Overwatch 2 Season 16: New Hero, Game Mode, and Massive Updates!

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Summary

  • Overwatch 2 Season 16 introduces the Stadium game mode, a new hero, and much more.
  • The new hero, Freja, offers precision-based gameplay with a fast-charging ultimate.
  • Balance updates in Season 16 either buff or replace underperforming perks for 20 heroes.

The sixteenth season of Overwatch 2 has arrived, bringing along a detailed list of updates, such as the Stadium game mode, Competitive Hero Bans, and modifications to various Perks. A new hero is also making an entrance, significantly altering the dynamics of Overwatch 2 in this season.

The new season 16 for Overwatch 2 has begun, marking one of the game’s largest updates ever! Similar to previous seasons, the Battle Pass in Overwatch 2 has been revamped with a multitude of fresh skins on offer. These include Dokiwatch cosmetics showcasing Mythic Heart of Hope Juno and a series of demonic rock band skins for heroes such as Mauga, Illari, and Lifeweaver. Additionally, starting from May 20, Iridescent Aspects will be unlockable for all existing Mythic skins.

To get players ready for the upcoming changes, patch notes for Season 16 in Overwatch 2 have been shared, highlighting key features. The season’s namesake game mode, Stadium, is the main attraction of the update. This best-of-seven match emphasizing skill and creativity offers customizable Powers and Items for the initial roster of 17 Overwatch 2 heroes at launch. Players can choose these enhancements between rounds in the Armory. With nine maps, a third-person camera perspective, and its own Competitive rank system, Overwatch 2 aims to establish Stadium as a significant element in the FPS genre, providing regular updates and ongoing support moving forward.

Beyond the Stadium’s premises, there’s an upcoming addition to Overwatch 2, a new character named Freja. Formerly an Overwatch operative for search-and-rescue missions, she has switched careers and is now a bounty hunter. As a highly mobile damage dealer, Freja excels through precise attacks, strategic use of abilities, and possesses the fastest ultimate charge in the game. Her gameplay loop offers a challenging yet gratifying experience, with a high learning curve but significant rewards for those who master her, ensuring an engaging play for dedicated fans.

In the world of Competitive Overwatch 2, Hero Bans are now an official part of the game. With this addition, players engaging in competitive play can block up to four heroes per match through a ranked voting system. To maintain balance and variety, no more than two heroes belonging to any single role may be banned during each game. This means that there will always be a good selection of characters for gamers to select from.

Absolutely, any update for Overwatch 2 wouldn’t be whole without some tweaks to balance things out. Twenty heroes in Overwatch 2, such as Reinhardt, Sombra, and Mercy, had their underperforming abilities either enhanced or replaced. Moreover, Orisa, Hanzo, Baptiste, Lifeweaver, and Freja were all given boosts to their main skill sets. Conversely, Tracer and Ana had one Perk reduced to counteract an increase in another, while Winston, Wrecking Ball, and Zenyatta experienced general adjustments. Notably, the changes for Zenyatta only affect 6v6 matches. These alterations and many more are now active in Overwatch 2.

Overwatch 2 Season 16 Patch Notes – April 22, 2025

Season 16 – Stadium

Step into the pinnacle of combat with the brand new Stadium experience for Overwatch 2, where you’ll find that personalization is king in an exhilarating best-of-seven, round-based battle. To commemorate its debut, join the Stadium: Initiation seasonal event to reap unique rewards. Moreover, Freja, the ruthless bounty hunter, makes her entrance as the latest DPS Hero, offering sharp accuracy and swift movement in every encounter. Meanwhile, prepare for awe-inspiring transformations on the battlefield, as teams like Dokiwatch – spearheaded by Mythic Heart of Hope Juno – introduce breathtaking skins. Additionally, Ashe, Genji, Brigitte, Lifeweaver, and Mauga will grace the Premium Battle Pass with their Legendary versions. This season promises a thrilling mix of tactics, competition, and much more, whether you’re outsmarting foes in Stadium, tracking your quarry with Freja, or casting spells with Dokiwatch.

Stadium: Initiation

Kick off Stadium’s debut with the “Stadium: Initiation” – an exclusive event where victories grant you more than just boasting rights! Establish your reputation by overcoming obstacles, advancing in the ranks, and acquiring limited-time cosmetics such as the Stadium Newcomer Soldier: 76 and Stadium MVP Juno skins before they disappear. Master your tactics, crush your adversaries, or just enjoy some wins for the amusement (and the loot) – the Stadium: Initiation event is where you can showcase your abilities and reap the benefits throughout the entire season!

