新年快乐! Overwatch’s 2018 Year of the Dog celebration has begun. The Chinese New Year doesn’t officially start until Feb. 16, but Blizzard is kicking things off a bit early. Six Overwatch heroes got new skins to celebrate in style, and the 13 skins from last year’s Year of the Rooster event have returned.
In total, Overwatch has more than 50 new items available with the new event. The 2017 celebration took inspiration from Chinese tale Journey to the West, while this year’s event uses Chinese mythological creatures behind the Four Symbols as its starting point for a bunch of the new skins.
Related: Overwatch players can change skins at the start of a map
Capture the Flag, called Capture the Rooster last year, is returning to Overwatch with a series of updates designed to balance the game mode. Blizzard also launched a brand-new map specifically for Capture the Flag, called Ayutthaya. The map, which is based on Thailand, is the first created just for the mode, and it’s come at a good time, as competitive Capture the Flag will debut for a four-week season alongside the event.
Players that complete their Capture the Flag placement matches will receive a special spray. Those who earn a top 500 spot will get an even more special spray and a player icon.
Outside of the event, Blizzard has pushed live a bunch of bug fixes and interface adjustments. Most notably, a new Doomfist buff is skipping the PTR testing phase and going straight into the game. His Hand Cannon has had its damaged reduced from 11 to six, with the number of bullets fired increased from six to 11. The spread pattern should feel more consistent with these adjustments.
A new feature has also gone live allowing players to switch skins at the beginning of an Overwatch match. Players can now change skins at the starting hero select screen.
