After a comparatively low-key season 11, Overwatch 2’s next season will be a big one. Season 12 will usher in brand-new support hero Juno, two new maps, and the official launch of a new game mode, Clash, to Blizzard’s hero shooter.
Overwatch 2 season 12’s overarching theme is inspired by Egyptian gods, with new skins Bast Doomfist, Thoth Illari, and Anubis Reaper — this season’s Mythic — available via progressing through the game’s premium battle pass. Overwatch fans will also return to Anubis, with a new Clash map called Throne of Anubis.
Juno isn’t the only thing that will shake up the Overwatch 2 meta this season; a host of balance changes is coming for damage and support heroes. Expect changes for Pharah and Lifeweaver, at the very least.
What time does Overwatch 2 season 12 start?
Overwatch 2 season 12 starts on Tuesday, Aug. 20. There’s no official release time yet, but in-game events typically launch at 2 p.m. EDT/11 a.m. PDT in the United States, so we can expect something similar for the launch of season 12. This means the update will likely be available at these times:
- 11 a.m. PDT for the west coast of North America
- 2 p.m. EDT for the east coast of North America
- 7 p.m. BST for the U.K.
- 8 p.m. CEST for Paris
- 3 a.m. JST on Aug. 21 for Tokyo
What’s new in Overwatch 2 season 12?
Image: Blizzard Entertainment
Overwatch 2 players are already familiar with Juno, because she was playable in-game for a limited trial period in July. But for players who missed out on the early preview of Mars’ No. 1 support hero, here’s a rundown of Juno’s ability kit:
- Mediblaster – primary fire
Burst fire weapon that heals allies and damages enemies - Pulsar Torpedoes – secondary fire
Lock on to fire homing projectiles that heal allies over time and damage enemies
- Glide Boost
Glide horizontally with increased movement speed - Hyper Ring
Deploy a ring that increases movement speed of allies that pass through it - Martian Hoverboots
While airborne, press jump to double jump and hold jump to hover - Ultimate: Orbital Ray
Call down a ray that travels forward, healing allies and increasing their damage
Juno will be available for everyone when season 12 launches, and she’ll be playable in Competitive Play from day one.
Image: Blizzard Entertainment
Like Juno, Clash was previously playable in Overwatch 2 during a limited trial period — way back in April! Clash sees teams battling over five capture points, with each captured objective adding a point to the prevailing team’s score. Teams can win games of Clash in two ways: either by having control of all five objectives at once, or by scoring five points total before the other team.
Clash will be playable on two maps in season 12: Hanaoka, which takes its inspiration from the Hanamura map set in Japan; and Throne of Anubis, which revives the aesthetic and location of Overwatch’s first map, Temple of Anubis.
Image: Blizzard Entertainment
Overwatch 2 players know the drill by now. The game’s premium battle pass includes 80 tiers of rewards, including five Legendary skins (Bast Doomfist, Oni Ana, Thoth Illari, Dorothy Ashe, and Captain Sigma); 80 Mythic Prisms that can be spent on Mythic Anubis Reaper skin, the Midnight Sun Ana weapon skin, or past Mythic cosmetics; up to 600 Overwatch Coins and 2,000 credits; and a few other cosmetic items.
Additional skins for Mercy, Genji, Brigitte, Reinhardt, Pharaoh, Echo, Kiriko, and Soldier: 76 are coming to the Overwatch 2 in-game shop in season 12.
Image: Blizzard Entertainment
Xbox Game Pass subscribers will also get a batch of skins as part of their membership. From Sept. 17 to Oct. 21, Overwatch 2 players with Xbox Game Pass who link their Battle.net account can earn Cardboard Reinhardt, Turtle Ship D.Va, Cyber Dragon Hanzo, Street Runner Genji, Bee Mercy, and Cleric Lifeweaver. They’ll also get 30 Mythic Prisms.
Hero balance and Competitive changes
Blizzard is targeting Overwatch 2’s mobile heroes on the damage — hello, Pharah — and support categories with a reduction in overall health. Additionally, Lifeweaver is getting “notable updates to improve the quality of the Petal Platform and how it can be counter-played, along with changes to Healing Blossom and Rejuvenating Dash,” Blizzard says.
Expect more details on those changes when Blizzard releases Overwatch 2’s full season 12 patch notes ahead of launch.
On the Competitive side, get ready for a rank reset “to give everyone a fresh start and a new chance to work their way up the Competitive ranks,” Blizzard says. The developer also promises improvements to Overwatch 2’s Avoid as Teammate feature and Group Respawn in Quick Play.
In season 12, Overwatch 2 players will get new Hero Mastery missions for Pharah and Zarya, and the return of Overwatch 2 Anniversary events. That means the Mirrorwatch and April Fools modes (and others) will return for a limited time.