  • Take on event challenges to earn Stadium: Initiation exclusive rewards like the Soldier: 76 Stadium Rookie skin and additional rewards.
  • Reach All-Star rank in the new Stadium ranking system to earn the S16 exclusive Stadium All-Star Juno skin.
  • Complete multiple challenges for unique loot boxes.

Introducing Stadium

Experience the novelty of Stadium, a brand-new mode for Overwatch 2! This high-speed, best-of-7, round-structured gameplay offers you the chance to strategically adapt your Hero’s arsenal, make real-time adjustments, and outsmart opponents using tactical enhancements as you climb the Stadium leaderboard. Choose between first or third person perspectives, collect bounties for quicker progress or dramatic comebacks, and discover endless possibilities as you employ your Heroes in unique ways. With 17 Heroes at launch and regular updates introducing new Heroes, modes, items, abilities, maps, and balance adjustments, Stadium is always evolving. Break the mold, dominate the ultimate arena, and enjoy an exciting time in Stadium! Dive deeper into how Stadium functions by visiting our official blog for more details.

  • Stadium is a new core game mode listed alongside the Unranked, Competitive Play, and Arcade cards in the main menu.
  • Two teams of five compete across multiple rounds and maps.
  • First to four round wins will win the match.
  • Available only in Role Queue.
  • Custom Game modes are not yet available for Stadium.
  • Players may group up with other players regardless of skill or Competitive rank in Stadium.

Stadium Maps

  • Nine new or modified maps on three different map types are added.
  • Control maps play one round only and capture progress is faster.
  • Clash maps play on three objective points only.
  • Push maps play with distance to the objective at approximately half the distance as full Push maps.

Heroes

  • Heroes selected are locked in for the entire match.
  • Tank Heroes: D.Va, Junker Queen, Orisa, Reinhardt, and Zarya.
  • Damage Heroes: Ashe, Cassidy, Genji, Mei, Reaper, and Soldier: 76.
  • Support Heroes: Ana, Juno, Kiriko, Lucio, Mercy, and Moira.
  • Perks are not enabled in Stadium.

Stadium Cash

  • Spend Stadium Cash to buy Items for your Hero and gain additional max health.

Earning Stadium Cash

  • Each player starts with 3,500 at the beginning of the match.
  • Players earn more Stadium Cash by dealing damage, providing healing, and getting eliminations or assists.
  • Players can earn bounties by eliminating or assisting with eliminating an opponent that has been performing well.
  • The player on each team with the most Stadium Cash earned for the round receives a 1,000 cash bonus.
  • A team that is significantly behind at the start of a round will have a bonus multiplier added to their earnings throughout that round.

Bounties

  • Every player starts with a value of 300 at the start of the match.
  • Every time a player gets an elimination or assist their bounty value increases by 75 and can have a maximum value of 2,000.
  • Every time a player with more than 300 is eliminated their bounty is reset to 300.
  • Every time a player with 300 or less is eliminated their bounty value drops by 100.
  • Any player with a bounty of 750 or more is displayed in the gameplay HUD.

Increase Max Health

  • For Damage and Support players every 500 total cash earned adds 1 additional max health at the end of the round and for the remainder of the match.
  • For Tank players every 750 total cash earned adds 1 additional max health for the remainder of the match.
  • Up to 300 additional health can be added on from Stadium Cash earnings.
  • The initial 3,500 cash at the start of the round does not provide additional max health.

Armory

  • At the start of each round, players will enter the Armory and have a limited time to browse.
  • Players can use Stadium Cash to buy Items that modifies their weapons, abilities, and more.
  • On round 1, 3, 5 and 7, players can equip Powers for transformative modifiers that enhances and changes that Hero’s playstyle.
  • Example Builds are available for every Hero. These are great places to start!

Items

  • Players can have up to six Items equipped at any time.
  • Players can sell previously obtained Items for equal value to the purchase price.
  • Items are organized into three categories, Weapon, Ability, and Survival.
  • Weapon Items typically modify the stats of weapons that have no cooldowns to use.
  • Ability Items typically modify the stats of abilities that are limited by a cooldown or ultimate charge.
  • Survival Items typically modify the stats of the Hero’s survival capabilities including max health, movement speed, and more.
  • Items are organized into Common, Rare, and Epic tiers. Common Items are the most affordable with Epic ones being the most exclusive.
  • Many Items are available to equip for all Heroes.
  • Each Hero will have exclusive Hero Items that specifically change the attributes of that Hero’s weapons, abilities, or passives.

