New Hero Sierra, Returning Post Match Accolades, and a Map Rework — Everything New Coming to Overwatch Season 2

Overwatch will be looking to continue its resurgence ever since ditching the “2” and refocusing its direction with Season 2 of its new era. The Reign of Talon storyline continues in the April 14 update with the arrival of its second chapter, Summit. But what’s new this time around? Well, plenty, it turns out.

A new hero to play with will always be the headline attraction, but there’s lots more to dig into, from map reworks and the return of player accolades to new mythic skins and collaborations. Let’s get stuck and go into all of it in detail ahead of its 11 am PT / 2 pm ET / 7 pm GMT launch time.

New Hero — Sierra

Sierra is a new DPS joining the Overwatch roster. The Head of Security at Watchpoint: Grand Mesa, she’s long fought against Talon and has now decided to join Overwatch. Packed with a murky past, she’s looking to get to the bottom of her mother’s story — the first test subject of the Soldier Enhancement Program — which has naturally led her to Jack Morrison (Soldier 76). Packed with a combat drone called Dorothy and a hard-hitting rifle, she certainly looks fun to play with. Let’s get into the details of her toolkit here:

• Helix Rifle – An automatic assault weapon that shoots in a spiral pattern, gaining accuracy with sustained fire.

• Tracking Shot — An ability that marks an enemy. Helix Rifle shots automatically track marked enemies.

• Anchor Drone — An ability that allows Sierra to launch a drone into mid-air that she can, in turn, launch herself towards.

• Tremor Charge — An ability that throws a grenade that triggers a shockwave upon impact.

• Trailblazer — Sierra’s ultimate ability. It deploys a drone that flies forward and rains down explosives onto enemies.

• Passive — Sierra’s subrole is recon, meaning that enemies are revealed when damaging them at half health.

• Minor Perks — Choose between Full Flight (Increases Anchor Drone flight and grapple range by 25%) or Tight Grip (Helix Rifle’s bullet speed tightens 100% faster and widens 30% slower).

• Major Perks — Choose between Medi-Drone (Anchor Drones hold a small health pack that can heal Sierra) or Locked In (Firing tracking shots increases your attack speed by 20% for 2 seconds).

Operation: Grand Mesa Event

A new season means a new event. Operation: Grand Mesa will move the story of the Reign of Talon along, while allowing players to complete challenges in order to receive rewards. These will, just like last time, mainly include Voice Lines, an Icon, a Name Card, a rare Title, a Spray, Battle Pass Tier Skips, and Loot Boxes. The event will be live on April 14th and last until May 4th. Alongside prizes, the story promises to reveal more about the location of Grand Mesa, as well as Sierra herself, with lore unlocked alongside loot.

Post Match Accolades

Yes, post match accolades are finally back in Overwatch. A beloved feature that was taken away when Overwatch made the transition to its sequel back in 2023, players will now get the chance to give credit to teammates and opponents once a game has ended. Four players will be available to vote from to decide who will be crowned MVP, so you can really thank that teammate for all of their healing and time spent on the objective, rather than the player with the best multikill stealing all of the glory with their play of the game. Plus, there’s the option to join the lobby voice chat to congratulate them verbally. I’m sure that won’t get heated at all.

Antarctic Peninsula Map Rework

Control map, Antarctic Peninsula, has been reworked and will be available from the start of Season 2, having been out of action since late 2025. Redesigned to create “cleaner engagements, smooth out team pushes, and make meaningful flank routes throughout the arctic tundra”, it may not be an entirely new map, but may feel like one. More details on each of the three arenas found on the map, as stated on the Overwatch website, can be found below:

• Icebreaker now features stronger ship theming, streamlined flanks, and new alternate paths that move naturally toward the point.

• Research Station opens its main choke and adds a new backside flank, for better options to push and apply pressure.

• Underground has been updated with higher ceilings, simplified layouts, and clearer staging areas to improve visibility and overall fight flow.

New Mythic Skins

A new full mythic hero skin, plus a new mythic weapon skin, are arriving in Season 2. First up is Soldier 76’s Volted Overdrive skin, which adds layers of electricity and cybernetic upgrades to his look. Details on what is involved in each level can be found here:

• Level 1 unlocks an Ability VFX Toggle that adds a biotech feel to your arsenal.

• Level 2 adds two additional hairstyles, for you to dispense justice in style.

• Level 3 introduces red/black and white/blue colorways, augmenting your cybernetic details so you can glow with dangerous intent or bright appeal.

• Level 4 unlocks the Ambient VFX Toggle, making sparks fly to solidify your Mythic battlefield presence.

Genji will also be receiving some love in a very DPS-friendly update, with the introduction of his Sumi-Ichimonji weapon skin, which leans further into the ninja’s dragon identity. Details on the level progression of his sword can be found here:

• Level 1 unlocks the weapon, establishing your Mythic presence through unique ink and dragon details.

• Level 2 adds reactivity, bringing your weapons to life with flowing splatter effects.

• Level 3 unlocks two flourish animations to celebrate your eliminations, by spinning your shuriken into two variations.

• Level 4 lets you master the blade with a kill VFX where ink follows your command as you slash through enemies.

New Legendary Skins

A couple of new skin packs are on the way in Season 2. These include the Sakura collection, which has cherry blossom-inspired looks for Hanzo, Genji, Freja, Juno, Emre, and Junker Queen. Plus, the K-pop group LE SSERAFIM makes their return to Blizzard’s shooter for the third time, with a bundle that includes all 15 legendary skins released as part of their collaboration to date. Further down the line, it also looks like another Diablo crossover is on the way to Overwatch, with a Mephisto-coded Rammatra skin teased.

Battle Pass

Of course, there are also skins to be found outside of the store, and, instead, inside the battle pass. Season 2 pass sees a Spring Fairy theme come to its rewards, with legendary looks for Ashe, Lifeweaver, Moira, Wuyang, and Echo all included. Opt into the Ultimate Battle Pass tier, and you’ll also get your hands on Spring Fairy Illari and Painter Sierra, as well as 20 tier skips and 2,000 Overwatch coins. Making up the rest of the loot will be 80 mythic prisms, loot boxes, and other cosmetics.

Stadium Changes

Updates are also being made to Overwatch’s Stadium mode, with the introduction of Ramattra as a playable hero, a rework for Juno, plus the midseason arrival of Jetpack Cat. Get ready to be hoisted into the air, whether you like it or not. Control map Lijiang Night Market is also being added to the mix, and season resets are being replaced with a new decay system, which should allow for smoother competitive transitions.

Perks Refresh

Tweaks are on the way for a selection of heroes, freshening up some of the options available to you in the heat of battle. These are listed as:

• Ramattra gains Prolonged Barrier, a Minor Perk that increases Void Barrier’s size and duration by 25%.

• Pharah gains a new Minor Perk that lets Concussive Blast deal up to 50 explosion damage.

• Reaper gains Trigger Finger, a new Major Perk that refreshes Dire Triggers’ cooldown when using an ability and reloading.

• Soldier: 76 gains Agility Training, a Major Perk that increases Sprint speed by up to 60% after two seconds of sprinting.

• Mercy gains Double Dose, a Major Perk that gives Flash Heal an additional charge.

What are you most excited about in Season 2 of Overwatch’s Reign of Talon storyline? Let us know in the comments!

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.