Overwatch's new map Eichenwalde and Competitive Play Season 2 are now available on PC and Xbox One via a new patch.
Season 2 was actually set to launch on Sept. 6. Blizzard even warned about the possibility of a later release date depending on how updates to the game are going, but it looks like kinks have been smoothed out sooner than expected.
The patch brings a number of updates to Overwatch, the most notable of which are the introduction of Eichenwalde and the changes to be implemented in Season 2 of Competitive Play.
Revealed during Gamescom 2016, Eichenwalde is an assault/escort map set in an abandoned German castle, where teams either have to hold the fort down or escort a battering ram to breach the structure. Eichenwalde, as it turns out, is also the home of Bastion.
Competitive Play Season 2, on the other hand, will bring skill rating tiers to the game to more effectively show player skill levels and change the skill rating system to a 1 to 5,000 scale. Sudden Death is also going bye-bye in Season 2, with matches instead ending in a draw when the clock runs out.
Overwatch players who want to stay on top will also have to be mindful of skill rating decay: diamond-tier players and above, for instance, will lose 50 rating points every 24 hours after they don't play in a competitive match for seven days. To earn a spot in the top 500, players must now win a minimum of 50 competitive matches as well.
There is no official date yet on when the patch will be released for PlayStation 4 players. However, those on the console and still on the sidelines about playing the game will have the chance to play Overwatch for free from Sept. 9 to 12.
Competitive Play will not be available to those on free play, but player progress will carry over should one decide to purchase the game afterward.
Those interested can start downloading the free version of Overwatch beginning Sept. 5 but the game will not be playable until Sept. 9. It's a 15 GB download and will not require a PlayStation Plus subscription. (PS Plus subscriptions now cost $60 for a year, up $10 from $50.)
The free version is also open to Xbox One users for the same duration, but will need an Xbox Live Gold membership to access.
There's also no word on when the new hero Sombra will be available.
Looking forward to Eichenwalde and Competitive Play Season 2? Let us know in the comments below!
