When Overwatch 2 shifted the hero shooter’s economy away from loot boxes and into a seasonal battle pass, the customizable Mythic Skins unlocked at the end of that pass were framed as the light at the end of the grindy tunnel. Unlike any other Overwatch skin, these would be somewhat customizable, offering a few style and color options for players to make them their own. In the game’s first year, seven of its iconic heroes have gotten one of these Mythic skins, which mostly been well-received. But after Blizzard revealed season eight’s skin for tank character Orisa, players are noticing a downward trend in Mythic Skin quality.
Credit where credit is due, there have been some banger Mythic Skins since Overwatch 2 launched last year. Tracer’s Adventurer skin lets her take on the look of different fantasy hero archetypes, Ana’s A-7000 Wargod skin turns her into a robotic Omnic with a haunting backstory, and Kiriko’s Amaterasu skin is one of the most visually striking of all her looks Even though it took Overwatch 2 eight seasons to add a skin for one of the heroes I play, I’ve respected the work Blizzard puts into making a skin that was malleable and worth grinding the battle pass to unlock. Until now.
Each of the earlier Mythic skins come with different interchangeable color palettes, weapon appearances, and pieces of their costume. Want Tracer to have a hood? Maybe a soldier’s helmet? You’re no longer beholden to her usual pixie cut. Mixing and matching different colors, weapons, and costumes is the entire point of Mythic Skins, but the last two seasons have removed some of that personalization.
Hanzo’s Onryō skin has fewer customization options than any previous Mythic Skin, only allowing you to change the color palette and the shape of his bow. Though it changes Hanzo’s voice to something more demonic and scary, there’s no way to personalize Hanzo’s armor, or anything about his appearance, really. Just pick your favorite color and if you like bow #1 or #2 and get back to pulling off headshots. Based on the description of Orisa’s upcoming Grand Beast skin, it sounds like Overwatch 2’s crossing guard robot centaur is getting a similar treatment—and what’s worse is the skin doesn’t look all that unique.
As some fans have already pointed out, Orisa’s base Mythic Skin already bears a striking resemblance to her bug-like Megasoma skin, which also has a yellow and purple color scheme. The reveal trailer confirms you’ll be able to change her to a dark purple and red, or blue and white, as well as customize the gun on her right hand. But it doesn’t look like any other aspect of the cosmetic can be customized—no changes to her headpiece, torso, or legs. Like Hanzo’s from last season, Orisa’s skin seems to change the sound of her audio cues, and her Terra Surge ultimate now whips up a sand-filled twister as she draws enemies to her. But the customization we were afforded in earlier seasons is no longer there.
I ground through every Overwatch 2 battle pass to the detriment of playing other games in 2023. But I did that primarily to unlock all the additional cosmetics along the way, as the first seven seasons didn’t include a Mythic Skin for any of the characters I play. Orisa is my main tank, and while I was stoked to see her finally get some love, I’m bummed it didn’t happen before Blizzard started stripping away the customization options for these rare skins. Mythic Skins haven’t felt like a prize waiting at the end of a battle pass in two seasons now, and while Overwatch 2 has plenty of other cosmetics to unlock (or pay for), it’s a shame these coveted trophies haven’t been as good as the recent event skins—though fans are divided about the cost of those, too.
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