Winter has arrived on the Overwatch battlefield with Season 20: Vendetta, and this year brings more than festive cheer and seasonal cosmetics. Blizzard Entertainment is introducing the game’s first melee DPS hero, evolving competitive modes, and returning Winter Wonderland with a twist that lets props fight back.
Vendetta storms into Overwatch 2 as the first melee DPS hero in the game’s history. People might say that Genji is a melee DPS but he’s more like a hybrid as he also has a long range primary weapon and all of Vendetta’s kit (where she can lunge, slice, and leap to close distances quickly) is built around brawling at close range. She’s designed to feel impactful when you land those hits, and her kit gives you the tools to make it happen.
Some of you may already have tried her out during the hero trial (I’m one of them) and she requires both restrain and timings – in my opinion. She’s not invulnerable and like Bastion, tends to be the primary target by the enemy’s team when she’s charging ahead. And while her slashes are very powerful and you are guaranteed a kill if you can get close to a squishy, you need to know when and when not to attack. The best way is to time it with your tank or if you have someone else flanking the enemy’s team. If not, you’ll just gonna go in and die (or best, bring a support down together).
Loved playing her but I think she is very situational and requires a good skill and degree of control.
Stadium mode continues its evolution this season with Doomfist and Wuyang joining the roster alongside a complete Cassidy rework (though not as much as you’d expect). The competitive structure expands with a new Top 500 tier and a rank system reset for fresh climbs. Players pushing through the ranks can earn the League 6 Reaper Chase Skin, and a new China Control map adds another arena for tactical plays.
The competitive updates extend beyond Stadium mode too. Season 20 introduces Challenger Score to fuel the race for Top 500, where win streaks and queue bonuses help maintain momentum. Top-ranked heroes now have integrated social visibility, giving streamers and competitive players more recognition across the community.
Blizzard is also addressing cheating more directly this season. When cheaters get banned, affected players will regain any rank progress lost to unfair matches, making the competitive ladder more reliable. The Challenger system ties more closely to the esports ecosystem as well, with pathways to FACEIT tournaments and OWCS scouting for players eyeing professional opportunities.
Winter Wonderland returns from December 9 through January 7 with Mischief & Magic, the prop hunt mode set on a winterised map. You can earn Frozen Demon Junkrat and Frozen Mountaineer Cassidy through the Event Hub while tracking your progress. This year also introduces a three-path reward system where you complete challenges to earn Winter Cookies, then spend them on three tracks: Jingle Tracer, Krampus Junkrat, and Santa Claus Torbjorn. Each path offers unique rewards (like a Battlepass skip for the Jingle Tracer) and lets you earn at your own pace through January 7. You’ll earn these cookies by playing the game, which is kind of nice.
The Mythic offerings this season include Divine Desperado Cassidy with blazing visual effects and immersive sound design. You can unlock new hairstyles, Purple Dusk and Ice Blue Dawn colorways, plus ambient sky glow effects in the final tier. I’m not totally a fan of the hovering divine light, but I’m digging his hairstyles option and the bare-chested cowboy style.
Orisa gets the Capsule Cannon weapon skin, a candy-coated design covered in adorable trinkets that flutter and pop. Eliminations power up the cannon with brighter effects, and the final level adds starry kill effects across the battlefield. It’s cute so you may want to switch to a cuter-Orisa skin to match her mythic weapon.
The Season 20 Battle Pass includes five Legendary skins and three Epic skins alongside emotes, charms, and currencies. Genji becomes Yukizaru, Venture gets Celestial charm, Soldier: 76 turns into Colder: 76, Reaper rises as Frost Lich, and Freja becomes Skadi. The Epic tier features Cold Front Tracer, Ice Crystal Symmetra, and Winter Guardian Illari.
The Ultimate Battle Pass bundles the Premium Pass with 20 tier skips, 2000 Coins, and two Legendary skins: High Society Vendetta and Reindeer Tracer for players wanting the full holiday collection upfront. So yes, Vendetta gets her skin during her launch!
The Overwatch 2 x Avatar: The Last Airbender collaboration returns from December 16 through 29, bringing back elemental-themed skins across the roster. Mei channels Katara, Zenyatta embodies Aang, Orisa becomes Appa, Venture transforms into Toph, Genji takes on Zuko’s fire, and Kiriko honours Suki’s Kyoshi Warrior spirit. The crossover includes cosmetics, sprays, and flair inspired by Team Avatar for players looking to complete their collection.
Three shop collections launch this season as well. The Cozy Collection wraps Ashe, Wuyang, Juno, Bastion, and Mauga in soft knits and Christmas charm. The Borealis Collection transforms Mercy, Lifeweaver, Echo, Wuyang, and Sojourn into winter myths with starlit fantasy designs. The Heist Collection brings gritty underworld style to Roadhog, Reaper, and Ashe for players who prefer edge over festivity.
Blizzard is also introducing gifting functionality through Battle.net this season. Players can gift Battle Passes, currency bundles, and premium packs to friends directly through the game. The system marks the beginning of expanded gifting features planned for future seasons.
Season 20: Vendetta is live now and yes, Overwatch 2 is still free so might be a good time for you to come back if you haven’t played for a while.
