Overwatch just confirmed that several heroes will be getting a makeover this year, with Sombra, Lifeweaver, and Roadhog being the first to appear. This is part of the company's long-term project Overwatch to make the character sets dynamic and flexible, but not too complicated or narrowly specialized.
2026 was a big year for us Overwatch yet. It dropped “2” from the title, introduced five new heroes with a sixth on the way, launched its first annual story, and revamped its user interface, breaking Steam player records. During recent interviews and streams Overwatch hinted that several heroes could see a rework sometime this year.
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Overwatch Confirms Rework of Several Heroes for 2026
Now, Overwatch has officially confirmed this and is giving players a soft plan along with the list of heroes that will be changed first. In a new post on the Director's Take blog Overwatch Game director Aaron Keller revealed plans to rework several heroes later this year. While he didn't give an exact number, he did confirm the first three heroes to receive modified sets: Sombra, Lifeweaver, and Roadhog.
Fans who played during Overwatch 2 era shouldn't be too surprised to see these three on this list, as they've all seen one or more redesigns in the past:
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Sombra
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Revised in Overwatch 2 Season 7
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The hack cancels Stealth when used on an enemy hero
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The translocator automatically activates when cast
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Virus: a new projectile ability that deals damage over time faster against attacked targets
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Opportunistic passive removed
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Reworked again in Overwatch 2 Season 13
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Stealth is triggered for a short time when using Translocator, rather than as a passive
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Opportunistic passive added again
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Lifeweaver
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Shortly after release
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Passive parting gift removed
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Healing Blossom and Thorn Volley performed primary and secondary fire instead of separate weapons
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Roadhog
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Reworked during Overwatch 2 Season 7
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Scrap secondary fire was removed, primary fire combined the old primary and secondary fires
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Take a Breather now uses a resource, moved to secondary fire
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Pig Pen: A new trap ability that dealt damage and slowed nearby enemies when triggered
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Reworked again in Overwatch 2 Season 18
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The Scrap Gun has returned to its pre-rework state
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Take a Breather has moved back to Ability 2, but keeps the resource meter
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Pig Pen removed
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These three heroes have historically clashed Overwatch due to their kits being overpowered, underpowered, or just plain frustrating to deal with. That means they're just the first of many redesigns planned for 2026, Keller confirmed Overwatch tracks heroes with “strongly defined, specific playstyles” or those “whose kits we feel have stagnated in some way” and “don't feel as dynamic as their newer counterparts”. The goal of these redesigns will be to make these heroes flexible yet easy to use, with player choice as the main factor. Fans can probably expect to find out which ones next Overwatch the heroes are getting a makeover after season 3.
Drag your weapons to fill the grid
Start
Drag your weapons to fill the grid
Easy to medium hard
While none of these overhauls will be implemented in Season 2, there are plenty of other changes being made in this update instead. There are several perks integrated into the base hero sets that you have to choose Overwatch Season 2, including Mercy's Flash Heal, Reaper's Dire Triggers, and Pharah's Drift Thrusters. Players will be able to use these new basic abilities once to try out their replacement perks Overwatch Season 2 will air on April 14.
- Released
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August 10, 2023
- ESRB
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Teen / Violence, Blood, Mild Language, Tobacco Use, User Interaction, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)
