Making one of Atomic Heart’s quirkiest side characters the star of its first dose of DLC is a clever touch. Few moments in the main game were more memorable than those spent with NORA, the sex-mad Soviet AI running riot within the lewd and lustful upgrade machines dotted throughout Facility 3826. Annihilation Instinct’s story picks up after the weaker of the main game’s two anticlimactic endings and pits us against NORA, who’s gone completely rogue. Unfortunately, unlike the main campaign itself, the gauntlet you run in Annihilation Instinct is a largely linear and fairly forgettable few hours, with a stripped-back suite of weapons and power-ups giving it less of an opportunity to distinguish itself.
The added context Annihilation Instinct eventually provides about why NORA has consistently had the hots for our main man P-3 in the first place feels inessential, but it fits firmly within the fiction. What’s less elegant is the fact that, since Atomic Heart has two entirely different endings, Annihilation Instinct can only pick up from one of them and – at least for a while – it didn’t seem entirely clear which one that was. If you’ve only finished Atomic Heart once (and battled all the way to Sechenov’s office in the process) you’re probably going to be thoroughly confused at the outset.
It also creates a weird kink in the storytelling where we know more about certain characters than P-3 does himself in this timeline, thanks to a pivotal encounter that appears now to have never occurred. I will admit, there were also times where Annihilation Instinct leans a bit too heavily into its techno-babble, to the point where I found myself simply nodding along politely. It’s a little like trying to explain nuclear fission to your dog.
All of this takes place in Mendeleev Complex, an entirely new location which is under the iron grip of the naughty NORA, and once again there’s admittedly little to fault in Annihilation Instinct’s visual design. It features a terrific set of environments that are easily on-par with the atompunk-inspired labs and facilities of the original, and the retro-futuristic aircraft hangar is particularly strong – even though it’s not actually somewhere you need to linger long. However, while it includes some open space above ground, Annihilation Instinct otherwise funnels us through a linear set of encounters that don’t give us a great deal of scope to explore its interesting world.
The new robot types are well designed – not surprising, following the strength of the enemy designs in Atomic Heart – but there are only two of them.
The new robot types are well designed – not surprising, following the strength of the enemy designs in Atomic Heart – but there are only two of them. The new humanoid robots – which are characterised by a more crash test dummy appearance than the sleek, moustachioed attack bots we were carving up back in February – creepily tiptoe towards us like deadly dolls. They also toss their limbs like boomerangs, which is a neat idea cheapened by the fact that this attack could be effective through walls.
The others are BEA-Ds, which are basically inflatable gym ball-sized bots that can combine to form more powerful foes. There are two scripted boss fights against a few-dozen BEA-Ds that have formed what essentially looks like a giant, weaponised Mr. DNA from Jurassic Park. It is, however, just the same boss fight twice, so the second time around it’s a lukewarm and repetitive way to close out the chapter.
The sparse new enemy types would be less of a downer if there were a lot of new ways to dispose of them and their older counterparts, but disappointingly, there aren’t actually many weapons available in Annihilation Instinct. Only two are new – there’s a melee weapon that’s part halberd and part gardening tool, and a jerry-rigged light machine gun that doesn’t quite have the stopping power I’d expect from something so large and menacing. These can be upgraded, although I don’t know that it’s worth schlepping back and forth across the Mendeleev Complex to do so. A hugely explosive power-up disguised as a chocolate bar makes an appearance too, but I ransacked a lot of rooms and only ever came across a couple of them. It’s a grand effect – and crucial in a late, unfair encounter that pins P-3 in a small room to fend off a ridiculous wave of robots – but it’s a rare sight.
I did get a lot of use out of the new ability to slow down time within a bubble around me, but most of the other powers from Atomic Heart (like ice and telekinesis) are absent in this DLC for reasons that aren’t entirely clear. Combined with the fact the only original weapons that reappear are a pistol, a shotgun, and a club, there are times when Annihilation Instinct feels more like a demo that gives you a taste of the main campaign than post-release DLC that adds on new stuff.
