"OW2" updated in the 17 season, map rework, hero adjustment, limited-time event online

　　The mid-season update for "Overwatch: Return" Season 17 is now online, bringing players a hero balance adjustment in the core mode and arena, a rework of the flashpoint map of New Zacke Town and Sulavasa, and multiple limited-time events. This update marks the midpoint of Season 17 and Season 18, and players can experience it now.

This large-scale mid-season update aims to add new ideas to the second half of the theme of "Infinite Power". One of the highlights of the update is the renovation of two original maps of the flash point mode - Xinzhake Town and Sulavasa. Both battlefield maps have undergone significant rework in Overwatch 2, with design inspired by the more modern map "Atlas", which presents a wider layout, fairer bottleneck areas and richer and more delicate environmental details.

Hero balance adjustment is also the focus of this update. In the core mode, the basic skills or traits of Reinhardt, Winston, Fortress, Hanzo, Mad Rat, Black Lily, and Zenyata are enhanced. D.Va, Orisa, Death, Tractor and Lucio were weakened. Sigma, Ash, Freya and Juno have strengthened and weakened. In Arena mode, D.Va, Mei, Anna and Juno gained some reinforcement, while Orisa and Misty were weakened - but the weakening of the latter two was accompanied by some long-term beneficial "energy" mechanism adjustments.

Three limited-time activities are also announced in the update announcement:

　　"Walking side by side" challenge: From July 29 to August 25, players can complete up to 6 games in a team and get 3 supply boxes. The game progress calculation for Victory and Arena mode is doubled.

　　Crazy Rat’s treasure hunting activity: Return from August 1st to 3rd. Players complete daily winning challenges and receive up to 3 supply boxes per day, and a total of 9 can be obtained during the entire event. The daily progress is reset at 11 a.m. Pacific Time.

　　"Competitive Drive": It will be opened again from August 19 to 26, with a new challenge curve and a season 17 exclusive logo. Players can advance progress and get rewards by winning the game in the core competitive mode or arena ranking mode. Team-winning can earn extra points, and players who have completed the last event can also receive reputation upgrades. There is a rank protection mechanism at the beginning of the event (no points will be deducted if the failure is not reached before the first milestone is reached). The subsequent point deduction mechanism will gradually return to the level of last season, making it easier for players to get rewards.

　　It is worth noting that the update instructions of this mid-season do not mention the upcoming trial event for the new support hero "Wuyang", which was originally scheduled to be held before the 18th season. Players are expected to learn about the new hero’s backstory and skill details in the coming weeks. Also unmentioned are the rumored linkage plan between Overwatch 2 and Nerf Toys, and it is still unknown whether this potential collaboration will be revealed before the end of the 17th season.

　　In addition, this update also optimizes the collection interface: adding a number of display improvements to the newly obtained decorations, and re-adding the "Block All Viewed" button in the Hero Gallery (so all already owned items will temporarily display as "New", clicking this button to eliminate).