Today’s Overwatch Winter Wonderland launch also comes with an array of new tweaks for the game.
Blizzard have been busy testing out new changes on the game’s PTR and have now officially rolled them out on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
As you might expect, the biggest Overwatch Updates fans will notice will be the launch of the new Winter Wonderland content.
This includes new hero skins, emotes, sprays, Mei’s Snowball Offensive mode, as well as the new Yeti Hunt, both of which are playable until early January.
Mei’s Yeti Hunt is a new asymmetrical game mode in which a team of five Mei characters hunt down a single Winston player.
Winston’s job is to search the map for meat-based power-ups that will fuel his ‘Primal Rage’.
If Winston succeeds in powering up before being captured, then the tables turn and the Mei team must escape.
Mei’s Snowball Offensive, meanwhile, is the returning 6-v-6 game mode, essentially offering a giant snowball fight in which Mei’s primary fire is reduced to one shot. The plus side is that it only takes one hit to kill an enemy.
When it comes to big changes, Blizzard have also made changes to the reporting system in Overwatch.
Players being reported will receive an in-game message letting them know that they have been reported, along with a warning concerning continued negative behavior.
Ongoing misconduct will result in silence, suspension, or a permanent ban, depending on the severity of the infraction (in severe cases, players may receive their punishment before receiving the initial in-game message).
Players who report someone for poor behavior, resulting in a disciplinary action, will now be notified with an in-game message when the issue has been resolved.
The full Overwatch patch notes can be found below:
GAME BROWSER AND CUSTOM GAMES
General
- Added an option that allows heroes to spawn with fully charged ultimate abilities. This can be enabled under Settings > Heroes > General > Spawn with Ultimate Ready when creating a custom game
- Added an option that allows heroes to cast ultimate abilities that last for the full duration of a match. This can be enabled under Settings > Heroes > General > Infinite Ultimate Duration when creating a custom game
A.I.
- [PC] An option to “Remove All A.I.” in the custom game lobby can be accessed by Right Click > Remove All Bots
- [PS4/XB1]A.I. players can be removed from within the custom game lobby by selecting a bot, then selecting “Remove All Bots” from the submenu
HERO GALLERY
General
- Players can now clear new item notifications with the “Mark All As Seen” button in the Hero