Marble It Up! Ultrais the long-awaited marble platformer from the creators of Xbox 360’s Marble Blast Ultra. Available for pre-order now, it launches on Xbox One and Series X|S on August 17th. Master marble physics in a gravity-defying journey filled with hazards, obstacles, hidden treasures, and mind-bending challenges, then take your skills online to compete in robust cross-platform multiplayer!
At its core, Marble It Up! Ultra is a platformer where players navigate through a series of intricate and dynamic levels, from the starting point to the goal, overcoming obstacles, hazards, and time constraints. Intuitive and buttery smooth controls allow players to perform precise movements, making it easy to learn but difficult to master. Race against your friends’ best times, or check out the top routes on the global leaderboards.
The standout feature is cross-platform multiplayer. Smash opposing marbles in Sumo, race to the treasure in Gem Hunt, run for your life (or hunger for brains) in Zombies, and team up to go for the goal in Soccer. Bring all of your marble skills to bear in these competitive game modes!
The game’s vibrant colors and meticulously designed environments create an inviting and visually captivating experience. From serene cloud-dotted landscapes to gravity-bending space puzzles, each level offers a unique and artistic appeal that keeps players engaged while challenging their skills. It also features an original heart-pounding soundtrack that complements the play perfectly.
Marble It Up! Ultra boasts an impressive array of over 117 single-player levels across 10 chapters. Multiplayer offers an impressive 24 Levels and 4 game modes, each with its own set of obstacles, objects, and power-ups. A new marble, hat, or trail is hidden in every level. Customize and show off your collection in multiplayer and on the leaderboards. Physics-bending Weekly Challenges ensure there’s always something new to explore.
With its intuitive controls, brilliant level design, beautiful visuals, and driving beat, Marble It Up! Ultra brings new life to the physics-platformer genre. Whether you’re a fan of marble-based games or new to the subtle joy of rolling, Marble It Up! Ultra is an absolute must-play. Pick it up on August 17th, or pre-order now to get an exclusive marble, hat, and trail.
✰ Preorder Marble It Up! Ultra now to get the full game and unlock the preorder-only Hidden Gems pack – including an exclusive marble, trail, and hat combo! ✰
The Marble It Up! Ultra preorder offer is available from August 10th until launch on August 17th.
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Marble It Up! Ultra is the pinnacle of marble platforming from the minds behind Marble It Up! and Marble Blast. World-class level design, buttery-smooth controls, gorgeous visuals, and exhilarating multiplayer – welcome to the ultimate marble experience!
A Vast Campaign
Roll through an extensive single-player campaign filled with dangerous obstacles, mind-bending paths, shifting gravity, bouncy floors, and potent power-ups.
Multiplayer Mayhem
Embrace the five competitive and chaotic multiplayer modes. Team up to hunt gems, score goals, escape zombies, and prove your marble mettle online. Blast your way to glory!
A Beautiful Collection
Unlock a magnificent collection of marbles, trails, and hats! Find hidden trophies, earn medals, and play online – all while earning your next piece of marble fashion.
Master Your Skills
Push yourself to the next level. Hunting achievements and climbing the Global Leaderboards are sure-fire ways to become a marble master! Weekly Challenges add new modifiers to levels for a fresh new way to compete each week!
As players delve deeper and deeper into the full launch of Baldur’s Gate 3, certain companion characters are standing out as especially beloved to fans. There’s problematic faves Asterion and Shadowheart, who players are convinced they can “fix.” There’s (of course) the bear everyone wants to bang. And then there’s Karlach, who early access players are discovering has gotten one heck of a glow-up in the full release:
As many players have pointed out on Reddit, Karlach used to look, well, quite different. As you can see above, her earlier look left a lot to be desired. It was early access, after all. She’s gone through multiple appearance changes throughout early access, from her very first character model shown above to her current (quite literally) hot self. In fact, fans are so happy with her glow-up that some are taking the opportunity to see the old model off in, well, dramatic ways (CW: violence).
