During Gamescom 2016, Blizzard unveiled the first post-launch map for Overwatch. The map is a castle village named Eichenwalde in Germany, and it’s a shame that a village that idyllic is gonna host so much violence.
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Blizzard notes that the map will be an Assault/Escort hybrid. In typical Blizzard fashion, the map has its own Omnic Crisis lore:
“The site of one of the most famous battles during the Omnic Crisis, it was here that the leader of the Crusaders, Balderich von Alder, and a handful of his best soldiers made a last stand against an advancing automaton army. Outnumbered and outgunned, they were ultimately slain during the resulting combat. However, thanks to their valiant efforts, the German military was able to push back the omnic offensive and win the fight.”
The attacking team is tasked with reclaiming the remains of Balderich, a body sitting in a throne room. It’s a pretty macabre task. Looking at him on his throne, I get a strong vibe of the Skeleton King from Diablo III. I also noticed that a few of the areas are very vertical, making them very interesting as possible choke points.
Blizzard has not announced when the new Overwatch map will be available. All they say is “soon.”
