Overwatch 2's first story missions are coming August 10th, along with a new PvP mode and Support hero
Story time
Blizzard may have abandoned their plans for a fully-fledged Overwatch 2 PvE mode, but they do still want to tell us some stories. They've just announced Overwatch 2: Invasion, a big update that'll include three story missions, a new PVP game mode, a new Support hero and a handful of hero-specific training missions. It'll land on August 10th.
I do think it's a shame that the team has stepped back from their PvE ambitions, though less because I'm interested in playing and more because I'm up for more shiny cinematics like the original trailer. This one feels much more perfunctory, despite all the giant robots and the way Sojourn cups that Omnic's face as if he's a puppy rather than a fully grown metal man. He's one of the innocent robots kidnapped by Null Sector, the evil terrorist robots, for mysterious purposes.
We know those missions won't have the large-scale, "long-term talent power progression" they were originally going for, but repurposing some of that years-long work gives me hope we'll get more than just slightly zhuzhed up versions of the story missions we saw in Overwatch 1. They should at least be more involved than the separate co-op mission that's also included in the update, where you escort a robot around Kings Row.
There's also a new PvP mode called Flashpoint, where you race around capturing points as they appear on the map. It'll launch with two new maps specifically made for it, which will be "the biggest PvP maps to date". They sound terrible to trudge around as Reinhardt, but a gleeful time for Hammond mains.
Lastly and leastly, the update will also add some hero-specific training missions that come with leaderboards, and a new firing range with tweakable settings. I do like the idea of Hammond obstacle courses, though not every Hero will have training missions to begin with.
There are no details on that new support hero yet, apart from the silhouette at the end of that trailer showing a woman with a cape and a Final Fantasy-sized sword. We do know you'll be able to play her for free if you have Game Pass Ultimate, seen as she's included in the Overwatch 2 New Heroes starter pack that gives you access to all six new Overwatch 2 heroes along with all their cosmetic gubbins.
Just like the update, that's coming on August 10th. Head over to the announcement post for a few more detials.