However, other fans have pointed out that there’s yet another version of Karlach they’d prefer that’s neither the early access version nor the current version. During early access, fans found a datamined Karlach appearance with a scarred face that they like so much some are modding it into the current game. Though the scarred appearance didn’t make it into the final version, many feel it suits Karlach’s battle-hardened backstory, contrasting well with her lighter, goofier personality.
But one thing everyone can agree on is that we all love Karlach and would protect her with our lives. If you haven’t tracked her down yet in Baldur’s Gate 3, I highly recommend you get on top of that with our Karlach companion guide. And for everything else you didn’t know you didn’t know about Baldur’s Gate 3, check out our guides to Races and Subraces, Classes and Subclasses, and How to Build a Character before you get started, and take a peek at our walkthrough whenever you find yourself stuck.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Picture this: Faerûn, 1492 DR. You’re walking down the road with your pals when you suddenly smell smoke. Around the bend, you come across an inn engulfed in flames. Inside, you can hear multiple voices screaming for help. You know you should rush in and save them, but your party is a bit battered from the last battle with the local goblins. So you sit down, make camp, and take a long rest to make sure you’re fit to save everyone. Hours later, your health replenished, you stand up, only to discover the inn has burned to ash and everyone died.
Well, yeah, what did you think was going to happen?
There’s been a lot of discussion lately in the Baldur’s Gate 3 community about the intersection of long rests, missable events, and quest progression. A number of people have reported finding themselves in situations where a quest seemed to progress without their input, a character moved on from the location they were supposed to meet them in, or someone died because the player didn’t help them fast enough. Several theories have been thrown around as to why this is happening, and one prevalent suggestion is that taking too many long rests can push the clock forward and cause certain events to progress.
For instance, one player reported a situation with an early quest involving a druidic ritual they wanted to stop. They claimed they went off to do some other things, but when they came back the ritual had completed and they weren’t given a chance to stop it. Multiple other users replied, suggesting the player may have taken too many long rests.
But is that really what’s going on? Should we all be terrified of long resting? We checked in with Larian Studios to see if long rests do, in fact, progress the clock forward. This was the studio’s reply:
“It’s not about how many long rests you take. but when you choose to take a long rest can have an effect. For instance, if you enter a town and see an inn on fire and you immediately decide to go to bed, that may have consequences.”
But that answer from Larian leaves one unanswered question: what’s happening, then, with all those people reporting quests moving forward without their input? The answer varies based on the situation, but in most cases, it sounds like players are completing other quests elsewhere that are then influencing events elsewhere in the world. For example, most players meet Lae’zel near the wreck of the Nautilid, but my party accidentally missed her. When we came back to find her, she had moved on. We’re not sure what exactly triggered her to disappear, but we’d completed dozens of quests by then, so it’s extremely likely something else we did caused her quest to progress. Given the situation she was in, it would have been silly to expect her to hang around anyway.
Additionally, it’s worth pointing out that moving from Act 1 to Act 2 will automatically complete most possible Act 1 events and make it impossible to backtrack and pick up those dropped threads. So if you beelined your way through the first act and then wondered why you missed stuff back in Emerald Grove, that’s likely the reason.
There you have it, then: If you are in an immediate, urgent situation where someone’s about to be murdered or an inn is burning down, don’t camp out overnight right in front of it; solve the problem first. But if you’re dealing with a more long-term problem, like an infestation of goblins in the next town over, it sounds like you can long rest as much as you like and still have goblins left to boot out.
What comes with free Gunnar blue light glasses and a copy of Starfield? Yup, it’s the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D when you buy it from Scan, and no I didn’t expect that either. Still, these freebies are on top of the lowest price we’ve ever seen for the fastest gaming CPU on the market, making this a deal that’s well worth your time if you’re considering a new gaming rig.
“Yes, my body is ready to deliver the keynote at #PAXWest”.
PAX West 2023 is fast approaching, and the convention’s opening keynote will be kicking off proceedings on 1st September. Today, show organisers ReedPop and Penny Arcade have revealed that one Reggie Fils-Aimé — former president of Nintendo of America — will be delivering this year’s keynote.
Reggie will be delivering a “fun and personal keynote speech celebrating his career” to open up the long weekend. There will also be a Q&A session, and you can submit your questions to the former NoA President through a form on PAX West’s website.
