Highlights
- Illari, the latest hero in Overwatch 2, has become incredibly popular among support players due to her powerful combat abilities and unique kit.
- Blizzard has announced that Illari will be available to play in ranked PvP matches starting Thursday, August 24, but adjustments to her abilities are expected before then.
- Along with Illari, Overwatch 2's Invasion update introduces PvE content and a new PvP game mode called Flashpoint, which is meant to freshen up the PvP experience and is open to community feedback for further improvements.
The latest hero to come to Overwatch 2 has been overwhelmingly popular so far, and Blizzard has finally announced when Illari will be available to play in ranked PvP matches. The support hero's powerful combat capabilities and unique kit have made her a standout pick among support players in Overwatch 2, and while she's so far performed at a level expected by developers, a recent blog post from Blizzard also hints that Illari may be due for some balance tweaks.
Though she was shrouded in mystery for quite some time, Illari was finally officially revealed to be Overwatch 2's elusive 38th hero shortly before her debut in the game with the launch of Season 6. With this latest season releasing hand-in-hand with Overwatch 2's massive Invasion update, this ambitious bundle of new content represents the biggest step forward for the sequel thus far. This major update finally brings in the game's long-awaited PvE content, a whole new PvP game mode in the form of Flashpoint, and Illari. Equipped with a powerful rifle capable of both dealing damage to enemies and healing allies, an automatic healing turret, and an Ultimate ability that can cause massive collateral damage, Illari is a support character capable of leading strong offenses when the time calls for it.
The latest Director's Take blog post from Blizzard confirms not only that Illari will see some adjustments in the coming days but also when she will be arriving in competitive matches. Illari is confirmed to be playable in Overwatch 2's competitive mode starting Thursday, August 24, though the team is looking to implement several adjustments to her capabilities before then, most likely with regard to her Healing Pylon and Ultimate abilities. In this blog post, game director Aaron Keller claims that the team feels they've met their goal in making Illari feel strong but not overpowered at launch, going on to say that the hero's support and healing aspects keep her grounded in terms of damage output and positioning.
Though Overwatch 2's Invasion update and the accompanying Season 6 introduced a ton of new content to the game, the developer blog post also discusses the new Flashpoint mode. The game mode sees the addition of two mode-exclusive maps to the game as well, and while Flashpoint intends to freshen up the PvP aspect of Overwatch 2, it's a subject that has fallen behind in terms of community discussion due to fans' attention being seized by some of the other more attractive new features.
While opinions on Overwatch 2's Flashpoint are split, Blizzard has encouraged community feedback regarding the mode, aiming to hone the experience to make it more appealing to players. The blog post also mentions that the team is discussing when to bring this new mode to ranked, though no exact date for this has been given yet.
Overwatch 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
