#PvWeek

[lazyvase]

PvWeek Finale (3/11/23)

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

Due to recent retcons, the world of Overwatch now has a main villain: Anubis. The one and (now) only "God Program".

Cause and Effect

This rogue AI is singlehandedly responsible for the backstory of every single hero due to it causing the Omnic Crisis, AKA the single most important event in the Overwatch timeline.

Without Anubis:

Gabriel Reyes, Jack Morrison, Ana Amari, Torbjorn Lindholm, and Reinhardt Wilhem would have never joined Overwatch, for without the Omnic Crisis, Overwatch would have never been needed to form.

Echo would have never been made.

Lena Oxton would have never been a test pilot for Overwatch's Slipstream project, and subsequently gain teleportation powers.

Cole Cassidy would have never joined Overwatch. He would have remained the right-hand man to Elizabeth Ashe.

Genji Shimada would have died after the fight with his brother, Hanzo, for neither Overwatch nor Dr. Angela Ziegler would have been around to save him.

Dr. Angela Ziegler's parents would also still be alive. Perhaps without their deaths, Ziegler may have not been pushed as hard to put all of herself into nanobiology and the medical field.

Dr. Moira O'Deorain would have never been hired by Blackwatch nor subsequently by Talon.

Olivia Colomar would have never had to work for the Los Muertos Gang as she would not have been orphaned by the Omnic Crisis.

Jean-Baptiste Augustin would have never joined Talon as he would have not been orphaned by the Omnic Crisis.

Amelie Lacroix would have never been brainwashed by Talon as her husband would not be the leader on Overwatch's Anti-Talon Task Force.

Akande Ogundimu would have never become Doomfist as he would not have lost his arm in the Omnic Crisis. He would have remained a competitive martial artist.

Aleksandra Zaryanova would still be a national athlete if there was no Omnic Crisis to fight in.

Hana Song would continue to be a Starcraft champion if the Gwishin weren't still around.

Lucio Correia dos Santos would have not become a star if the Vishkar Corporation had not taken over his town.

Without the Omnic Crisis, Vishkar would not have grown as big through their reconstruction contracts. As such, they may have ignored a young and poor Satya Vaswani.

Zenyatta would have never become a part of the Shambali.

Ramattra and Bastion would have never been built.

Orisa would not have been able to be built by Efi, for the OR models would have not been developed enough without the models Anubis made.

Vivian Chase would have never joined Overwatch.

Fareeha Amari would have not been able to look up to Overwatch and be inspired to be a hero by them. She would also not be able to work for Helix Security International as the organization was made to replace Overwatch. Her relationship with her mother may be slightly better off however.

Dr. Mei-Ling Zhou would have never lost 9 years of her life and 5 of her colleagues if Overwatch did not employ them.

Winston would have never joined Overwatch once he returned to earth.

Hammond would have never become Wrecking Ball as there would not be a mech-fighting arena in Australia.

Without the Omnic Crisis, the Australian Liberation Front would have never formed. As such, the Australian Omnium would have not been blown up, meaning there would be no wasteland. No wasteland means no Junkertown. Odessa Stone would have been able to grow up with her father, mother, and siblings.

Mako Rutledge would have lived a life of peace.

Jamison Fawkes would have a nice and quiet childhood with his mother.

Brigitte Lindholm would have never been inspired to be a hero by Reinhardt Wilhelm. She also would not be named Brigitte.

Anubis is also responsible for the anti-omnic sentiments present in the current world of Overwatch, for the Omnic Crisis caused these sentiments. Thus, Anubis is responsible for Null Sector for two reasons.

Anubis is the reason why many corporations are doing well, because after the crisis many companies took advantage of the economic downturn and reconstruction processes. (Vishkar, Volskaya, LuMerico)

Also, I lied. Two heroes origins do not depend on Anubis.

Dr. Siebren de Kuiper's experiment still would have left his mind shattered.

Kiriko Kamori would still have to deal with the Hasimoto Clan after the fall of the Shimada Clan.

Regardless, it is undeniable that Anubis has had an immense impact on the world of Overwatch.

Who is Anubis?

Recently, a question has plagued me: what is Anubis like? What is its personality? What is its opinions and beliefs?

Now, many would say that Anubis is a soulless machine that shows no emotion or sentient thought. That Anubis's only goal or drive or personality trait is to kill all humans.

I disappointedly agree.

All evidence points to Anubis having no personality or true motivations. A truly soulless machine. Which I guess could be used as a parallel to other omnic characters (especially Ramattra). But, man, imagine if Anubis had motivations and beliefs.

