Hero image: Doctrine in Overwatch Season 5. Image: Blizzard Entertainment
Doctrine joins the roster for good, and Sombra has switched to Support. Season 5 also brings a new Escort map, a Halloween mode that changes every time you die and a Solo Leveling collab.
Overwatch’s Season 5: A Grim Doctrine went live at 11am PT on Tuesday 6 October. That was 5am AEDT this morning, 4:30am in Adelaide, 4am in Brisbane and 2am in Perth. Blizzard laid out the whole season in its Season 5 post, and the launch trailer gives the start time.
Doctrine is the new Support hero. His Eternal Scepter heals allies and damages enemies from mid to long range. His drones add healing and attack speed, and Infuse powers up his other abilities. His Ultimate gives your team Overhealth and limits the enemy team’s maximum health. You saw his kit named in the gameplay trailer last week, and now you can take him into a match.
He arrives with Watchpoint: Grímsvötn, the Icelandic prison where he was held. Blizzard calls it “the first new Escort map in years”, so expect to push a payload through fire and ice tonight.
Two old heroes play differently now. Sombra moves from Damage to Support, as first revealed at BlizzCon. Her Hotfix heals a targeted ally after a short cast, even while Invisible. Roadhog’s Scrap Gun now fires two bursts per volley. His new Trash Compactor swallows enemy projectiles and fires back an explosive shot that scales with what you absorbed.
The Halloween event is Mystery Madness: Graveyard Games, running 6 October to 2 November. You start as a random hero and pick up random new powers every time you die. Complete challenges to earn Offerings, then pledge them to Ashe, Moira or Winston. The hero with the most Offerings joins the mode next, and the roster grows to 20.
The Overwatch x Shadow Monarch collab runs 6 to 19 October. Genji becomes Sung Jinwoo, and Reaper, Anran, Reinhardt and Lifeweaver get Solo Leveling skins too.
If you skipped an old Battle Pass, Unvaulted Passes bring back revised passes from Seasons 1 to 15. You can progress one alongside the current pass, and match XP counts towards both. This season’s passes also carry up to 80 Mythic Prisms.
Mark two more dates in your calendar. The Tech Witches collection runs 9 to 26 October, and Team Drives return from 29 October to 1 November. Check Blizzard’s patch notes for the full balance changes before you queue.
Overwatch is free to play on PC, including Steam, and on console, including Switch 2.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment – Feed Your Hunger in Reign of Talon – Season 5: A Grim Doctrine, PlayOverwatch (YouTube) – Season 5: A Grim Doctrine Launch Trailer, Blizzard Entertainment – Overwatch patch notes, Steam – Overwatch