Overwatch 2 Season 18 – Everything We Know So Far ⇒ OverwatchCentral

Season 18 of Overwatch 2 is just over two weeks away, and it’s shaping up to be the biggest midyear season yet. Traditionally, the first and midyear seasons have brought the game’s most impactful updates, and this one looks no different. From a brand new hero to game-changing system tweaks, here’s everything we know (and suspect) is on the way.

Mythic Skin – Sojourn’s Ultraviolet Sentinel

The Mythic skin for Season 18 has already been revealed – Sojourn’s UltraViolet Sentinel. Blizzard describes it as “cyberpunk tamed,” and it could tie into the cyberpunk theme from past seasons like the original Cyber Demon set.

The Mythic Weapon Skin remains a mystery. If we had to guess, it might be a tank weapon – possibly for Mauga – but Blizzard hasn’t confirmed anything.

Possible Themes and Events

Overwatch seasons no longer follow a single unified theme, but smaller thematic bundles will likely return. A cyberpunk continuation is possible, along with other themes from past surveys such as 8-bit or cat-themed skins.

The Summer Games event remains unconfirmed. It could launch with Season 18 or be canceled entirely. Halloween Terror will fall into Season 19, but an Anniversary Event near October 4 is expected, possibly with fun extras like the long-requested Ramattra dance emote.

New Hero – Wu Yang

Season 18’s headline addition is Wu Yang, a new support hero with a water-based kit.
Key dates:

Wu Yang Trailer & Dev Stream – Next week
Wu Yang Test Event – Starts next Thursday

This test event will let players try Wu Yang before their official release.

New Perks and Gameplay Philosophy Shift

Every hero is set to receive at least one new perk, with Team 4 moving away from “trade-off” perks that take something away to give a bonus. All major perks are being reworked to feel impactful, ensuring players feel stronger regardless of their choice.

Core Gameplay Changes

Advanced Tooltips – More detailed info on ability stats like damage, crit values, and ranges, directly in-game.
Progression & Rewards Overhaul – Season 18 begins the first step of multi-season progression changes, starting with improving rewards for player time investment.
Potential Hero & Map Adjustments – Expect balance changes and meta shifts alongside the new perks.

Stadium Mode Updates

Stadium, Overwatch 2’s unique competitive mode, is getting a big boost:

New Heroes – Winston, Brigitte, and Pharah join at launch, with Tracer mid-season.
New Game Mode – Halo Race, exclusive to Stadium.
Two New Maps – Thames District (London) and Power Gag Miner (Route 66-inspired).
Unranked Stadium – Shorter matches (best of 5), crossplay enabled, different cash distribution.
Draft Pick Feature – Teams pick heroes alternately, possibly with hero bans during tank selection.
Balancing Changes – Powers and items will be adjusted across the board.

Collabs and Surprises

Overwatch has recently been experimenting with multiple collaborations per season. While two collabs in back-to-back seasons isn’t the new standard, it’s possible we’ll see one, two, or even three this time.

Recent player surveys hinted at potential partners from Hello Kitty to Star Wars and Stranger Things – but nothing is confirmed.

Dates to Watch

Next Week – Wu Yang trailer and developer livestream
Next Thursday – Wu Yang test event begins
August 20-21 – Gamescom, where big Season 18 announcements are likely
August 26 – Season 18 officially launches

Season 18 looks stacked with a new hero, Mythic skin, perk overhauls, Stadium mode expansions, and the possibility of surprise announcements at Gamescom.

Stay updated with all the latest reveals at OverwatchCentral.

Source: The Omnic Post