GamesFPSOverwatch 2Overwatch 2’s newest smash hit game mode is getting an extra week of run time, but not everything is sticking aroundWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesFPSOverwatch 2Overwatch 2’s newest smash hit game mode is getting an extra week of run time, but not everything is sticking aroundWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Blizzard)
Blizzard released Junkenstein’s Lab into Overwatch 2 as part of a seasonal Halloween event a few weeks ago, but this supposedly temporary game mode quickly became a fan favourite, mostly due to itsaddition of hero traits rebranded as mutations, which gave a glimpse into some PvE features that werepromised years ago and then abandoned.
After Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller announced that, weeks after its release, themode was still attracting 15% of daily players, Blizzard also issueda balance patchthat helped rework some heroes. Genji, Kiriko, Mercy, and Orisa had the most changes, with all of them getting some substantial buffs to their kit, mainly focusing on more self-healing and shorter cooldowns.
But the best part of this small balance patch for Junkenstein’s Lab wasn’t the reworked heroes; it was the fact that Blizzard had recognised its popularity and was taking the time to fix issues. Many players, myself included, saw this as a really positive sign that the mode could stick around for longer, and maybe even make its way to the Arcade as a regular addition, not just a seasonal event. Now, I’m even more hopeful that this is the case.
It may be a lot to ask to add Junkenstein’s Lab as a regular in the Arcade, especially as Blizzard is getting ready tointroduce a few playtests for 5v5 modes and 6v6 modesin the latter half of this season and throughout the next. But it seems like such a waste of the hero traits to shelve Junkenstein’s Lab for another year.
There’s no definite sign that Blizzard is thinking about keeping this mode around permanently; that’s all just wishful thinking right now. And while it’s great that we’ll get another week of Junkenstein’s Lab, that doesn’t mean you’ll also get another week to complete all of the event challenges.
There are six challenges tied to Junkenstein’s lab, most of which award you XP for playing a set number of games in different roles. But the end prize, Halloween Terror III, gives players the player title of Mutated Monster for completing 50 games in this mode. For anyone still interested in completing this, there are only seven hours left on the clock at the time of writing, so you better get a move on.
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