress.

Fixed an issue with Zarya’s kit in hero mastery and have reenabled Zarya’s Hero Mastery Courses.

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2025-04-02 17:31