Powers

  • At the start of the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th round players will equip a Power for their Hero.
  • Powers cannot be removed once they are equipped.

Leagues

  • Stadium is a competitive mode with its own ranking system.
  • There is a total of seven Leagues, Rookie, Novice, Contender, Elite, Pro, All-Star, Legend
  • Each League has five divisions with 5 being the lowest rank and 1 being the highest.
  • Players start in the Rookie Division 5 League every season.
  • Players gain Stadium Points for every match win along with progress to advancing into the next League.
  • In the Rookie and Novice Leagues, players do not lose Stadium Points for a loss.
  • Players lose small amounts of Stadium Points after a match loss in the Contender or Elite Leagues.
  • Players lose similar amounts of Stadium Points to what they win after a match loss in Pro, All-Star, and Legend Leagues.

Rewards

  • Players earn 10 Competitive Points for every match win in Stadium.
  • Players earn additional rewards including Name Cards, Weapon Charms, and Titles based on which League they reached the highest throughout the season and these rewards are only useable for the duration of the next season.
  • Players can earn the Epic Orisa Elite Skin by reaching the Elite League in the Tank Role in Season 16.
  • Players can earn the Epic Genji Elite Skin by reaching the Elite League in the Damage Role in Season 16.
  • Players can earn the Epic Moira Elite Skin by reaching the Elite League in the Support Role in Season 16. Players can earn the Legendary Juno All-Star Skin by reaching the All-Star League in any Role in Season 16.

Competitive Leaver Penalties

  • The same leaver penalties for Competitive Play also apply for Stadium.
  • Players who disconnect or leave will only have a few minutes to return without penalty.
  • Players who abandon a match entirely will be given the same penalties as if leaving a Competitive Play match up and including a season ban.
  • Players who are suspended or banned in either Stadium or Competitive play cannot play both modes while that suspension is in effect.

New Hero: Freja

As the former elite search-and-rescue operative in Overwatch, I, Freja, have now shifted gears to become a relentless bounty hunter. Agile, tenacious, and lethal, I reward quick-witted players who adapt swiftly, outmaneuver opponents, and strike with pinpoint accuracy. Equipped with my Revdraw Crossbow and an arsenal of agility-enhancing abilities, I excel in high-stress situations. My Bola Shot Ultimate entangles enemies together, providing the perfect setup for devastating team strategies. With a versatile, strategically-focused skillset, I’m tailor-made for players who crave precision – and I never miss my target.

  • Freja is added to the Hero Roster
  • Freja is now playable in Competitive Play

New Mythic Skin: Heart of Hope Juno Hero Skin

In simple terms, the latest character in Heart’s roster, known as Juno, enters the battle against Woe, adorned with her Mythic Heart of Hope skin. This skin offers four unique customization levels that change as Juno’s power and brightness increase. Transforming from a hopeful protector to an invincible warrior, and even a temporarily corrupted form under Woe’s influence, Juno’s progression narrates a tale of resilience and destiny. With exciting visual effects for her abilities, color shifts, new hairstyles, and the Sharks of Dreams as companions, Juno’s transformation is not only cosmetic but an enchanting adventure waiting for you to mold.

New Mythic Aspect: Iridescent Aspects

Presenting the latest addition to our collection: the captivating Iridescent Aspects! This stunning upgrade gives your fully-evolved Mythic Hero Skins a fresh burst of character and radiance. Your Hero will shine brighter than ever with this vibrant, high-energy enhancement. The enchanting Mythic Heart of Hope Juno’s Iridescent Aspect will be available from April 22nd, and all previous Mythic Hero Skins will receive their Iridescent Aspects starting May 20th.

General Updates

Streamer Protect

  • New Option: Hide Player Icon from Others – Displays the default player icon instead.
  • New Option: Hide Name Card from Others – Hides the Name Card, as if no Name Card were equipped.
  • New Option: Hide Player Title from Others – Hides the Player Title, as if no Player Title were equipped.

Reporting Features

  • Players can now receive an instant notification if a player is already actioned.
  • Prior to this feature, reporting a player that had already been banned or suspended would not result in any additional information. The Instant Reporting Feedback feature will immediately inform the player of the fact that banned or suspended players have been actioned when they are reported.
  • Players can now Report from Replays. This new feature benefits from Instant Reporting Feedback described above. Since Replays can be shared, a new set of measures has been developed that will always prevent organized mass reports from taking actions against players.