Overwatch 2: Invasion includes all-new Invasion story missions, a support hero: Illari, permanent game mode: Flashpoint, and more!
Xbox Wire gets an exclusive look at New Junk City, one of the biggest and most epic Overwatch 2 maps to date.
Game Pass Ultimate members can claim a perk and receive the New Heroes Starter Pack, featuring instant access to all six Overwatch 2 heroes, a Legendary skin for each, and additional cosmetics.
The biggest update to Overwatch 2 since the game launched is upon us, ushering in a massive new map, a support hero: Illari, permanent game mode: Flashpoint, Invasion story missions, and much more! Plus, there’s new cosmetic rewards, an all-new hero progression system, and a Game Pass Ultimate Perk you don’t want to miss!
As a player fascinated with the hero backstories and learning more about the lore of the game, I was particularly interested in focusing my attention on the story missions, before exploring some of the other content included in the Invasion update, which I’ve summarized below.
Story Missions
Overwatch 2: Invasion features three all-new co-op campaign story missions. Team up with friends, matchmake with random players, or try your luck with bots as you choose from a handful of available heroes (each mission has specific heroes you can choose from) to take on swarms of Null Sector bots and more fearsome adversaries, like the Stalker and artillery war bots. These story missions are like Overwatch Archives missions, but on a much grander scale, with each occurring on its own unique map. These are the biggest maps ever featured in Overwatch and Overwatch 2, and they are swarming with Null Sector bots. As you progress through the missions and listen to the characters interact, you’ll discover more about their individual relationships and the lore of the game.
Resistance (Rio de Janeiro)
The new Overwatch team answers a distress call in Rio do Janeiro.
Liberation (Toronto)
Overwatch goes to Null-Sector-Occupied Toronto in search of an old friend.
Ironclad (Gothenburg)
Brigitte and Reinhardt head to Gothenburg for a family reunion.
Additionally, each mission includes a list of challenges, and you will earn rewards for completing them. But be warned, even on normal difficulty, they are quite challenging (and seemingly impossible on the harder difficulty levels). Depending on the difficulty setting and how well your team does, and how much you stop to enjoy the view and explore, each mission will take approximately 20 minutes to complete, and completing each of the Story Missions unlocks a new Legendary skin and access to Sojourn as a playable hero in your PVP games.
It’s important to note that while the core game of Overwatch 2 is free, the Story Missions require you to purchase the Invasion Bundle, which includes access to all Invasion Story Missions and 1,000 Overwatch Coins. There’s also an Overwatch 2: Invasion Ultimate Bundle available, which includes the Story Missions, plus Null Sector-themed Legendary skins for Cassidy and Kiriko, and the Invasion Premium Battle Pass, featuring 80 tiers of rewards to level up your look.
Event Missions
Event Missions are free co-op experiences and will be released each season. Each week the event will update with new challenges, heroes, and ways to play – so the experience will be different each week. To kick off the event missions, Overwatch 2: Invasion includes the King’s Row: Underworld event mission.
King’s Row: Underworld
King’s Row: Underworld is a co-op event mission included in the Overwatch 2: Invasion update and will be available until September 4. Team up and prevent Null Sector from taking over the Omnic Underworld in King’s Row. It will be up to you to reactivate and bring the combat-modified TS-1 push bot to the bunkers that hold innocent Omnics hostage.
Hero Mastery Missions
Coming later in the season, Hero Mastery Missions are free single-player experiences designed to help you learn, and ultimately master, each of the Overwatch 2 heroes and their specific skills. Performance is tracked via leaderboard, which is sure to add a competitive element and bragging rights for those looking to be the best.
New Game Mode – Flashpoint
Flashpoint is a new game mode incorporating features from other modes into a brand-new game type. Flashpoint uses randomized control points, and each time a Flashpoint is captured, the next will immediately unlock in a random location on the map. Capture three before the opposing team does and you win the match.
