Highlights
- Overwatch 2 's first story mission, Invasion, is a paid mission that offers fresh gameplay mechanics and story content. Players need to pay at least $15 to experience this integral part of the game.
- The Underworld Event Mission is a free alternative. It features a lore-heavy co-op mission, challenges, and rewards, including Brigitte's legendary Sparkplug skin.
- The Underworld event also includes hidden lore interactions that provide additional context about the plight of the Omnics in King's Row and the aftermath of the first Omnic crisis. Unlocking all interactions rewards players with a free spray.
Overwatch 2’s much-awaited Story Missions are finally out, with the first one putting players in the trenches of the war against the invading Null Sector. This is one of the many lore-related missions that Blizzard recently laid out in the Overwatch 2 roadmap for 2023. While it does offer fresh gameplay mechanics and a good chunk of story content told through in-game narrations and cutscenes, Invasion is a paid mission. This means that players can’t experience this integral part of the game unless they shell out at least $15 for it. Fortunately, Blizzard has something in store for its free-to-play patrons: the Underworld Event Mission.
The Overwatch 2 team focused on creating PvE content during its early years of development, complete with story missions and player progression. This was dubbed “Hero Mode,” and fans got a taste of it when it was showcased as early as 2019 during Blizzcon. While this game mode has been canceled to players’ dismay, the developers announced that story missions will remain on the game’s 2023 roadmap. However, the progression system will be simpler and easier to manage, and each mission will be paid for by players. The first story mission, Invasion, comes with a free event mission called Underworld, and it’s filled with cosmetics and lore.
Overwatch 2’s Underworld Event is Packed With Cosmetic and Story Content
Overwatch 2’s Underworld is a free, limited-time event with a lore-heavy co-op mission and challenges that lead to exciting rewards. Its story sees four Overwatch operatives working to suppress waves of Null Sector Omnics trying to invade King’s Row. On top of this, players also need to work together to save innocent Omnics in the area before the Null Sector gets to them. They also get to recruit a push bot to help them clear the swarms of enemies.
The final boss of this event is an OR-14 attack bot protected by a healing unit. These enemies can be tough to take down, so teamwork is key in making sure that the support bot is taken down first before the players chip away at the OR-14. There are over 16 challenges for this event so far, with rewards varying from Overwatch 2 Battle Pass XP to event-exclusive sprays and voice lines. The ultimate prize is Brigitte’s legendary Sparkplug skin, which players can get by finishing eight challenges.
The Underworld Mission is a Step in the Right Direction for Overwatch 2 Events
The Underworld event also has hidden lore interactions that players can explore while running through the map. These are signified by large sparkles and come in the form of signs and locations within King’s Row. Iggy, who is one of Tracer's closest friends in the Underworld, provides context for what those posters, graffiti, and stores mean to her and everyone else who lives there. It provides some interesting but sad information about the plight of the Omnics in King’s Row after the events of the first Omnic crisis.
One particular example of this is the “Machines Have No Rights” graffiti, which Iggy compassionately describes as something humans would say out of fear of something they don’t know. There’s also an interaction with a record store, which highlights Iggy’s love for human-made music. Meanwhile, interacting with the Mondatta Memorial will have Iggy recall that the Omnic monk once said that everything is connected, and wonders what he would have thought of Null Sector. After unlocking all five interactions, players will complete the “Underworld: Lore Hunter” challenge and get a free spray as a reward.
This mission doesn’t have the grand cutscenes and long campaigns that the main story events do. However, it has the same level of depth so far in terms of lore and gameplay. With each playthrough, fans will get to know more about how King’s Row operates and the horrid conditions that Omnics live in. If succeeding free co-op missions follow Underworld’s lead, then the future may look bright for Overwatch 2’s future story mission releases.
Overwatch 2 is available now on the Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
