Overwatch has been doing its best to maintain momentum after the unforgettable first Season of its Reign of Talon relaunch, with some neat weekly lore additions, needed improvements to the 10-year anniversary event, and the return of hero cards all coming in Season 2. With Season 3 quickly approaching, and bringing the launch of yet another hero and a brand-new core map, there’s plenty to look forward to. However, there’s always room for a great game to be made even better, and one way to do that for this specific hero shooter would be to look to the past.
To be fair, there are a handful of classic Overwatch features that it would be nice to see again. For instance, hero events, where players grind to unlock a special cosmetic tied to a character’s comic or short story, are deeply missed. Additionally, while brand-new PvE content is unlikely given the retirement of story missions after Invasion, putting in the effort to rebuild the beloved Archives missions in the current engine would cause the community to celebrate. But both of these things require a lot of time and resources, whereas what I’d like to see back is far simpler. Specifically, I’d love to see the first new batch of Overwatch Trophies and achievements to chase since 2023.
…considering that the Cute and Pixel spray challenges still exist for each and every new hero, I don’t see why the Trophies ever stopped.
Overwatch’s Lifeweaver Was the Final Hero to Come With Trophies
While Overwatch’s quicker hero release schedule has gotten fans lamenting the loss of starting cosmetics for each hero, achievements tied to character additions disappeared long before the hero release cadence was changed. The last set of achievements arrived alongside the Support hero Lifeweaver back on April 11, 2023, and while Weaver Believers and completionists alike may have enjoyed chasing these unlocks, they stopped being added when fellow healer Illari came to the game a few months later.
What’s so strange about Overwatch achievements disappearing is that, to my knowledge, Blizzard never announced they would be stopping or said why they would no longer be added. Perhaps the data showed that there just wasn’t enough engagement with these extra achievements to justify adding them — I’m well aware that not everyone is addicted to Trophy hunting on PlayStation like I am and that it’s a niche hobby. Still, considering that the Cute and Pixel spray challenges still exist for each and every new hero, I don’t see why the Trophies ever stopped. Surely it can’t be too difficult to add them when the challenge is already coded into the game for an item in the hero gallery, so their disappearance really is a headscratcher.
While those who don’t care about achievements won’t have noticed they stopped being added, those of us that do were disappointed years ago, hoping that they’d reappear with each subsequent Overwatch update. By now, many fans may have forgotten they were even a thing, but 1,000 days later, I’d still love to see them make a comeback. If they did, every player who has the Cute spray, Pixel spray, or both could have the achievements unlocked automatically, while those without the sprays could get the extra nudge they need to pursue the hero-specific tasks. Plus, it just used to make each hero release feel a little more grand, so it’d be nice to see that vibe return.
Overwatch Trophies Follows the Pattern of Restoring the Franchise’s Glory Days
Much like the return of post-match hero cards, Overwatch dropping the 2 from its name felt like a smart bit of nostalgia, and bonus achievements coming back would be a similar kind of move. Sure, not everyone cares, but surely there are other players like me who wish these little unlocks were still around. Not everyone cares about achievements, and not everyone caree about sprays, but the two spray and Trophy being unlocked simultaneously made doing the task feel just a bit more rewarding. Overwatch is all about the power fantasy of making players feel like they’re controlling a superhero, so adding one more little thing to tell them “good job” once they’ve started to master a hero would make for a welcome addition.
- Released
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August 10, 2023
- ESRB
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Teen / Violence, Blood, Mild Language, Use of Tobacco, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)