New Junk City
New Junk City is a Flashpoint map where each of its Flashpoints will have a different theme and mood that help to distinguish one from another – including a mech-crunching battle arena, the ramshackle living quarters of the ducts, and the polluted and broken-down refinery. This scrapyard metropolis features tons of unique environmental art designs, including posters, graffiti, and signs, all exploring the unspoken story of the Junkers and their leader, the Junker Queen, showcased in one of the biggest and most epic maps to date.
Players will need to stay sharp in New Junk City as they play Flashpoint. Both teams will be rushing from their spawns to get to the Hammer Mill, the starting point in the center of the map, as the starting control point to capture. It’s a nonstop, chaotic run-and-gun shootout between both teams as they work to capture three of the Flashpoints and be crowned victors of New Junk City!
New Junk City and the Flashpoint game mode are available in unranked today, with it also coming to competitive play at a later date.
New Support Hero – Illari
The newest hero to answer the call in Overwatch 2: Invasion is Illari, a support class hero with healing abilities, but also combat ready and able to dispense with the damage. Her Solar Rifle fires a precision beam of sunlight that can either do heavy damage to enemies or heal allies. Illari is also equipped with a deployable Healing Pylon, which can be used at opportune times, like when the team is pushing the objective or to keep an outnumbered player or two alive until reinforcements arrive. Plus, Illari can knock enemies back and propel herself to safety with her Outburst ability and unleash a massive ball of solar energy with Captive Sun, her ultimate ability, which will leave those affected by the blast vulnerable to lethal explosions if they take too much damage.
Game Pass Ultimate Perk
Unlock Illari and the rest of the Overwatch 2 heroes when you claim the Game Pass Ultimate Perk – New Heroes Starter Pack. This unique bundle for Xbox includes instant access to all six Overwatch 2 heroes, a Legendary skin for each of them, and additional in-game cosmetics. You can also unlock Illari instantly with the Invasion Premium Battle Pass for 1,000 OW coins in the in-game shop.
Overwatch 2: Invasion is out now! Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate battlefield brawl. For more information on Overwatch 2: Invasion, check out the official website and follow @PlayOverwatch on Twitter.
New to Overwatch 2? Unlock the full game experience with the Overwatch 2: Complete Hero Collection!
This bundle includes:
– Instant access to all legacy Overwatch heroes
– Instant access to 6 Overwatch 2 heroes
– 3 legacy Epic Overwatch skins
– 3 legacy Legendary Overwatch skins
– 1,000 Overwatch Coins
– 1,500 Overwatch Credits
With your Overwatch Coins, you can purchase the Premium Battle Pass (sold seperately) or in-game cosmetic items from the Shop or Hero Gallery to customize your heroes. With your Overwatch Credits, you can purchase legacy in-game cosmetic items from the Hero Gallery to customize your heroes. Owners of the Premium Battle Pass can also use Overwatch Coins to unlock Tiers and instantly access Legendary and Mythic content.
Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Team up with friends and dive into the reimagined PvP experience as a time-jumping freedom fighter, a beat-dropping battlefield DJ, or one of over 30 other unique heroes as you battle it out around the globe.
EVER EVOLVING HEROES, NEW MAPS, NEW WAYS TO PLAY AND UNIQUE COSMETICS! Lead the charge, ambush your enemies, or aid your allies as one of Overwatch’s distinct heroes. Take them into battle across 24 futuristic maps inspired by real-world locations, and master multiple unique game modes.
EMBARK ON MYTHICAL ADVENTURE IN SEASON 5
Journey through the High Fantasy-themed Battle Pass and play through a new story progression experience, Questwatch. Get the Premium Battle Pass and unlock armor variations for the all-new Mythic Adventurer Tracer skin on Tiers 45, 65, and 80, along with other themed Legendary skins, and dozens of new cosmetics. Discover new ways to play and earn free rewards by jumping into Summer Games, with returning Lúcioball and new Beach Volleyball game modes. Make sure to sneak through the new prop hunt game mode, Mischief and Magic, to finish the season!
A mobile phone number must be linked to your Battle.net Account to play Overwatch.
To kick off QuakeCon 2023, Bethesda and ID Software have released a remaster of Quake II.
