When Blizzard released Overwatch 2 in 2022, the game launched with a new playstyle, three new heroes, and what seemed like few noteworthy changes to how the original game played. Its story from there was a rough one. Its PvE mode, the reason Overwatch 2 existed to begin with, was scrapped, and the few story missions that survived went over poorly with players. The boundaries between hero roles started blurring until they all were different flavors of damage dealers. It was fine, but it wasn't much more than that — and definitely not what you'd expect from a sequel. All that has changed in a big way in 2025, and I'm not just talking about having more and different stuff to do, though that's certainly nice. I mean how all the new perks and other significant additions change the game. It feels like Blizzard's finally thinking outside the box with Overwatch 2, focusing less on how to tweak what's been here for almost a decade and instead thinking more about doing something completely different.

In an effort to address weak spots or maintain balance, Blizzard had relied on changing elements of a character's kit and a never-ending seesaw of tweaks. Perks, which are minor and major modifiers to a hero's skill set that were added this year, feel like Blizzard responding proactively to weaknesses instead. They give players the tools to find creative workarounds rather than changing........

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