‘Overwatch’ Anniversary Event Is Live With New Skins For Select Heroes, Dance Emotes For All Characters


Agents of Overwatch are celebrating one year of taking the objective and escorting the payload. The Overwatch Anniversary event is now underway on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It will end on June 12. After downloading and installing the latest update, players can start earning Anniversary Loot Boxes containing at least one Anniversary item. All boxes are now Anniversary Loot Boxes, including those rewarded when an account levels, those earned via weekly wins in the Arcade, and those purchased with real money.

Three new Arena maps in the Arcade mode and over 100 new Anniversary items are part of the event. The three Arena maps are set up for two teams of three in elimination gameplay. Players will find the Necropolis map in Egypt, the Castillo map in Dorado, and the Black Forest map in Eichenwalde, according to the official site. These maps join the Antarctica map giving players more variety in the elimination mode.

As for loot, Overwatch Anniversary items will only be obtainable during the event. Eleven new legendary skins are included in addition to dance emotes for every single Overwatch character. Potential loot includes legendary skins for Bastion, D.Va, Genji, Hanzo, Lúcio, Mei, Pharah, Solider: 76, Symmetra, Tracer, and Zarya. Players can buy these with in-game currency at 3,000 Credits each. Additionally, 25 new player icons, 25 new sprays, and 24 new voice lines are also up for grabs.

Characters like Hanzo were in dire need of a new legendary skin. [Image by Blizzard Entertainment]

The Anniversary loot also includes dance emotes for all 24 characters. These emotes are of epic quality and include Pharah using her rocket launcher like a guitar, Widowmaker displaying her ballet skills, and Reinhardt ballroom dancing with his hammer. McCree unsurprisingly line dances, Roadhog does the cabbage patch, and Winston performs the twist. All dance emotes are 750 Credits.

“We’re humbled and honored to commemorate one year of playing Overwatch with you! What better way to mark the occasion than with new maps and lots of new loot?”

Before players start earning Anniversary loot, a brief patch will need to be downloaded and installed. On PlayStation 4, the patch was less than two gigabytes. The patch applies many fixes and changes to the game, including adjustments to Genji, Hanzo, Orisa, Reaper, Reinhardt, and Solider: 76.

Several other items are now available in Loot Boxes that are not part of the event. [Image by Blizzard Entertainment]

A few heroes will benefit from the new Recoil Recovery Aim Compensation option that is also included in the patch. According to the patch notes on the Overwatch website, new permanent content is also now in Loot Boxes.

“In addition to the new items in the Overwatch Anniversary event, we’re also adding new goodies to our standard loot boxes. Sombra, Orisa, and Tracer are all getting brand new emotes, and Reaper picks up several new unlocks based on the infamous shrug from the recent Uprising comic.”

Alongside the Anniversary festivities, the FPS will be free to all over the weekend. As the Inquisitr reported, Overwatch will be free on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One starting on May 26. All Anniversary event content will be available to free players, and any items they unlock during the free weekend will transfer to the full game if purchased. All maps, characters, and modes expect for Competitive mode are available to free players. The free weekend will end on May 29. After that time, an Overwatch license is once again required to play.

Potential new players might consider the Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition if they do decide to purchase the game. The edition is out now and on sale at $39.99. The normal version of the game is just $29.99 to celebrate the Anniversary event, too. Players can even upgrade to the new edition for just $9.99 as noted on the official site. The Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition includes all the content of the Overwatch: Origins Edition and 10 Loot Boxes. Please note that the Loot Boxes included in this edition are Standard Loot Boxes and not Anniversary boxes.

[Featured Image by Blizzard Entertainment]

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