Complete with visual enhancements, a new expansion, multiplayer, and the Nintendo 64 version of Quake II bundled in, this remaster is available now on Xbox One and Series S | X, Nintendo Switch, PC, and both PS4 and PS5. It’s also available through both Xbox and PC Game Pass and is playable via Xbox Cloud Gaming.
This shadow drop mirrors that of Quake 1’s remaster which hit Xbox, Switch, and PC, and was announced at QuakeCon and released the same day in 2021. QuakeCon, one of the world’s biggest LAN parties, has been around since 1996.
The bring-your-own-controller event has always been a hotbed for arena shooter-style multiplayer, but it’s also perched almost exactly halfway between summer events like E3 or Summer Game Fest and the holiday shopping season, making it ripe for ID and Bethesda to show off what they’ve been working on before their games hit store shelves. For example, leads from ID Software took the stage in 2018 to reveal extended gameplay for DOOM Eternal.
Some fans expected the remaster since numerous clues hinted towards its existence. In June, IGN reported on a listing for ‘Quake II Enhanced’ on a South Korean ratings board, which was initially spotted by Gematsu, in June. More recently, reliable video game industry leaker, billbil-kun, predicted the announcement, even nailing the game’s release time and USD $9.99 price point.
This isn’t just a remastered version of the beloved 1997 FPS. In addition to a fully remastered version of the original game and its Nintendo 64 port from the same year, this remaster also includes 28 new campaign levels and one new Deathmatch map developed by MachineGames, the studio behind the recent Wolfenstein games and the upcoming untitled Indiana Jones game.
QuakeCon isn’t the only event on Bethesda and Xbox Game Studios’ calendar this month. Gamescom, the world’s biggest gaming convention, kicks off on August 23. Microsoft has confirmed that it will have a presence at the Cologne, Germany-based convention with plans to show off new gameplay from Starfield, Forza Motorsport, and more.
Overwatch 2: Invasion has arrived. Experience all-new OW2 Invasion story missions, a new support hero, new skins and cosmetic rewards, and all-new ways to play. Read on for an exclusive look at the new map, Suravasa, a beautiful garden sanctuary in the heart of India, and everything it has to offer.
Discover the exotic gardens of Suravasa
Overwatch 2 already features beautiful temple locations like Nepal, Ayutthaya, and Busan, but it is the gardens of Suravasa, one of Overwatch’s largest and most intricate maps ever created, that will captivate your imagination.
A key element in the design of Suravasa is water. The map has more water-based environment art effects than any map in Overwatch 2. Woven through the environment art are paths lined with waterfalls, fountains, aqueducts, and ponds. Be careful to watch your step, though—you wouldn’t want to fall into the lagoons where the local alligators make their home.
Suravasa’s massive design is punctuated by its five distinct Flashpoints, each with their own look and feel-more on this below
Flashpoint brings non-stop action like never before
Overwatch 2 is not just about eliminating your opponents. There are four different game modes in the 5v5 action-packed gameplay of Overwatch 2, all completing different objectives. These can be as simple as pushing a payload or capturing an area of the map from your opponents. With Flashpoint, we’re taking many of the fun mechanics of our other game modes and creating a non-stop brawl that will test players at all skill levels. Teams will converge at a Flashpoint and try to capture it before the opponents. When a team does capture a Flashpoint, it will be a running firefight to the next one as it unlocks right away without stopping. Whoever can capture three Flashpoints first wins the match!
Suravasa and the Flashpoint game mode is now available in unranked today, with it also coming to Competitive Play coming at a later date.
Burst down your opponents with new Support hero Illari
Overwatch 2 features over 30 heroes across three roles, Tank heroes, which dominate the front line; Damage heroes, which flank and deal massive damage; and Support heroes, which help support their team with healing and utility. In Overwatch 2: Invasion, our newest Support hero, Illari, joins the ranks. What sets Illari apart from other supports is that she has a very damage-focused kit so that you can heal your team while dominating the opposition.
As the last survivor of a warrior group of protectors called the Inti, she taps into the power of the sun to strike down enemies and support her allies.
