Overwatch 2's story missions and new PvP mode will land on August 10th

Season five of Overwatch 2 will arrive on Tuesday, bringing with it updates such as a mythic skin for Tracer, a fantasy theme and a fresh limited-time game mode. However, it feels like a bit of a placeholder as Blizzard is already looking forward to the sixth season, which starts on August 10th.

The studio is calling this the biggest update to Overwatch 2 yet. It'll be called Overwatch 2: Invasion and it will include co-op story missions. Long-promised hero missions, which were going to feature long-term progression features for all heroes, are no longer happening.

At the outset, there will be three story missions you can tackle with your friends or other players. You'll be taking on Null Sector, which is destroying cities and abducting innocent Omnics (robots that are living alongside humans following a war). Null Sector has formidable opponents at its disposal, including "the powerful Annihilators and the deadly Stalkers."

There will be a separate co-op mission in season six, as Blizzard will open up new parts of the Kings Row map that aren't accessible in the competitive modes. You'll "guide the TS-1 push bot on a mission to save Tracer’s friend and the Omnic Underworld from Null Sector forces," according to an Xbox blog post. This time around, the robot will have its own weapons.

Meanwhile, Blizzard has revealed some details about Flashpoint, a new core game mode for player vs. player (PvP) modes such as quick play, competitive and the arcade. At the outset, there will be two maps, which are the largest PvP ones to date. Flashpoint will feature multiple capture points. The aim is to capture three of them before the enemy team does. Once a point is secured, the next one will open up.

On top of that, Blizzard divulged more about the previously teased Hero Mastery mode. This is a single-player affair that will challenge you to tackle training courses with certain heroes. You'll need to have a solid grasp of a character's weapons and abilities to do well here. You'll be able to see how you measure up against other players on a leaderboard. Hero Mastery courses for some characters will be available in Overwatch 2: Invasion, with more to come in future seasons.

There will also be another way for you to sharpen your skills without switching to Aim Lab, as the practice range is getting a firing range. You'll be able to practice with any hero and customize the settings.

Last but not least, Blizzard is trying to entice Game Pass Ultimate members to check out Overwatch 2 with a fresh perk. Starting on August 10th, subscribers will be able to instantly unlock the five most recent heroes (Sojourn, Junker Queen, Kiriko, Ramattra and Lifeweaver) as well as the next addition to the lineup without having to shell out for the premium battle pass, complete in-game challenges or pay for the characters in the in-game store. You'll also get a legendary skin and other cosmetics for each of those heroes as part of the New Heroes Starter Pack.

Speaking of the next hero, who will be a support, there was a brief tease of them at the end of the trailer. They have a cape and a large weapon, but we'll need to wait a bit longer to learn more about them, their backstory and their abilities

The Overwatch 2: Invasion trailer is a fresh spark of hope for the game after the disappointing news that Blizzard downsized its player vs. environment ambitions. There'll be a bigger focus on story and lore going forward. In the meantime, as a Mei main, I'm looking forward to her becoming more of a menace in season five thanks to her being able to further slow enemies down.

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