Blizzard has revealed the first full trailer for Overwatch 2 Season 12: New Frontiers, promising a proper debut for new support hero Juno, a Reaper Mythic skin, and a tease for what seems to be a World of Warcraft crossover.
It’s a two-and-a-half-minute video that shows off the upcoming seasonal update and its ancient Egypt theme along with an assortment of new skins that will be available both via the Battle Pass and in the in-game shop. Some of the cosmetics include new outfits for Mercy, Doomfist, Sigma, Illari, and more, with highlights including a Dorothy/Tin Man skin for Ashe and a sleek, golden look for Echo. Juno is the real star of the show, though, as Blizzard teases her return following a weekend trial period that allowed players to go hands-on last month. Overwatch 2 Season 12 launches August 20.
Reaper is the Hero to win the Mythic skin for Overwatch 2 Season 12. His Anubis outfit comes with three unique styles and what appear to be special voice lines and animations. That marks two seasons in a row that a Damage Hero has gotten the Mythic skin, but that doesn’t mean Blizzard won’t have more cosmetics to reveal as New Frontiers rolls on. Specifically, toward the end of the trailer, we get a sneak peek at a large, blue broadsword that looks remarkably similar to Frostmourne, the giant melee weapon that belongs to World of Warcraft’s Lich King. It seems Blizzard is teasing a full-on World of Warcraft collaboration following last season’s Transformers crossover, with some keen-eyed players noticing that the sword’s rockets suggest that Reinhardt will be one of the characters to get some love yet again.
Blizzard also oversees World of Warcraft, and with so many nods to it already polluting Overwatch 2, it’s no surprise to see the studio doubling down. What is a surprise is Overwatch 2 Season 12’s new game mode: Clash. In a post on its website, Blizzard describes Clash as “an adrenaline-pumping game mode that pits teams against each other in a relentless battle for dominance over multiple capture points.” It’s a straightforward, fast-paced mode that comes with new maps Temple of Anubis and Hanaoka, which might be familiar to fans who have been playing since 2016.
The former carries the same name as Overwatch’s first Assault (a.k.a. Two Capture Point) map, while the latter is clearly inspired by another fan-favorite location, Hanamura. They are both undeniably similar to areas fans have begged to see return since Assault was removed with the launch of Overwatch 2, but instead of simply plopping them back in, Blizzard has reworked them from top to bottom for Clash.
Overwatch 2 Season 12: New Frontiers is also bringing health reductions for a few Damage and Support Heroes, with updates coming for Lifeweaver, too. Players can also expect new Hero Mastery Missions for Zarya and Pharah, with the 2024 Anniversary Event scheduled to launch soon, too. While Blizzard continues to tweak Competitive, it’ll soon introduce a special Xbox promotion for Game Pass holders that nets subscribers a goodie bag come September 17. Included in the offering are 30 Mythic prisms as well as the fan-favorite Cardboard Reinhardt, Turtleship D.Va, Cyberdragon Hanzo, Street Runner Genji, Bee Mercy, and Cleric Lifeweaver. The company encourages players to link their Battle.net accounts as it promises additional rewards in the future.
Overwatch 2 Season 12 aims to take the strategic team shooter to new heights, and it’s part of a wider goal to regain player interest with a number of foundational changes. These include plans for Blizzard to begin testing a return to 6v6 without impacting queue times and on-screen clutter. For more, you can read our original Overwatch 2 review. We gave the game an 8/10, saying, “Overwatch 2’s switch to a 5v5 format breathes new life into what was once the sharpest shooter around. It just hasn’t quite recaptured all of that glory – yet.”
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
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