Equipped with a powerful Solar Rifle, she fires a beam of sunlight that can do powerful precision damage but can also heal her allies. She can also deploy her Healing Pylon, which can keep nearby allies alive on the objective or in tight chokeholds. If she needs to escape a dangerous situation, her Outburst ability will knock back opponents and propel herself to safety.
Every hero also has an ultimate ability, which you build up during gameplay, which can change the course of a match at the right moment. So when things get intense, her Captive Sun ultimate ability fires a massive ball of solar energy, which will leave opponents Sun Struck, making them vulnerable to lethal explosions if they take too much damage. Skilled players can combine Captive Sun with their teammates’ ultimates to create lethal combos that will send the entire opposing team back to the spawn room.
When you first play Overwatch 2, you’ll have access to a selection of heroes to jump into battle with, but you can unlock Illari instantly with the Invasion Premium Battle Pass for 1,000 OW Coins, now available in the in-game shop. If you are new to Overwatch 2, you can also unlock Illari with the Complete Hero Collection, which grants access to every hero in the game instantly, including all Overwatch 2 heroes along with 3 Legendary skins and 3 Epic skins for select heroes, 1,000 Overwatch Coins for the in-game shop and 1,500 credits to unlock more cosmetics in the Hero Gallery.
Answer the call in the latest chapter of the Overwatch 2 story
When you have conquered your opponents through the markets and temples of Suravasa, and you’re looking for a new challenge, you can team up with your friends to take part in the all-new OW2 Invasion story missions. Throughout the exciting co-op campaign, you’ll face swarms of Null Sector bots as you fight through three missions across the cities of Rio de Janeiro, Toronto, and Gothenburg, all while progressing through the rich lore and story of Overwatch 2. Challenge yourself against powerful enemies like the Stalker and the Artillery war bots and earn new rewards as you complete the challenges for each mission.
You can answer the call with the Overwatch 2: Invasion Bundle available at PlayStation Store, which includes access to all Invasion story missions and 1,000 Overwatch Coins. Completing each of the Invasion story missions unlocks a new Legendary skin and access to Sojourn as a playable hero in your PVP games. You can also upgrade to the OW2 Invasion Ultimate Bundle, including Null Sector-themed Legendary skins for Cassidy and Kiriko, and the Invasion Premium Battle Pass, featuring 80 tiers of rewards to level up your look.
Challenge yourself in the King’s Row: Underworld co-op event
OW2: Invasion also features a brand new free-to-play co-op event available for a limited time only, King’s Row: Underworld. Free to play for everyone, join your friends and work to stop Null Sector from taking over the Omnic Underworld in King’s Row. It will be up to you to reactivate and bring the combat-modified TS-1 push bot to the bunkers that hold innocent Omnics hostage. Just be ready to handle waves of Null Sector forces, including a powerful new support unit that will keep devastating OR-14 attack bots repaired from your attacks. The fun doesn’t end after your first completion; you’ll be jumping back in every week for new challenges, heroes, and ways to play that update weekly throughout the Underworld event live through September 4.
Overwatch 2 is free-to-play, as are the PvP matches and the new King’s Row: Underworld event. Answer the call and save the world today. Available on PS5 and PS4.
Overwatch 2: Invasion is out now August 10th on all platforms including, for the first time, Steam. Invasion brings in Story Missions, new Support Hero, new game mode Flashpoint, and more. Here’s everything you need to know about the Invasion season update in Overwatch 2.
New Support Hero: Illari
Illari is the 10th Support Hero to be added to Overwatch 2. Illari gets her power from the sun, and her kit revolves around solar powered attacks and healing. Here’s how she plays:
Primary – Solar Rifle: Illari uses a long range auto-charging rifle | Secondary Fire: A medium range healing beam that consumes solar energy.
Ultimate – Captive Sun: Illari shoots a fire ball of solar energy that slows hit enemies and explodes them after taking significant damage. (Similar to how the Needler works in Halo)
Tactical – Healing Pylon: Drops a pylon that heals allies (it can last however long as long as it is not shot down).
