Overwatch 2 is formally discontinuing the Hero Mastery game mode soon, with all existing courses being removed from the game starting in Season 19. Fans have just a couple more months to finish these Hero Mastery courses before Overwatch 2 gets rid of them forever.
Hero Mastery is a single-player game mode that was originally added to Overwatch 2 as a part of the mid-Season 6 update in September 2023. Over the last couple of years, Overwatch 2 has periodically added more of these Hero Mastery obstacle courses for over a dozen different heroes.
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Overwatch 2 Removing Hero Mastery in Season 19
Sadly, Hero Mastery won’t be around for much longer. In a recent forum post, Overwatch 2 Community Manager Kaedi announced that the Hero Mastery game mode was being sunset. No new courses will be added, and all existing ones will be removed from the game starting in Season 19, expected to arrive in late October or early November. This means fans have just about two months to enjoy this Overwatch 2 game mode before it is gone forever.
During Season 18, players will still be able to jump in and earn any of the Lifetime challenge rewards from Hero Mastery before they go away. Additionally, anyone who completes or has already completed Mastery I and Mastery III before Hero Mastery is removed will also gain a free Overwatch 2 Epic Loot Box and exclusive Player Title, giving some more incentives to jump into the game mode one last time.
While fans have enjoyed Hero Mastery, it has not been particularly popular among most of the player base, especially compared to the better-performing game modes like Stadium, Competitive, and Quick Play. This reason is similar to the one that led to the removal of Overwatch 2's multiplayer Hero Mastery Gauntlet game mode in June 2024 as well. By removing Hero Mastery completely, Blizzard hopes to redouble its efforts on these other game modes, and remove some of the visual clutter of Overwatch 2.
Luckily, Overwatch 2 fans should have no shortage of other things to do in Season 18 and beyond. Blizzard recently revealed the release trailer for this upcoming update, which includes an overhauled progression system, the Payload Race game mode in Stadium, and a new support hero named Wuyang. What’s more, it also confirmed that an Overwatch 2 crossover event with Persona 5 is coming, featuring skins that transform the heroes of Future Earth into the Phantom Thieves. While little is known about the collaboration at the moment, players will definitely see a Joker skin and at least three others once it is officially revealed in the next few weeks.
Overwatch 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 77 /100 Critics Rec: 65%
WHERE TO PLAY
Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Power up your railgun and disrupt the battlefield as Sojourn, or yield your axe and command attention as Junker Queen. Battle to take control of a robot and move it toward the enemy base in the new Push Mode. Bring the fight to new destinations across the globe in iconic locations like New York, Rome, Monte Carlo and Rio. Daily challenges and frequent updates mean there is always something new to play.
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- Cross Save
- yes
- Franchise
- Overwatch
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- n/a
- Early Access Release
- October 4, 2022
- PC Release Date
- August 10, 2023
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- August 10, 2023
- PS5 Release Date
- August 10, 2023
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- August 10, 2023
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
- How Long To Beat
- 35 hours
- X|S Optimized
- n/a
