What is Overwatch? And what is the Omnic Crisis? We summarize the background story of the shooter for you.

Blizzard’s latest game, Overwatch, completely refrains from telling the story of the game world within the game. Nevertheless, the story writers have made an effort to create a coherent vision of the future of our world. We have summarized the key points and reveal to you what Overwatch actually is – and why its glory has faded.

The Omnics – Robots with Personality

Although Overwatch takes place about 60 years in the future, the biggest changes begin in 30 years – calculated from our time.

Mankind makes massive advances in technology. Teleportation is developed, flying cars, laser weapons – all the gadgets one would wish for in such a future scenario. The most significant advances occur in the field of artificial intelligence. Humans manage to create thinking machines. These “Omnics” are more than just robots: they have their own personalities.

In factories around the world, known as “Omniums”, they work in service to humans and ensure that economic justice prevails in the world. In summary, it was a peaceful time and is often regarded in hindsight as the “golden age” of humanity.

The Omnic Crisis

Because everything else would be boring, this peace did not last forever. For unknown reasons, the Omnics turned against humanity. The once helpful Omniums became breeding grounds for deadly machines. Around the world, the Omnics began a rebellion and sought to overthrow humans, leading to chaotic conditions on the planet.

As countries were unable to contain the Omnics, the United Nations decided to establish a special organization composed of the best (and craziest) heroes from all countries: Overwatch.

The unit was led by Gabriel Reyes, a former soldier, with John Morrison as his deputy – both originated from a program for “enhanced soldiers”. Under their leadership, this elite force fulfilled exactly the purpose for which they were needed – the Omnics were pushed back and the crisis ended.

Overwatch was celebrated worldwide for its achievements, was popular in all countries, and stood for the great things humanity could achieve when working together. In the coming years, Overwatch transformed into a sort of “global police force” combating terrorists and corruption wherever it found them. At the same time, it also took care of preserving the Earth, exploring our ecosystem, and focusing on space exploration. Everything that was generally considered “good”, “right”, and “important” was covered by Overwatch.

The Fall of Overwatch

Once again, peace was only short-lived. An internal conflict arose when Morrison was appointed the new leader of Overwatch. Reyes felt sidelined by this decision, and the agents of the unit split into two factions, leading to initial disputes.

To this were added wild accusations that Overwatch had succumbed to corruption, was conducting secret weapon deliveries, and had repeatedly violated human rights. These allegations – fueled by the media, which loves such stories – led to worldwide protests against Overwatch.

The United Nations had just launched an investigation to verify the accusations when a tragic incident occurred. In an alleged accident, the Swiss headquarters of Overwatch was destroyed, and both Reyes and Morrison lost their lives.

Due to the deaths of the two leaders, the accusations, and the ongoing investigations, Overwatch was disbanded about 30 years after its founding.

Summoning – Old Heroes Gather

Many agents fondly remember the time and without Overwatch, several terrorist units are on the rise again – this is where the video with Winston comes in.

After this summoning, some agents have come together again to once again be a pillar of hope and confidence and to save the world once more from the many shadows that currently threaten it.

Lore of the Individual Heroes

In the coming days and weeks, we will take a closer look at the background stories of the individual heroes (and villains) of Overwatch and explain how they relate to each other – because not all are real “heroes”.

• Lore of Reaper, Soldier: 76, and Mercy
• Lore of Widowmaker, Tracer, and Winston
• Lore of Reinhardt, McCree, and Torbjörn

For more news and articles about Blizzard’s hero shooter, check out our Overwatch game page.

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The open beta of Overwatch has a small problem: deserters ruin the fun for many players. Are there countermeasures?

Update: More detailed information about deserter penalties can be found in this article.

Deserters in Overwatch – The plague even before release

Although Overwatch is currently still in the open beta phase, the game is already plagued by a problem: deserters. Players often start a match and then decide in the middle of the round to simply leave the game. This is quite annoying: not only does the team then temporarily lack a complete player (and the difference between 5 or 6 heroes is enormous), but matchmaking often fails to find a suitable replacement quickly.

However, if it is possible to join, it usually leads to frustrating experiences for the “subs” – the match is already in full swing, and one can only see how the opposing team is achieving victory. This is not only frustrating but simply poorly handled.

However, Blizzard has already integrated a system that punishes deserters. Those who leave multiple games in quick succession will receive a “deserter debuff.” This causes the player to earn fewer experience points for finishing a match and thus have less chance of enjoying the coveted loot boxes.

There is only one way to reverse this punishment: several games must be completed in a row without deciding to leave the match prematurely. Only then the debuff will be lifted.

Mein-MMO thinks: Deserters are annoying but perhaps still better than a player who simply stays in the round to annoy the rest of their team. So far, there seems to be only one solid method to avoid rounds with deserters: register as a group with other players. This increases the likelihood of being assigned to other groups. Individual players rarely leave a match if they are part of a group.

Basically, this seems to be a “beta issue”: players really have nothing to lose, the game has not yet been purchased. Therefore, few people worry about the consequences for their account.

For more news and articles about Blizzard’s hero shooter, you can find it on our Overwatch game page.

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Communication and fun are the be-all and end-all in Overwatch. The emote wheel can save a lot of frustration.

Cool poses and clear announcements at the push of a button

Since there is no way to customize the characters in Overwatch through talents or traits, Blizzard has taken a different approach here. There are numerous skins, victory poses, highlight intros, and also spray logos. Additionally, there are emotes and voice lines that can be presented in the game.

By pressing the “C” key on PC or “down” on the D-pad on consoles, the communication wheel (or “emote wheel”) opens. The bottom left shows the option for the voice line, which is a specific phrase that the character delivers (For Mei, “You have to let it go!” is recommended). At the top, there is the option to show a character-specific emote to the world. Here, the view switches to third-person, and you can admire your hero yourself. But be careful! While performing an emote, you count as stunned and cannot defend yourself. Anyone who wants to look particularly “cool” needs to find the perfect timing.

However, important announcements can also be found on the emote wheel beyond these two fun features. At the bottom, you find an option to let the entire team know how far your ultimate ability is charged. On the sides, there are further announcements, such as a request for healing or the possibility to thank someone or confirm instructions with “Understood”. Sometimes it can also help to initiate a new attack with a “Group up” when teammates are constantly walking to their deaths individually.

Anyone who firmly opposes voice chat can still give quick and clear announcements in the heat of battle to maintain at least a basic level of communication.

For more news, updates, and articles about Blizzard’s hero shooter, visit our Overwatch game page.

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