Overwatch 2 may have canceled its campaign, but the story missions will still be coming to the game as separate purchases, and it has just been confirmed that they will not support a solo playthrough. With Season 5 of Overwatch 2 live, players have received a whole new set of themed skins, as well as balance changes to characters such as Genji, Widowmaker, and Lifeweaver. However, it is also the first season in Overwatch 2 to launch without a new map or hero, as players can instead embark on a D&D-inspired campaign with Tracer called Questwatch, offering a different spin on the game's Battle Pass.
Though the cancelation of Overwatch 2's story mode shook the community hard, the developers have done their best to keep the multiplayer experience well-supported and on-schedule. The trailer for Season 6 gives the impression that Invasion will be a comprehensive update, featuring three co-op Story Missions from the scrapped campaign, available in a bundle of either $15 or $40. In addition, it will also add a brand-new game mode called Flashpoint, where players will have to fight across the map to capture three key locations before the opposing team.
However, it is obvious that the main focus of Season 6 will be its Story Missions, as players will join teammates on a co-op adventure to fight against the forces of the Null Sector in Rio de Janeiro, Toronto, and Gothenburg. While players already knew the campaign had transitioned into being multiplayer only, the tweet by Executive Producer Jared Neuss confirms that Story Missions in Overwatch 2 will release as co-op content. Furthermore, missing players in the corresponding difficulty and mission bracket will be replaced by bots in case the queue goes on for too long.
Given the current state of distrust between the community and the developers, many players feel that Overwatch 2's Invasion update is Blizzard's last chance to right the ship, as the Story Missions slated to launch with Season 6 will need to justify their price tag. Overwatch 2 was announced with the PvE campaign as its main selling point, so it is necessary to deliver on the content meant to replace it.
Though there is plenty of gloom and doom among Overwatch 2 fans, the sequel to Blizzard's hero shooter still has an exciting gameplay loop with a lot of potential for growth. When Season 6 launches on August 10, the game will expand further through Flashpoint, Invasion, and the introduction of a new Support hero to Overwatch 2. However, it remains to be seen if it will be enough to instill hope in a disillusioned playerbase that has since come to mourn the original game.
Overwatch 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
