The thrilling hero-based shooter known as Overwatch is appealing for all sorts of reasons; not the least of which is its endless stream of content, distinct heroes, and unlockable skins. These skins span all sorts of styles, themes, and references, and often serve as one of the selling points and rewards for playing various seasonal events like Winter Wonderland and Halloween Terror.
You've got the pricier legendary skins you can gun for, Overwatch League team outfits, and even limited-time skins cranked out for special events like game anniversaries and the recent Pink Mercy skin, whose proceeds were sent to fund breast cancer research. With such an abundance of fun and colorful skins to choose from, there are bound to be a number of sleek, awesome gems, in addition to some duds, or otherwise odd designs that just don't quite work. Let's take a gander at 5 of the game's very best skins, as well as the 5 worst.
10 Worst: Biker Reaper
It can be amusing when a skin can drastically change the appearance of a character, to the point of resembling an entirely new hero. But in the case of this Reaper Biker skin, it just comes off as somewhat ridiculous, and clashes with his dark, ominous style.
Perhaps it wasn't easy to come up with a summer-themed skin that would suit this grim reaper-like character, who's far more of a Halloween embodiment. Still, surely something could have been better than a skin that appears to be lifted from an extreme sports game like Milestone's MXGP. The brightly colored, slick biker gear tends to downplay the badass, creepy nature of this DPS hero.
9 Best: Banshee Moira
There are quite a few hits when it comes to memorable and creative Moira skins; Glam, Minister, and the neat Blackwatch-themed outfit, to name a few. Yet, it's hard to top this World of Warcraft-themed skin (especially for fans of this epic MMO) which seems to be pulled directly from the game.
Indeed, Moira looks much like she belongs in that game as a sinister, ominous elf woman. It's certainly fitting with her theme, given her dark, mad scientist vibe and her ability to sap the life from her victims, much like the Banshees featured in WoW.
8 Worst: Junker D.Va
There's quite a bit of potential for some sleek, creative, and detailed D.Va skins, given her large mech and the fact that you're essentially dressing two characters. There definitely are some great ones to behold - but this eyesore, which seems to blend the themes of Junkrat and general "steampunk" decor, is not one of them.
D.Va herself takes on a strange look that seems to resemble Tracer more than the South Korean pro gamer, and that grimy brown clunker of a mech just looks unappealing. You could argue that this is technically what Blizzard was going for, but that doesn't mean it's any better to look at.
7 Best: Santaclad Torbjorn
Ho ho ho! The holiday season is upon us, so what better time than now to give a shoutout to this gem of an outfit for Torbjorn? Given Torb's stubby, round nature and his bushy beard, this Santa Claus outfit just fits the turret-tossing dwarf hero absolutely perfectly.
As is the case with most of our favorites on this list, there is certainly no shortage of awesome and humorous design choices with Torb, whether it be the hook-laden Blackbeard or the ax-wielding Viking rendition. Yet, this Santaclad outfit, laced with Christmas trees topped with shining stars, is just the perfect fit for him - aside perhaps from his height...
6 Worst: Cybergoth Zarya
When it comes to hero skins, the muscular tank known as Zarya doesn't exactly come with a ton of great options. Even some of her legendary skins can be described as "meh" as compared to some of her other Overwatch comrades. Yet, the Cybergoth outfit, in particular, is just not too ideal all-around.
It somehow manages to appear bland and over-the-top at the same time, with a dull color palette and the absurdly large spikes that adorn parts of the outfit. The edgy, punky goth look also just doesn't really suit this body-building Russian force of nature.
5 Best: Lego Bastion
It's a shame that one of Overwatch's coolest, most satisfying skins merely existed as a limited-time event, which required you to notch nine wins during a period of mid-to-late September of 2019. Still, if you were lucky enough to nab this Lego-themed outfit, it made for quite the awesome, fun getup to show off to teammates and foes alike.
Something about a colorful version of this robotic DPS posting up and spraying devastating machinegun fire while made up like a kid's toy is just downright amusing. One neat little bonus feature of this skin is that you actually hear the authentic-sounding clunking and tapping of the plastic blocks, which is somehow quite satisfying. Even this writer found himself revisiting Bastion after months without playing him just to mess around in this delightful Lego skin.
4 Worst: Tombstone Bastion
Sorry Bastion, but the praise ends here, as we'll now be picking apart a skin that's a degree duller and less interesting than our previous entry. While the Halloween event usually offers a myriad of cool game modes, stage themes, and hero skins, this Tombstone decor is a rare miss, both for Bastion and for the event itself.
You could see what Blizzard was going for in trying to lace the flat-surfaced Bastion in tombstone slabs, even plopping the stock "R.I.P." on his chest. Yet, it's difficult to tell what this skin is even meant to represent unless you're near him, between its bland color palette, lack of detail, and flat nature.
3 Best: Valkyrie Mercy
It was difficult to choose just one awesome Mercy outfit, as she definitely has her pick of the litter, between the Witch, vibrant Pink, and Medic Ziegler throwback. But this Viking-themed outfit has to be the coolest overall, between the sleek design and badass motif that it exudes from top to bottom.
You just feel awesome when dressed in this Valkyrie outfit. There's even some audio flair that gives this wardrobe even more life, as Mercy chimes in with the epic phase "till Vallhalla!" when busting out her appropriately named Valkyrie Ult. It's just too bad you're unable to actually wield that decorative sword she has sheathed with this skin.
2 Worst:Â Daredevil 76
Sure, the cheeky reference is amusing, but isn't the point to ultimately sport an outfit that looks appealing; one that you want to show off to teammates and intimidate foes? This tacky, over-the-top outfit for Soldier doesn't really check any of these boxes, and even the humorous novelty tends to wear off after a few minutes anyway.
This looks like something you might find a lighthearted, humorous character like Borderlands 2's Handsome Jack wearing - not the solemn, "down to business" commander of Overwatch. Yes, you've also got the wacky Grillmaster outfit, but that one actually goes to the tenth degree in terms of silliness, making for an actual funny outfit.
1 Best: Police Officer D.Va
This awesome legendary skin for the sassy D.Va really has just about everything going for it. It looks sleek, sports a creative design that meshes with that of her mech, and it even has some neat extras that trigger when using it.
Not only do you get to hear some unique bits of dialogue with D.Va when piloting your cop car mech, but you'll even get to hear faint sirens blaring as you jet around. Other players will also see the red and blue police lights going off as you fly, turning you into both a visual and audio spectacle. This is just one of those characteristically charming skins thatare both amusing and badass.