This article offers an in-depth overview of the exciting new features introduced with the Overwatch 2 Season 16 patch notes. Dive in to discover everything you need to know!
Key Additions in Overwatch 2 Season 16 Patch Notes
Welcome to the Stadium
Prepare for an exhilarating gameplay experience with the introduction of the Stadium mode in Overwatch 2. This innovative arena allows for a dynamic, customizable playstyle, creating a thrilling best-of-seven round-based combat scenario. To commemorate this launch, players can partake in the Stadium: Initiation event, where exclusive rewards are up for grabs. Additionally, the entry of Freja, a formidable DPS Hero, enriches the roster with her rapid mobility and precision. Visual enhancements in this update include stunning new skins, featuring characters from the Dokiwatch team, and a range of Legendary skins for heroes like Ashe, Genji, Brigitte, Lifeweaver, and Mauga, found within the Premium Battle Pass. Get ready for an action-packed season filled with strategy and creativity!
Stadium: Initiation Event
Mark the debut of Stadium with the Stadium: Initiation event, where victories translate into more than just prestige. Showcase your skills by overcoming challenges, improving your rank, and unlocking unique seasonal cosmetics such as the Soldier: 76 – Stadium Rookie skin and the Juno – Stadium All-Star skin. Whether you’re perfecting your strategic play to dominate opponents or simply enjoying the competition, this event is designed for players ready to make their mark and earn rewards throughout the season.
- Complete event challenges to unlock exclusive rewards like the Stadium Rookie Soldier: 76 skin.
- Achieve All-Star rank in the new ranking system to earn the S16 exclusive Stadium All-Star Juno skin.
- Tackle a series of challenges to earn unique loot boxes.
Exploring Stadium in Overwatch 2 Season 16
Step into Stadium, a fresh core game mode integrated with Overwatch 2! This fast-paced game offers a best-of-seven format where players can strategically customize their Hero loadouts in real-time and enhance their playstyle to outwit enemies. Participants can choose to play in first or third-person perspectives, and can earn bounties to boost their gameplay, ensuring that each match brings a unique thrill. Stadium launches with 17 Heroes and will undergo regular updates, introducing more characters, modes, items, maps, and balance changes for continued excitement.
- Stadium mode is accessible alongside Unranked, Competitive Play, and Arcade options in the main menu.
- Matches are contested by two teams of five players across several rounds.
- The first team to score four round victories emerges as the winner.
- Stadium mode is exclusive to Role Queue.
- Custom Game modes are currently unavailable in Stadium.
- Players from different skills and competitive ranks can group together in Stadium.
New Stadium Maps
- Overwatch 2 Season 16 introduces nine new or modified maps across three distinct types.
- Control maps now feature a single round with expedited capture progress.
- Clash maps focus on three specific objective points.
- Push maps involve a shorter distance to objectives compared to standard Push maps.
Hero Lineup
- Selected Heroes remain locked throughout the match.
- Tank Heroes available include D.Va, Junker Queen, Orisa, Reinhardt, and Zarya.
- Damage Heroes include Ashe, Cassidy, Genji, Mei, Reaper, and Soldier: 76.
- Support Heroes consist of Ana, Juno, Kiriko, Lucio, Mercy, and Moira.
- Perks are disabled in the Stadium mode.
Stadium Cash Explained
- Players can utilize Stadium Cash to purchase items for Heroes while gaining extra maximum health.
How to Earn Stadium Cash
- All players begin with 3,500 cash at match start.
- Gaining damage, healing, eliminations, or assists increases Stadium Cash earnings.
- Players can earn bounties by eliminating or assisting in the takedown of high-performing opponents.
- The top Stadium Cash earner on each team during a round gets a bonus of 1,000 cash.
- Teams trailing significantly at the start of a round are awarded a multiplier to their earnings.
Bounty System
- Every player begins with a bounty value of 300 at the match’s commencement.
- Each elimination or assist boosts a player’s bounty by 75, capping at 2,000.
- If a player with a bounty higher than 300 is eliminated, their bounty resets to 300.
- Eliminating players with a bounty of 300 or less reduces the bounty by 100.
- A player with a bounty of 750 or more will be displayed in the gameplay HUD.
Increasing Maximum Health
- For Damage and Support Heroes, every 500 total cash earned provides a 1-point increase in max health at round’s end.
- Tank Heroes earn an additional max health point for every 750 total cash earned.
- Players can gather up to 300 additional health from Stadium Cash earnings.
- The initial 3,500 cash does not contribute to health increases.
