A couple of weeks after launch,Overwatch 2has made new Support hero Kiriko available in Competitive. WhenOverwatch 2first launched, it did so with three new heroes, one for each class. Junker Queen and Sojourn were available in the game’s beta testing periods, but Kiriko wasn’t part of the roster untilOverwatch 2’s actual release date rolled around. Because of this, the decision was made to allow Junker Queen and Sojourn in Competitive right away, while Kiriko was put on the bench.
Leaving Kiriko out of Competitive meant that allOverwatch 2players were playing on an even playing field. UnlikeOverwatch 1,Overwatch 2doesn’t give away new heroes for free. Instead, players either have to purchase theOverwatch 2premium battle passor grind all the way to level 55 to unlock her for use in the game. While it’s unlikely that anyone currently inOverwatch 2Competitive doesn’t already have access to Kiriko, there’s a chance some might not, which could put them at a disadvantage if they are playing the Support role.
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Regardless, Kiriko is now available inOverwatch 2Competitive, which should add another dimension to the game’s ranked mode.Kiriko is a formidable new Support hero, with an Ultimate that significantly buffs her team and an ability that gives her teammates brief immortality, saving them from otherwise game-changing Ultimate attacks. It’s likely thatOverwatch 2players will be seeing a lot of Kiriko in Competitive in the days ahead.
Kiriko isn’t the onlyOverwatch 2hero that’s been kept out of Competitive.Damage hero Torbjornhas been removed fromOverwatch 2Competitive for an undetermined amount of time so Blizzard can fix a bug. Those that want to play as Torbjorn can still do so in the Quick Play game mode, but the same can’t be said for fellow Damage hero Bastion, who has not only been removed from the Competitive roster, but the game at large.
Blizzard has removed Bastion fromOverwatch 2completely as the bug impacting him is a bit more serious. Prior to his removal,Bastion was able to spam his Ultimate attackin a way that was not intended by the developers, making him significantly more powerful and creating an unfair advantage for those playing Bastion. Like Torbjorn, it’s unclear when Bastion will be added back toOverwatch 2, but one has to imagine that his return will happen at some point in the relatively near future.
Overwatch 2is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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