In recent years, the once-popular trend of secret character unlocks has started to fade away. While many loved being able to unlock characters like Daredevil and Black Panther inMarvel: Ultimate Alliance,Marvel’s Avengershad no hidden characters - and this is just one of many examples. However, withOverwatch 2, Blizzard has the chance to make this trend popular again.
While the upcoming hero shooter is taking a smart approach by making new heroes like Sojourn available throughOverwatch 2beta testing, as this allows for early community feedback and balancing, it could prove to be too much of a good thing. If every new hero fromOverwatch 2features in the betas, as well as every new map, the eventual release of the game could feel far less exciting. As such, Blizzard should keep one new character as a surprise.
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A Perfect Reward For Overwatch 2’s PvE Content
The main thing settingOverwatch 2apart from its predecessor is a PvE campaign. Alongside deep skill trees for the game’s heroes and hundreds of side missions,Overwatch 2’s story modeis poised to provide some memorable storylines and character development. It should also be used to hide a new hero from the public, with Blizzard debuting this hero at the very end of the campaign.
This could be the perfect way to introduce a new member of theOverwatchroster, as it could be a complete surprise if Blizzard leaves the character out of the game’s marketing. Similar to a shocking reveal in an MCU film, the character could debut during a post credits scene, pushing players to hop into multiplayer immediately to test them out. They could also join in during the final battle, winning the fight for the heroes of Overwatch orthe villainous Talon- instantly making their presence known and shockingOverwatch 2players.
There is also a case to be made for having this hypothetical secret character appear in the middle of the campaign, as it would give them time to interact with other members oftheOverwatchroster. Players could get to learn their backstory across several missions, maybe even controlling them in a flashback. This would be a great change from what is usually seen withOverwatch’s storytelling. While animated shorts, comics, and in-game dialogue are plenty of fun, actually playing out a character’s origin story would be interesting.
A secret character would instantly makeOverwatch 2’s PvE campaign more appealing to those that only care about PvP, as they would have a reason to give the co-op mode a proper chance. This would be a great way to ensure that both modes thrive, and beyond that, it would simply be a smart way to get the community talking. WithOverwatch 2’s Twitch viewershipnot being the best, positive word of mouth will be important, and a new hero debuting in the campaign with no prior indication that they were on the way would be a huge deal.
On top of being an exciting surprise that motivates more people to play throughOverwatch 2’s PvE campaign, it would guarantee that there is a brand-new hero once the game fully releases. If all the planned heroes forOverwatch 2feature in upcoming betas just likeSojourn, then the game will have nothing new to offer beta testers on day one. Saving one new hero for the PvE mode and making sure the marketing has no hints that they are coming would be a risk, but it is one worth taking. Whether this is the omnic from Storm Rising’s ending, the Junker Queen, or someone else entirely, it would be great to see a secret character pop up in the campaign.