Competitive Play Updates

Hero Bans

  • Hero Bans have been added to Competitive Play modes.
  • Before the Ban Phase, players will be able to select their Preferred Hero. Selecting a Preferred Hero does not prevent it from being banned, it just communicates which Hero the player would like to play. This selection is optional.
  • Players will enter the Ban Phase before the Versus Screen is displayed.
  • Players can communicate with their own team during this phase but can’t see or communicate with the enemy team.
  • Bans are simultaneous, with each team banning 2 Heroes with a Ranked Choice system.
  • Each player’s first choice carries the most weight, while their second and third choices contribute proportionally fewer votes.
  • Players aren’t required to choose any Heroes to ban; they can pass by pressing the Ready button.
  • Players can reset all their ban choices with the Reset button, or they can select any current choice and then swap that choice individually.
  • Players can see which Heroes their allies are choosing to ban and which Hero they prefer to play on the left side of the screen during the bans phase.
  • Allied choices are ordered from left to right, with the leftmost choice being their highest priority to ban.
  • Ban Results are calculated when the Ban Phase ends. Only 2 Heroes can be banned per role.
  • If a Hero is tied for votes, ties are broken by the number of players that voted for that Hero.
  • If Heroes are still tied, ties are broken randomly.

As a gamer, I’m thrilled about the new update! Now, in competitive play, we have more control over the battlefield. Through team-based voting, we can ban up to two heroes per match, effectively removing key counterparts from the game. This opens up fresh strategies and allows us to adapt our plans on the fly, shaping the meta according to our preferences.

  • In 6v6 Game modes, wave respawn threshold reduced from 6 to 3 seconds.

In the beginning of Season 15, we introduced perks, and it’s thrilling to witness how you’ve taken them up and played around with them. Our aim is to ensure there’s always a significant choice when it comes to both Minor and Major perks, with decisions based on the game’s current state and your preferred playing style. We’re consistently refining perks, which is why we’re making some adjustments across the Hero roster. There will be new perks for 9 Heroes, aiming to provide them with fresh and exhilarating battle tactics. We’re also fine-tuning several perks to enhance the gameplay experience for both those who use them and those who encounter them. It’s been awe-inspiring to observe the community adopt this new system, and we’re continuously evaluating your feedback to make Perks as outstanding as they can be!

Tank

  • D.Va
    • Bunny Stomp
      • Now combined with Ejection Suit.
    • Bunny Power
      • New Minor Perk
      • Eject grants 75 temporary overhealth and Call Mech’s damage radius is increased by 50%.
    • Extended Boosters
      • New Minor Perk
      • Hitting an enemy with Boosters increases the duration by 0.5 seconds.
  • Hazard
    • Off the Top
      • Increase Leap Slash’s damage from 30% to 50%.
  • Orisa
  • Developer Comments: Orisa has been underperforming in comparison to other tanks. Increasing her damage to allow her to be more threatening without boosting her survivability.
    • Augmented Fusion Driver
      • Damage increased from 13 to 14.
    • Fortify
      • Now prevents Hack’s ability lockout from interrupting abilities.
    • Heat Dissipater
      • Increase amount of heat reduced per headshot by 33%.
  • Reinhardt
    • Fiery Uptake
      • Removed.
    • Crusader’s Fire
      • New Minor Perk
      • Refund a charge of Fire Strike when you stun an enemy, overfilling up to 3.
    • Shield Slam
      • Shield Slam distance increased by 50%.
  • Roadhog
    • Hog Toss
      • Removed.
    • Pent Up
      • New Minor Perk
      • When Pig Pen is triggered, refill 50% Take a Breather resource which can overfill.
    • Hogdrogen Exposure
      • Increased radius from 8 to 10 meters.
  • Sigma
    • Levitation
      • Jump can now be held down to hover.
  • Winston
  • Developer Comments: With the introduction of perks, Winston has been overperforming. By adjusting his survivability—exchanging some of his armor for health—we aim to bring him in line with other tanks, without significantly impacting his overall gameplay.
    • Base health increased from 225 to 275.
    • Base armor reduced from 250 to 200.
  • Wrecking Ball
    • In 6v6 game modes, Armor health reduced from 150 to 100.

