Invasion Launches Today, Here’s the Full Lowdown on Illari, PvE Missions, More

Blizzard has just released Overwatch 2: Invasion, their largest update yet for the popular free-to-play game. This update includes a variety of exciting features, such as three new PvE story missions, a new support Hero named Illari, the innovative Flashpoint mode, Hero Mastery missions, a Hero Progression system, and much more.

To begin, let’s delve into Illari, the support Hero hailing from Peru with a sun-themed motif. During a preview event, Blizzard’s writers alluded to Illari having a darker side beneath her optimistic exterior, hinting at unresolved trauma from her childhood village. In terms of gameplay, Illari offers a unique balance between healing abilities and aggressive attacks. She can deploy a healing pylon to assist her teammates while simultaneously dealing heavy damage with her Solar Rifle. Here’s a breakdown of her abilities:

Illari (Support)

Weapon

• Solar Rifle (Primary) – A long-range auto-charging rifle.
• Solar Rifle (Secondary) – A medium-range healing beam that consumes solar energy.

Ultimate

• Captive Sun – Illari launches an explosive ball of solar energy. Enemies hit will be slowed and eventually explode after sustaining significant damage.

Abilities

• Outburst – Propels Illari in the direction she is moving, knocking back enemies. Hold jump to increase vertical distance.
• Healing Pylon – Deploys a pylon that provides healing to allies.

As for the new PvE story missions, although there are only three of them, Blizzard assures players that a substantial amount of effort has been put into making them highly replayable. These missions take place on dedicated maps inspired by previously seen PvP locations. Blizzard promises that these maps are among the most intricate and expansive they have created, accompanied by approximately 20 minutes of in-game cinematics and 5,000 to 10,000 voice lines during missions. Each PvE mission offers multiple difficulty levels and can be tackled with a wide selection of characters, each with slightly adjusted abilities to suit the mission’s demands. The value of these missions, priced at $15, remains to be determined, but Blizzard assures players that years of meticulous work have gone into their development.

In addition to the PvE content, Overwatch 2: Invasion introduces the all-new Flashpoint mode, where players engage in battles over a series of five control points. For those seeking single-player challenges, Hero Mastery missions are available. Furthermore, players can now enjoy the new Hero Progression system, allowing them to level up their favorite characters and earn Emblems.

Overwatch 2 can be played on various platforms, including PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and Switch. The Invasion content is now available as of August 10th.