Today marks the start of Overwatch‘s Winter Wonderland in-game event, and things are looking incredibly festive around the Hanamura and King’s Row maps.
In addition to a blanket of fresh-fallen snow, players will find winter loot boxes wrapped with colorful paper and ribbons that contain more than 100 new cosmetic items, including profile icons, victory poses, character skins, emotes, and more. Like regular old loot boxes, these packages can be earned or purchased (items will be a random selection from 2016 Winter Wonderland collection). You can also unlock a variety of cordial customization options in the Hero Gallery.
While the event (and the holiday loot boxes) melt away on Jan. 2, anything you collect will be yours to keep to use all year. (Who wants to meet up in a few months for Christmas in July?)
Game developer Blizzard is also gifting players Mei’s Snowball Offensive, a 6v6, single-elimination holiday brawl that turns Mei’s Endothermic Blaster into a super-powered, single-shot snowball cannon. The snowball can take out enemies in one hit—but this is no cake walk. “Once your weapon is empty, your enemies will have the advantage as you search for the nearest snow pile to reload, so don’t forget to cover your retreat with ice walls and cryo-freeze to block their attacks,” Blizzard advises. You can activate Mei’s Ultimate to turn the blaster into a semi-automatic for continuous snowball fire.
Good luck out there heroes, and may your playtime be merry and bright.
H/T Polygon