Overwatch 2 is a game that boasts a universe full of lore. Characters have deep connections with one another that are revealed through dialogue, maps sneak in story details for players to discover, and certain cosmetics offer insight into the characters’ personalities. However, for the truly intriguing story info and the most impactful moments, gamers are forced to look outside the game - something that is thankfully changing with the release of Overwatch 2 Season 6.
Apart from the limited time Archives missions, those aiming to get invested in the story have had to seek out comics online, watch animated shorts on YouTube, or read short stories based on the various heroes. While all of this content would be excellent as supplementary material, so little story being accessible in-game is a major downside. Fortunately, it seems like Blizzard has realized this, as a Codex like the one featured in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Mass Effect, and a number of other games is coming alongside PvE story missions.
Overwatch 2’s Codex Solves a Longtime Series Problem
For years, Overwatch has suffered from an issue seen with the original Destiny and its Grimoire cards. Like Bungie’s first MMO RPG hybrid, a lot of the best lore has to be accessed outside the game itself, something that some players will simply not be willing to do. While Blizzard has taken a few steps to mitigate this problem, like adding brief hero descriptions to the characters in the gallery or making the newer animated shorts viewable in-game, it has long needed a lore area like Destiny 2 or a codex like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
Based on the brief bit of info Blizzard has shared on Overwatch 2’s upcoming codex, it will function like the one in Respawn’s recent Star Wars game. Supposedly, gamers will grow the codex over time, perhaps through collectibles and the completion of certain story moments. Every enemy encounter against Overwatch 2’s new Omnic types could also result in codex entries, with players getting pieces of info on how the machines came to be. However, Blizzard will hopefully not stop there with its codex.
While deep lore entries for every hero encountered in Overwatch 2’s PvE mode would be nice, as well as codex logs about the locations players visit and the general state of the series’ universe, there is already a lot of lore that would be nice to see added to the game. Adding a comics database alongside a section for Overwatch 2’s short stories could make the codex a place truly worth exploring, as there would be mountains of old story content on top of the new lore additions that will be getting made soon.
One strength of Overwatch 2’s incoming codex is that it simply makes sense in a multiplayer game where players need to queue up for matches. Similar to how players can read a page from a lore book when they search for a Gambit match in Destiny 2, those looking to queue for the Damage role in competitive play can learn a bit more about a hero or villain while they wait. In something like Jedi: Survivor, players need to choose to stop playing for a bit to read up on something they find interesting, as there is no matchmaking to speak of. In an online game, though, players will have many opportunities to explore the codex.
With other interesting additions to the codex able to be made, like adding fresh character monologues or letting players listen to the conversations between certain Overwatch 2 heroes whenever they want to, the codex could be something truly special. Still, even if it just includes some simple text logs that provide a bit of worldbuilding and much needed in-game lore, the codex will be something that improves the overall experience.
Overwatch 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
