As an Overwatch fan with over 1,500 hours of play time, I'm really dreading April 14th.

annually, Overwatch I celebrate April Fools' Day perfectly, and every year I dread the day it ends. It has been a tradition for a long time Overwatch They release an intentionally stupid update (now labeled Underwatch) with a joke from the developer for each stupid change. Sometimes the developers engage in community discussions when creating wacky abilities they give their heroes, but other times the changes feel completely random. But updates are always explosive, and Underwatch 2026 is no different. Notable changes include:

• You can increase or decrease Reinhardt's pin speed while taking on multiple enemies at the same time, making him a threat in the mode.

• D.Va's micro missiles are incredibly large.

• Domina creates random shapes instead of the usual barriers.

• Winston is not playable

• Sombra uses the translocator to mimic instead of teleport.

• Cassidy greets and waves his hand at his target, causing the bullet to bleed.

• A second Torbjorn stacks on top of Torbjorn and mimics every action the player takes.

• Ana's sleep dart goes to sleep on its own and wakes up with Nano Boost.

• Lifeweaver is laughably small

• Jetpack Cat wields a wrecking ball that can hit targets with a lifeline.

These are just some of the cool abilities available through April Fools' Day mode, and when combined with developer jokes like Team 4 mocking “the first melee DPS ever”, this mode is a must-play. Plus, every hero has funny voice lines. This includes classics like Winston just saying his name, Hanzo and Genji making dragon and sword noises respectively, and some new gems like the dial-up internet noise when Emre uses his ultimate. There's so much to appreciate about Underwatch, and it's easily my favorite LTM of the year. So for that reason I'm obviously very embarrassed. OverwatchThe next update is on April 14th.

relevant

Overwatch Reveals New Hero Sierra Gameplay and Abilities

Overwatch reveals the in-game model, gameplay, and abilities of Sierra, the new damage hero coming in Season 2 of Reign of Talon.

Overwatch Underwatch mode is ending soon.

Sometimes I search through it all Overwatch Event challenges can be a chore, but I had so much fun earning the Cardboard Tank title that I really hoped this mode would become a permanent choice within the arcade. It's not just the fun new abilities or stupid voice lines that make me laugh while playing, it's also the little touches. You can get a glimpse of a few more jokes about each character with Microsoft's Clippy clips used in the hero select screen. This is a gag that I only discovered after a few matches. Or the return of Reinspeak, which changes all messages sent by Reinhardt players in text chat to all capital letters and includes quotes from the giant German hero. Underwatch is a lot of fun, and a great way to end the brilliant Season 1 relaunch. OverwatchI am already in mourning.

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What makes Underwatch's loss even sadder is that some heroes feel better in the mode. Take Wuyang, for example, who can charge his Guardian Wave ability to increase his size, damage, healing, and pushback. Not only does this make the Waterbender feel more fun to play, but it also makes his story more accurate as it shows him sending huge waves at his sister and companions. Overwatch An Ran, the hero who appears in his story trailer. While many of the abilities are on the silly side (Mercy's Instagram-killing Resurrection and Zenyatta's Beyblade don't feel like additions to the kit), Blizzard tends to stumble upon changes to Underwatch that are actually visible in the game's core modes. It's really fun to engage in these experiments with what could one day become real abilities, which is another reason why I was a little perplexed about Tuesday's update.

Overwatch Season 2 is expected to release on April 14th.

While I'm preparing to endure another year of waiting until I can spend a few more weeks with Underwatch's dazzling heroes, at least there will be some great content following this LTM. Of course, Underwatch leaves on April 14th, but Season 2 begins the very same day. This means that the new Damage hero Sierra will be playable next week. Overwatch A battle pass skin to polish. This completely softened the blow, as it would have been much sadder if Underwatch had ended mid-season and had nothing new to do for a while. Nonetheless, the few hours I recently spent playing through the latest iteration of this mode were some of my favorites after years of playing it regularly. OverwatchSo I'll be patient and wait until it returns in 2027.

released

August 10, 2023

ESRB

Youth/Violence, Blood, Mild Language, Tobacco Use, User Interaction, In-Game Purchases (including random items)