As Blizzard promised, the Overwatch 2 Battle for Olympus event has arrived. The event will be short-lived as it only lasts a couple of weeks, from January 5 to January 19.
Battle for Olympus is an FFA (free for all) Deathmatch. Several Overwatch 2 heroes will be dropping into familiar maps repurposed as arenas to fight it out for the most kills, with 18 being your target for victory. You can choose from a total of seven heroes to play. The character with the most wins overall will be immortalized in the center of the Illios map with a statue of themselves being erected.
The maps available will be the ancient greek ruins of Illios, which is very fitting, and the archaeological site in South Jordan named Petra. Both of these locations are being excavated by the same crew due to the Ancient Greek statues and items found around the sites.
If you’re not interested in FFA Deathmatch, don’t worry; this event has other perks. The new skins for Lucio, Reinhart, Roadhog, and Widowmaker are in the Overwatch 2 store. Completing challenges will allow you to get the Winged Mercy skin along with other name voice lines and player titles.
One of the biggest challenges to getting your head around will be the new abilities of the playable heroes in Battle for Olympus. As all the heroes are imbued with god-like power for their ultimates, known as Divine Power, this event's gameplay is different than normal. Let’s look at what’s different and how to secure your win.
Overwatch 2 Battle for Olympus character Guide
Battle for Olympus: Roadhog
Roadhog’s godly buff is rocky for the other players, to say the least. The power of the ancient mythic cyclopses will descend onto this hog from down under and allow his character to increase his size for 16 seconds and double his health when in his ultimate. It also means he will hurl boulders at enemies that will temporarily stun you.
Some tricks and tips to note about this ability:
- This ultimate can be used as a lifesaver if you’re very low on health.
- You can stop and start your ultimate to dodge or chase down enemies.
- The best effect this ultimate will have is if you push your target into a corner, then they won’t be able to escape.
Battle for Olympus: Reinhardt
Reinhardt certainly isn’t horsing around with his ultimate or Divine Power. After using his classic ultimate, Earthshatter, to knock all in front of him to the ground, his Divine Power allows the hero to buff his Pin ability. This is where he charges forward into an enemy and then pins them against a wall. This skill has been made more deadly as Reinhardt can now carry multiple enemies and instantly kill those he has pinned.
The angry Minotaur can also now gain healing for killing enemies. This addition was desperately needed as all the other tanks could do the same naturally.
Some tricks and tips to note about this ability:
- The more you kill in your ultimate, the longer it will last.
- Reinhardt can use this ultimate to cancel another one if you time it right.
- If you bring your hammer down directly on an enemy's head while performing Earthshatter, it will instantly kill them with a headshot.
- You can push enemies off cliffs and save yourself now; just make sure to cancel your pin in time.
Battle for Olympus: Ramattra
Ramattra is new this season, so there is much to learn about this character, regardless. Honestly, the angry omnic’s ultimate is one of the strongest in Overwatch 2, so there wasn’t much in the way of godly power imbued into this ultimate.
A perk this character does have is that while his ultimate is active, the punches that he’s dishing out left, right, and center will also work to pull enemies in. This is a helpful addition as Ramattra’s ultimate will last as long as he is damaging people, meaning you can go on a brutal rampage with this one.
Some tricks and tips to note about this ability:
- You want to use this ultimate in a big group as it will last longer.
- Punching is a lot of fun, but you can also block incoming projectiles.
Battle for Olympus: Junker Queen
While she isn’t the newest tank on the block anymore, thanks to Ramattra, Junker Queen is still relatively unknown regarding how to use her abilities. Her most crucial asset in this Deathmatch is her ultimate, like most heroes.
Usually, her ultimate, known as Rampage, can wound all enemies in front of her with tick damage that will slowly decrease their health while preventing them from being healed. It’s pretty deadly as is.
Except now it’s even stronger. As Junker Queen has been imbued with Zeus’ powers as she swings at already damaged enemies within her ultimate, her weapons will zap them with lighting bolts for extra damage that lasts for 25 seconds.
Some tricks and tips to note about this ability:
- It’s best to use this ultimate sneakily. Wait for enemy players to fight and damage each other and then swoop in, dealing the final blows.
- Be careful where you perform your ultimate as Junker Queen will fly forward 25 meters, meaning you can fall off the map.
Battle for Olympus: Pharah
Luckily, Pharah has been around for a while, so it’s easy to get ahold of her abilities. If you look at her skin which is available at tier 60 of the Battle Pass, Pharah has the power of Hades, which has led to some significant changes for her ultimate.
Instead of being immobile when reigning down a steam of rockets onto enemy heroes, in this mode, Pharah can move around. After her initial Rocket Barrage, she can fire three-headed Cerberus rockets for 15 seconds, in which all kills will extend the duration and heal Pharah.
Some tricks and tips to note about this ability:
- Pharah’s greatest asset is being airborne and out of reach, so stay away from the green pads that can propel any hero into the sky; they could be coming for you.
- Holding space causes you to hover, meaning you can stay out of reach for a little longer.
Battle for Olympus: Widowmaker
We’ve all seen Widowmaker's incredible skin this season. Modeled after Medusa, she has volatile green snakes tied up for hair and scaly skin. It is one of the more off-putting models.
For this game mode, Widowmaker can utilize her petrifying gaze. When she is in her ultimate, which allows her to see players through walls, she can scope in and aim for their heads. However, if said target looks at her while she is scoped in, then they will turn to stone. This ability will last for 25 seconds.
Some tricks and tips to note about this ability:
- Widowmaker’s best vantage points are on top of the ancient temple in Illios and the pillar of rock next to the green launch pad in Petra.
- Aim for Pharah and Lucio first, as they have less health and then look to pick off tanks that have already been damaged.
Battle for Olympus: Lucio
Lucio usually feels like he can glide around any map, but now he has the power of Hermes; he can fly. A passive that was added to help the sole support hero among a sea of angry tanks and DPS heroes mean that now Lucio can jump again after leaping out of a wallride, making evading incoming attacks easier. His Soundwave also stuns opponents for a short time now.
In terms of powering up his ultimate, Lucio gets his normal barrier of extra health with a few extras. The healing DJ's movement speed is significantly increased for 20 seconds while also gaining infinite ammo.
Some tricks and tips to note about this ability:
- Wall riding is the fastest way to get out of a problem.
- It is vital to stay out of harm's way and only drop down on enemies when they are in low health.
- If you stun your enemies into a corner, they will be easier to headshot and kill.