Armory Features
- At the start of each round, players have a limited time in the Armory to make strategic purchases.
- Stadium Cash can be employed to acquire items that enhance Hero abilities and weaponry.
- In rounds 1, 3, 5, and 7, players can select Powers that transform their Hero’s capabilities.
- Example Builds help players kickstart their strategies.
Item Management
- Players can have up to six items equipped at once.
- Items can be sold back at their original purchase values.
- Items are categorized into Weapon, Ability, and Survival types.
- Weapon Items enhance weapon stats that do not have cooldowns for use.
- Ability Items modify ability stats that are limited by cooldowns or ultimate charges.
- Survival Items augment Hero capabilities, enhancing max health, movement speed, etc.
- Items fall into tiers ranging from Common to Epic, with Epic being the most exclusive.
- Many items are universally applicable, while each Hero has exclusive items that affect their unique skills.
Empowering Gameplay with Powers
- During the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th rounds, players equip a Power that enhances their Hero.
- Once a Power is equipped, it cannot be unequipped until the round ends.
Competitive Leagues Structure
- Stadium features its unique ranking system across seven leagues, from Rookie to Legend.
- Each league contains five divisions, with players starting in the Rookie Division 5 at the season’s start.
- Wins yield Stadium Points that assist in league progression.
- In Rookie and Novice Leagues, players do not incur Stadium Point losses upon match defeats.
- Contender and Elite players face minimal Stadium Point deductions for losses.
- In higher leagues, the losses will mirror points won, promoting strategic gameplay.
Exclusive Rewards
- Winning matches in Stadium grants players 10 Competitive Points.
- Additional rewards, including Name Cards, Weapon Charms, and Titles, are awarded based on the highest achieved league throughout the season.
- Epic skins for Orisa, Genji, and Moira are obtainable by reaching the Elite League in their respective roles.
- A Legendary Juno All-Star Skin can be earned by reaching the All-Star League in any role during Season 16.
Leaver Penalties in Competitive Play
- Competitive Leaver Penalties apply to Stadium mode as well.
- Players who disconnect or exit will have a brief window to return without penalty.
- Abandoning matches incurs penalties akin to Competitive Play, including possible season bans.
- Players who are temporarily suspended in one mode cannot participate in the other mode until the suspension is lifted.
Introducing Freja – New Hero
Once a premier search-and-rescue operative for Overwatch, Freja now channels her tracking expertise as a relentless bounty hunter. Combining agility with lethal precision, Freja is designed for players who thrive on fast-paced combat and strategic repositioning. Equipped with her Revdraw Crossbow, she stands out in intense battles, particularly with her Bola Shot Ultimate, which tangles enemies for strategic plays. This dynamic kit is perfect for precision-focused players who demand seamless execution.
- Freja has officially joined the Hero roster.
- She is now available for gameplay in Competitive Play throughout Overwatch 2 Season 16.
Mythic Skin: Heart of Hope Juno
Introducing Juno’s Mythic Heart of Hope skin—an emblem of hope in the interdimensional battle against Woe. This unique skin allows for multiple stages of customization, evolving from a benign protector to an empowered warrior, and even to a corrupted version lost in the fight. Along with stunning visual effects, new hairstyles, and the assistance of the Sharks of Dreams, Juno’s transformation offers a magical narrative that players can control.
New Customization Feature: Iridescent Aspects
Enhance your fully leveled Mythic Hero Skins with the new Iridescent Aspects. This vivid, high-energy upgrade gives Heroes a striking appearance. Mythic Heart of Hope Juno’s Iridescent Aspect launches on April 22, with all previous Mythic Hero Skins to receive theirs starting May 20.
General Enhancements
Streamer Protect Options
- New options to hide player icons and name cards from others, displaying defaults instead.
- Hides player titles as if none were equipped, enhancing privacy during gameplay.
Reporting Features
- Players now receive instant notifications if a reported player has been actioned.
- A new system alerts players regarding bans or suspensions when reports are filed.
- Players can also report directly from replays, using newly developed measures to manage potential mass reporting.
Competitive Play Updates
Hero Ban Integration
- Hero Bans are now a component of Competitive Play modes.
- Players have the opportunity to select a Preferred Hero before the Ban Phase, although this does not guarantee playability.
- During the Ban Phase, players will communicate solely within their team, banning a total of two Heroes per team in a simultaneous process.
- Options can be reset during the ban phase, allowing flexibility in strategy adjustments.
- The results of the bans will be revealed before the game commences, ensuring a tactical approach from the outset.