Overwatch 2 season 3 adding a new Control Map, Antarctic Peninsula

Overwatch 2 season 3 begins on February 7, and can introduce a model new map to Blizzard’s heroic shooter: Antarctic Peninsula. The map ought to really feel each new and acquainted to Overwatch gamers; they’ve been combating in a slice of that icy continent since 2016, when Blizzard added the Ecopoint: Antarctica arena map to the unique Overwatch.

The Antarctic Peninsula will develop on that tiny map, and on the sport’s lore, giving gamers a brand new battlefield that gives hints about Mei’s previous within the area, the destiny of her former co-workers, and hints at issues “much more thrilling in regards to the story to come back.” in Overwatch 2Blizzard says.

Antarctic Peninsula is a Management-type map, the primary new map of that kind for Overwatch 2 and the primary constructed expressly with the sport’s 5v5 crew construction in thoughts. Like different Management maps (eg Busan, Ilios, Nepal), Antarctic Peninsula is unfold throughout three places. It is the lab the place Mei and her former crew labored; an icebreaker, which was despatched by the unique Overwatch crew to rescue Mei and her colleagues, however bought caught within the ice; and an underground tunnel system the place the centerpiece is a large drill that drilled a community of tunnels by means of the ice.

As gamers battle and discover the Antarctic Peninsula laboratory, they are going to see what Mei and her colleagues did earlier than most of them met a horrible destiny. Gamers may also expertise new ranges of verticality and new checkpoint layouts, each on the icebreaker and within the sub-level map elements, based on Overwatch artwork director Dion Rogers.

Picture: Blizzard Leisure

“It is simply nice combating inside an deserted ship as huge as an icebreaker,” Rogers mentioned in a gaggle interview this week. “We’ve cool tunnels and the engine room — you may get a whole lot of path from it as a result of you possibly can see the bow of the ship and you may see the place the captain’s quarters are. For those who work collectively, you possibly can name a whole lot of very key areas the place individuals are. It is vitally clear to know the place this may very well be, particularly when you perceive the language of boats. We have studied icebreakers properly sufficient to attempt to combine this into the extent.”

Rogers added, “There’s a whole lot of safety in opposition to flying characters on this specific degree. So you must watch out when doing a peekaboo seize technique – you may catch a Pharah missile.”

Degree designer Trey Spisak identified that the house across the icebreaker management level and the purpose close to the drill will current a structure that gamers have not actually seen in earlier Management maps. Spisak mentioned there was a “slender roof” over the ship’s checkpoint, “which we did not actually screw up in a checkpoint. [before]” and a platform above the tip of the drill, “yet one more piece [of the map] you must test above the usual issues it is best to cope with when taking part in on a checkpoint.”

Spisak additionally mentioned that Blizzard experimented with having the Antarctic Peninsula’s huge drill actively drilling and being an environmental hazard, just like the lethal Oasis freeway or the Busan bullet practice, however determined in opposition to it. “Thematically, we talked about possibly the drill may very well be broken… However no, we type of tried it and thought it would not work,” Spisak mentioned. “Such issues do not work on each map. Some folks love the Busan obstacles, some folks do not prefer it. But it surely’s good to attempt issues and all the time push the restrict a bit.”

Picture: Blizzard Leisure

Nevertheless, gamers can have one thing essential to work together with on the sport’s new map: penguins. Antarctic Peninsula might be stuffed with penguins, and sure, you possibly can shoot them. “You’ll be able to shoot the penguins, however you possibly can’t kill them,” Rogers defined. “It is much like a few of the different NPCs within the sport [like pigeons].” The penguins of Overwatch 2 have unimaginable bullet-dodging expertise, says Blizzard.

Antarctic Peninsula may also assist reply some questions on Mei’s previous, 5 lengthy years after the hero’s animated quick, “Rise and Shine.” Lead story designer Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie explains, “One of many questions I’ve heard from the viewers and I’ve all the time been excited to reply is, “Hey, Mei and her buddies/co-workers have been frozen for ages. Why did not anybody come to save lots of them?’ It is type of a tragic query, however the reply is that Overwatch tried. One of many issues that’s so thrilling about this map is that you simply get to see an enormous a part of the story that we have by no means talked about or proven earlier than. You’ll be able to see the Overwatch icebreaker that attempted to come back and save Mei and our crew, however failed. […] Overwatch disbanded earlier than anybody might ever get again there.”

Jurgens-Fyhrie prompt there may be additionally teasing Overwatch 2the way forward for hidden within the Antarctic Peninsula: “You’ll be able to see some hints of what Mei and her crew tried to search out on the market. And possibly there are some secrets and techniques. I do not know, possibly one can find one thing on the map that may let you know one thing much more thrilling in regards to the subsequent story.”