Why Overwatch 2’s New Mirrorwatch Event Mode is Bittersweet

Frequent in-game seasons and limited-time events are a staple of Overwatch 2, being a key way that the franchise keeps gameplay fresh and fans wanting more. Blizzard seems to be making a concerted effort to increase the scale and frequency of these events recently, with the complex Mirrorwatch event launching on April 23.

Mirrorwatch is one of the most intriguing events that Overwatch 2 has hosted over the years, shaking up the allegiances of the game’s iconic heroes while introducing a wide range of brand-new abilities that players can use. While Mirrorwatch sets an excellent example of gameplay variety that future limited-time game modes should hope to match, the new abilities that the mode features are very reminiscent of what the scrapped PvE skill trees for Overwatch 2 would have featured, serving as a sad reminder of what fans have missed out on.

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Mirrorwatch Gives a Glimpse at What Overwatch 2’s PvE Skills Could Have Been

The unusual way that Overwatch 2 sprouted out of its predecessor meant that Blizzard had to promise a lot of fresh content for the free-to-play 2022 sequel, and the concept of a comprehensive PvE campaign was one of the release’s biggest pull-factors prior to launch. Originally titled Hero Mode, the PvE content for Overwatch 2 was quickly dialed down post-launch to instead feature a handful of distinct PvE Story Missions, with the game currently only featuring three of these experiences:

• Resistance
• Liberation
• Ironclad

The original intentions for Overwatch 2‘s PvE mode included a Talent mechanic, where players could level up heroes to earn points that could be spent on hero-specific skill trees. These skills included things like stat boosts, but crucially allowed players to unlock brand-new abilities for heroes that were not present in Overwatch 2‘s standard PvP gameplay.

Each hero was supposed to have three unique skill trees to choose from, with every character having between 40–50 skills to utilize in-game. With the cancelation of Overwatch 2‘s original PvE plans, the Talents system was completely scrapped, yet the recent Mirrorwatch game mode gives a bittersweet idea of what this could have looked like.

The Future Still Might Be Bright For New Overwatch 2 Hero Abilities

There are 12 playable heroes in Overwatch 2‘s Mirrorwatch mode, with each hero having their “hero or villain” status swapped to justify the changes in their abilities and cosmetics. These ability changes have opened up a wide range of new combat possibilities for certain heroes, with Mercy being able to launch explosive projectiles as just one example. It is likely that some of these abilities have been carried over from Blizzard’s early attempts at introducing new skills for heroes in its original PvE plans, and it is nice to see them used even if only for a limited time mode.

Blizzard also dabbled in hero skill changes with the tongue-in-cheek April Fools event earlier this month, and while these changes should not be taken seriously, the additional changes in Mirrorwatch might indicate that new skills could be considered as permanent additions in the near future. The Mirrorwatch event is set to last until May 14, and aside from its fun reworks of character allegiances, it shows how successful the original plans for Overwatch 2‘s PvE skill trees could have been.

Overwatch 2

Franchise

Overwatch

Released

October 4, 2022

Genre(s)

Shooter

Platforms That Support Crossplay

PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S