Shift – Outburst: Launches Illari in the direction she’s moving and knocks back enemies while giving her a slight health boost. Holding the ability will cause her to jump higher.
Story Missions
Story Missions on Invasion take place in three maps: Rio de Janeiro, Toronto, and Gothenburg. Your mission is to fight back against Null Sector, a rogue Omnic group that invaded Paris at the start of their global takeover. Chronologically, this Story Mission takes place after Winston’s Recall short when he put out a call for help to band together Overwatch. So Lucio hasn’t even met Reinhardt yet and this story will follow how these heroes met each other and what happened before the invasion happened.
Each mission will take about a half hour or forty minutes depending on difficulty level and player coordination (we all have that one friend who can’t seem to stick together). I was lucky enough to have played the previous Rio de Janeiro Story Mission at Blizzcon 2019 when the original demo for that mission was available.
There have been some updates since that build but it was honestly hard to point out all of the changes since it had been so long. The two noticeable changes are that you’re allowed hero choices now and AI improvements have been made for your PvE team when you load in and are missing a player and a bot takes their place.
In order to access story missions you have to purchase the Overwatch 2: Invasion Bundle for $15. This grants you access to the story missions during the season and permanently after, 1000 Overwatch Coins (which is how much the Premium Battle Pass costs), new Sojourn Legendary skin, and permanent access to Sojourn as a playable hero for new players after completing Story Mission Challenges.
New Limited Time Event: King’s Row – Underworld
Underworld is a new co-op event that is free to play for everyone. Players will be going to King’s Row to stop Null Sector from completetly taking over the Omnic Underworld by reactivating a combat bot to help omnics escape.
The Null Sector force will be more challenging this time around in Underworld and a new support bot will be healing the big boss OR-14 attack bot you’re facing off against. There will be new challenges added to Underworld throughout the limited time it’s available. Underworld will only be availabe from August 10th to September 5th.
New Game Mode: Flashpoint
Flashpoint is the new core game mode added to Quickplay and Competitive this season. In this mode, two teams of five will face off and have to secure rotating capture points called Flashpoints. The first to three capture points will win the game. There will be five different Flashpoints randomly activated throughout the map.
The two maps available for Flashpoint are Suravasa and New Junk City. These matches are a bit quicker than Control since the capture speed is 50 seconds faster in Flashpoint. The Control capture time is 120 seconds and Flashpoint capture time is 70 seconds.
These matches should take about 8-15 minutes to complete and will be coming to Competitive queues after a few weeks of launch and balancing.
Gameplay Changes
With the new season launch, there’s a new way to warm up and practice with a new Hero Mastery mode. Hero Mastery consists of training courses that are specially designed for testing your abilities with each hero. These Hero Mastery missions will be free and have global leaderboards if you want to compete for the top spot for specific heroes.
Hero Mastery Mode will launch later into this season but you can access a brand now Practice Range right away. The Practice Range has an updated way of testing your aim and warming up with more dynamic bots, shielded bots, and customizable settings on the bots you’re testing aim and skills with.
There will also be a Hero Progression system that tracks the way you play individual heroes through different categories and level up. So players are going to be assessed for their skill in using each hero’s abilities and factors like damage done, damage mitigated, and healing done will all factor in depending on the hero’s abilities.
As you move up the levels for any heroes, you’ll earn different emblems for each of the heroes you play with for this new progression system. Progression will also be available to view on your player profile with each hero you play.
There is also a new Weekly Challenge called Making Progress that earns you 8 Progression Levels instead of additional Battle Pass XP. This challenge will reward 150 Overwatch Credits to buy items from the Hero Gallery. Overwatch: Invasion is out now for all platforms, including Steam.
Stella is a Video Producer, Host, and Editor at IGN. Her gameplay focus is on competitive FPS games and she’s previously reviewed Apex Legends, Hyper Scape, Halo Infinite Multiplayer, and Battlefield 2042. She regularly hosts and shoutcasts competitive Apex Legends and Halo Infinite tournaments when she isn’t streaming on her Twitch channel after work outs. You can follow her on Twitter @ParallaxStella.
