Overwatch 2 Season 7 is bringing some fantastic changes to maps and heroes

Two characters in Halloween costumes
(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Overwatch 2 Season 7 is almost upon us, and this time, the season lines up with the spookiest holiday of them all. 

Players can jump into Overwatch 2's latest season on October 10, 2023, and enjoy some exciting new features and much-needed changes. There will be the Halloween Terror event, the Trials of Sanctuary, a new control map based on the tropical island of Samoa, massive balance updates, a reworked kit for Sombra, and recent changes to the classic Route 66 map. 

While it's certainly exciting to see everything Overwatch 2 Season 7, The Rise of Darkness has in store for players, such as the new Onryo Hanzo mythic skins, the numerous hero updates are incredibly refreshing to see after a few weeks of some seriously overpowered heroes plaguing matches.

There are all sorts of new hero balances coming to Season 7. For starters, the DPS hero Mei will have some buffs introduced in Season 5 rolled back on, meaning she will no longer have the Deep Chill passive ability, allowing her to damage and slow down enemies simultaneously. The tank character Zarya is also getting some much-needed changes as now her Projectile Barrier won't build up energy as quickly. This is fantastic to see, as this tank hero has dominated matches thanks to her high-damage output that couldn't be rivaled by any other heroes. However, the cooldown for these projectile barriers will remain short. 

Sombra is also getting a very exciting rework of her kit and abilities. Sombra's stealth ability will now be a passive one that begins once she stops taking damage from enemies or dealing out damage. The famous translocator will also now teleport the DPS hero as soon as it's thrown instead of lying in wait until you trigger it to teleport you out of sticky situations. This will inevitably change how Sombra is played as you won't be able to pre-plan your escape route, instead opting for a desperate last-ditch attempt to retreat from the front lines. 

"Our goal is to allow Sombra to be more committed to the targets she engages with and have a more active feel to her kit, all the while maintaining her character identity and playstyle as the world’s greatest hacker", Blizzard said in a blog post. Lastly, Sombra will receive a new ability called Virus, which will damage enemy players over time. Players will also see changes made to Orisa, Ramattra, Wrecking Ball, Cassidy, Torbjorn, Brigitte, and Illari.

If you're a fan of Overwatch 2, then you should check out these fantastic FPS games as well as these great PC games that are available to play right now. 

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Elie Gould
Features Writer

Elie is a Features Writer for TechRadar Gaming, here to write about anything new or slightly weird. Before writing for TRG, Elie studied for a Masters at Cardiff University JOMEC in International Journalism and Documentaries – spending their free time filming short docs or editing the gaming section for their student publications. 

Elie’s first step into gaming was through Pokémon but they've taken the natural next step in the horror genre. Any and every game that would keep you up at night is on their list to play - despite the fact that one of Elie’s biggest fears is being chased. 

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