Hard to believe that Overwatch has been out for two years already! May 22 marks the day that Overwatch went into full release. As such, Activision Blizzard has announced celebrations that will go on for at least a month! The Overwatch Anniversary Celebrations brings fan-favourite content back to the game and introduces a bevvy of new things for players to enjoy.

To start it all off, Blizzard will open up the gates to anyone who still does not have the game. For the weekend of 25 May through to 29 May, anyone will be able to log into their Blizzard accounts and play the game for free. All users, regardless of purchase status, will be able to enjoy all celebrations mentioned below. As a bonus, PlayStation owners do not need a PlayStation Plus subscription to log in and join their friends during the weekend.

Blizzard announced that past brawls, such as Ana Knows Best and Girl Power, will return for the entirety of the Overwatch Anniversary event. Brawls, which are unique game modes that have their own set of rules, usually see a limited number of heroes duke it out in special scenarios.

Ana Knows Best, for example, includes a hero choice of Ana, and all Tank Heroes (D.Va, Reinhardt, Roadhog, Winston, Zarya); while Girl Power will feature most female heroes (Ana, D.Va, Mei, Mercy, Pharah, Symmetra, Tracer, Widowmaker, and Zarya).

Blizzard is a bit secretive with the exact details of the celebrations, but players can be sure to see even more past brawls return. Personally, I would like Heads Up! Or Mystery Heroes to return. They did say that the returning brawls will rotate daily, so there is even a good chance that all of them will show face sometime or another.

In addition to the brawls, Blizzard also announced a host of new content. They say that more than 50 “fresh cosmetic items” including eight Legendary skins and three epic skins, and new dance emotes for Doomfist, Moira and Brigitte.

In addition to all of that, Overwatch will also get a brand-new map called Petra. Along with that, Blizzard will also include a new competitive mode featuring placement matches, skill rating tiers, and leaderboards.

For players who missed out on previous seasonal events, Blizzard announced that loot boxes will include seasonal loot for all previous events. Players who log in for the Anniversary event will also get a free Legendary Anniversary Lootbox. The Legendary loot box includes a guaranteed Legendary item! Furthermore, players who purchase the 50 Loot Box Bundle will get a bonus Legendary Anniversary Loot Box — so that is basically 51 loot boxes for the price of 50!

To end it all off, Blizzard also announced a new digital edition called the Overwatch Legendary Edition. The Legendary Edition includes sets of Legendary, Epic, and Origin skins — that total fifteen (15) skins that new players will get if they decide to purchase the Legendary Edition.

[Sources: DBL Tap, DOT Esports, Silicon Era]

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Junior Editor at Vamers. From Superman to Ironman; Bill Rizer to Sam Fisher and everything in-between, Edward loves it all. He is a Bachelor of Arts student and English Major specialising in Language and Literature. He is an avid writer and casual social networker with a flare for all things tech related.