This week, Blizzard threw a curveball at Overwatch 2 fans just a few months shy of its ninth anniversary. As of next week, Overwatch 2's static heroes will level up throughout a match with mini-skill trees. Blizzard calls them perks, and based on my playtime with them, they're the single largest shakeup of Overwatch's format since 5v5—one perk lets Mercy's blue beam change to two allies at all times, another gives Reaper an entirely secondary fire, and my favorite trades Orisa's javelin spin for a barrier, letting her pivot to a defensive tank role.
While it's natural to question if Overwatch's pivot to mid-game power ups is a direct response to Marvel Rivals' team-up abilities that can similarly elevate heroes, Overwatch 2 lead gameplay designer Alec Dawson told a roundtable of press at Blizzard's Irvine campus this week that perks were in the works long before Rivals was the new hero shooter hotness. That said, the motivation ultimately came from a growing feeling that Overwatch was at risk of stagnating.
