News: ‘Overwatch’ Halloween Terror Update

Brandon Schneider ’19 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

On October 11th, Blizzard Entertainment released an update for Overwatch that adds a slew of Halloween themed cosmetics. Until November 1st, loot box drops are now jack-o’-lanterns. There are over one hundred cosmetic options including twelve new character skins that can be obtained during Overwatch‘s Halloween Terror season.

Similar to the previous Summer Games event, every single jack-o’-lantern contains at least one drop from the 2016 Halloween Terror collection. However, during this season, you are able to purchase items with the in-game currency that you acquire from previous loot boxes. This is not something you were able to do last season, as you were forced to either earn loot drops from leveling up or by purchasing a package of crates with real money. The decision to make in game currency usable on these themed skins allows players to pick up their favorite skins, sprays, emotes, and etcetera before having to resort to spending additional money for more crates or slogging through high levels for one crate at a time.

Players have until November 1st to get Halloween Terror themed items. Blizzard hasn’t specifically said whether or not the items will still be purchasable with in-game currency after that date but it is highly likely that this won’t be the case. The game’s director, Jeffrey Kaplan, has said that the team wants the items inside their seasonal collections to feel special to those who’ve earned them and hope that those without see these items in-game and look forward to earning them next year. These sweet treats are not all Overwatch has to offer this month.

For the first time since launch, Overwatch has a PvE game mode. Along with new cosmetics, Blizzard has added a new brawl called Junkenstein’s Revenge. In this seasonal game mode, four players fight waves of Junkenstein’s creations on a Halloween-skinned Eichenwalde castle called Adlersbrunn. The four players get to choose one of four heroes (Ana, Soldier: 76, Hanzo, or McCree) and protect the doors to Adlersbrunn from zomnics and heroes brought back to life by Dr. Junkenstein (Mercy, Reaper, and Roadhog.)

The game mode is an interesting change of pace for players that may lead to future PvE game modes depending on how well received it is. The Overwatch Halloween Terror update is available now on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.