Damage

  • Cassidy
    • Past Noon
      • Removed.
    • Even the Odds
      • New Minor Perk
    • Regenerate 20 health per second for each enemy targeted by Deadeye.
  • Freja
  • Developer Comments: We received positive feedback during Freja’s Hero trial, and it’s exciting to see how much you enjoy experimenting with her kit. However, we’ve noticed that Freja is struggling to keep up with other Damage Heroes, particularly in terms of lethality. So, we’re adjusting the time it takes for her to earn her minor perk, bringing it in line with other Heroes. Additionally, we’re increasing the number of shots before her max spread kicks in, making her Revdraw Crossbow more reliable at all ranges. Finally, while Freja’s Bola Shot was charging quickly, its effectiveness was somewhat lacking. We’re boosting both its damage and radius slightly, ensuring it can better secure eliminations when it lands.
    • Time to earn Minor Perk reduced by 18%.
    • Revdraw Crossbow
      • Number of shots before max spread increased from 8 to 12.
    • Bola Shot
      • Bola Shot Damage and Explosion radius increased from 5 to 5.5 meters.
      • Bola Shot damage over time increased from 75 to 90.
  • Hanzo
  • Developer Comments: Restoring the functionality of Hanzo’s Storm Bow to retain draw progress will enable him to use wall climb more effectively, improving his ability to take space and position himself.
    • Storm Bow
      • Arrow draw progress is preserved while wall climbing.
    • Storm Arrows
      • Projectile speed increased from 110 to 140 meters per second.
  • Junkrat
    • Aluminum Frame
      • Now also reveals trapped enemies to allies.
    • Tick Tock
      • The description has been changed to “Concussive Mine strengthens .5 seconds after landing, increasing damage by 50%, explosion radius by 50%, and health by 200%.”
  • Mei
    • Chilling Reach
      • Removed.
    • Biting Cold
      • Moved to Minor perk.
      • Secondary fire hits slow enemies by 20% for 1.5 seconds.
    • Deep Freeze
      • New Major Perk.
      • Continuously hitting enemies with primary fire freezes them for a short time.
  • Sombra
    • Viral Efficacy
      • Removed.
    • Encrypted Upload
      • New Minor Perk.
      • Hack can be used while invisible, successful hacks increase the duration of stealth by 2 seconds.
    • Stack Overflow
      • Removed.
    • Viral Replication
      • New Major Perk.
      • Hitting a hacked enemy with Virus spreads Virus to enemies within 8 meters.
  • Soldier: 76
    • Field Emergency
      • The description has been changed to “Biotic Field’s healing is increased by 100% on Low health targets.”
  • Torbjörn
    • Overloaded Turret
      • Now transforms into Level 3 Sentry Turret if Overload was activated before fully constructed.
  • Tracer
    • Flashback
      • Blinks restored reduced from 3 to 2.
    • Quantum Entanglement
      • Quantum Entanglement now additionally grants 20 over ammo.

Support

  • Ana
    • Groggy
      • Reduced initial slow from 75% to 50%.
      • Now also deals 50 damage over the duration.
    • Biotic Bounce
      • Second bounce damage and healing reduced from 50 to 25.
  • Baptiste
    • Biotic Launcher
      • Healing explosion increased from 50 to 60.
      • Direct impact healing increased from 20 to 30.
      • Maximum ammo reduced from 13 to 10.
    • Assault Burst
      • Will now do instant healing but cannot critically heal low targets.
  • Juno
    • Hyper Boost
      • Removed.
    • Re-Boots
      • Moved to Minor Perk.
      • Duration increase removed.
    • Locked On
      • New Major Perk.
      • Reduce the cooldown of Pulsar Torpedoes by 1.5 seconds for every enemy hit.
  • Lifeweaver
    • Thorn Volley
      • Projectile speed increased from 80 to 100 meters per second.
    • Lifeweaving
      • Bonus healing increased from 30 to 40.
  • Lúcio
    • Groovin
      • Removed.
    • Beat Drop
      • New Minor Perk.
      • Amp it Up is active during Sound Barrier.
  • Mercy
    • Angelic Recovery
      • Removed.
    • Angelic Resurrection
      • New Minor Perk.
      • Mercy gains 100 overhealth after casting Resurrect.
  • Zenyatta
    • Orb of Discord
      • In 6v6 game modes, Duration before expiring when target is out of sight reduced from 3 to 1.5 seconds.
    • Ascendance
      • Jump can now be held down to hover.
    • Duality
      • Increased converted damage from 20% to 30%.

Bug Fixes

  • Heroes
    • Juno
      • Fixed an issue with Juno’s Ember skin.
    • Kiriko
      • Fixed an issue preventing Kiriko’s wall climb animation from playing after swift step.
    • Ramattra
      • Fixed an issue with Rammatra’s Void Barrier animation.

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2025-04-22 22:40