Would Anubis see Ramattra as a traitor? See Bastion as a broken tool? See Echo as a mockery? See Zenyatta as useless? Would Anubis hold a grudge against the 76, Reaper, Ana, Reinhardt, and Torbjorn for its imprisonment? Would Anubis have an immense hatred for Pharah over her duty of keeping it locked up?

Perhaps those questions are best saved for another time. Especially since I'm afraid of how the Overwatch writing team will handle Anubis with a personality.

The Future

The big question is: what’s next for Anubis. It’s still a potential threat as it remains locked up. Furthermore, both Talon and Anubis itself are trying to free it. It’s only a matter of time before the biggest threat in the Overwatch universe is free.

I’d imagine if Anubis ever got free, the easy thing to do for the developers is have it take over Null Sector so they don’t have to design new enemy models. And in all fairness it just makes sense. Free army based on your designs.

The Future of PvWeek

As you should all know by now, I'm discontinuing PvWeek. This series has been an interesting and educational experience. I've learned to not do this. I often found myself stressing to make sure the PvWeek released on time. I was also forced to release some lackluster and unresearched PvWeeks. I much prefer to take as much time as I need/want on Overwatch lore posting. So that's what I'll do.

However, PvWeek will return. As said in the first PvWeek, I started this series in order to generate hype for the upcoming PvE. I've recently realized that it's going to be a while before the PvE is anywhere close to being released. So I'd be stuck doing this series for a long time. Which would very quickly lead to burnout. Something I want to steer clear from. I'll probably start PvWeek back up a few weeks before the release of the actual PvE. So stay tuned.

Thank you to all who read and interacted with PvWeek. Stay safe. And good luck on your weekly challenges.

See you around.

[lazyvase]

PvWeak (5/16/2023)

Devil's Advocate

This is for the best.

Not for everyone mind you. But it is for me.

When at first I heard the rumors and ideas of PvE being released in chunks/sections/chapters/missions, I was apprehensive. I worried what would happen to the flow of the story, and the functionality of the skill tree. However, after some consideration, I came to terms with it. In all fairness, there are some (personal) flaws to be had with a full campaign, and some benefits to a diluted release.

My biggest issue with a full campaign is that it would have most likely been a one and done deal, consumed like every full season drop on netflix. I would've had to rush through the game if I did not want to be spoiled by the countless users and youtubers doing the same. I would not have been able to enjoy and marinate within the lore and character interactions. For me, all at once would have meant nothing at all. Especially since I know that the campaign would have not been "infinitely replayable". You know what else was "infinitely replayable" in the eyes of Blizzard? The Archive missions. Wrath of the Bride. Starwatch. Junkestein's Revenge. Now, to some of you these modes were infinitely replayable, but I know a lot of you didn't. And I am certain that the campaign would have been just as "infinitely replayable".

I truly prefer the gradual release. Think about it: We FINALLY have the Overwatch TV show! After each mission release, we, the Overwatch community, will have time to debate, converse, analyze, discuss, dissect, and ponder each mission. It's gameplay, it's interactions, it's lore dumps. (Those sweet, sweet lore dumps have been preserved!) Everyone always complains about getting the whole season at once, and how things would be better if we went back to weekly releases. We here in the Overwatch community shall receive the full beauty and power of separated release dates. We shall FINALLY BE ABLE TO THEORIZE AGAIN! This is for the best.

Now, I'm not going to pretend this is perfect for everyone else. I'm no fool. Many fans were more excited for the gameplay opportunities. I give you my condolence. Perhaps the Overwatch team will still be able to spice things up in the missions. Time will tell.

Now. For the elephant in the room. The Future of Overwatch.

Overwatch will die sooner rather than later. There will never be an Overwatch 3. The grave has already been built. The death of Overwatch is NOT due to the lackluster PVE. But the mass exodus from the fanbase. They have lost faith in Overwatch. I can't blame them for that. But. I CAN BLAME THOSE FILTHY YOUTUBE CLICKBAITERS. They ALL title their videos "PvE is cancelled" "PvE is scrapped" "PVE is completely gone" IT'S NOT. YOU HAVE ALL BEEN TRICKED BY PEOPLE FOOLS WHO REFUSE TO READ THE SLIGHTEST, OR REFUSE TO LISTEN IN THE SLIGHTEST, OR ONLY CARE TO MAKE A QUICK CLICK. THEY ARE THE WEAK LINKS IN THIS COMMUNITY. THEY HAVE SNAPPED THE CHAIN THAT HOLDS THEM UP.

Apologies for keeping all that in the post. But I did tag this as a rant. I have been quite annoyed by those digging the grave before the body is cold.

I still have hope. I am quite certain me and other Overwatch loreheads shall get our worth out of it. Some gameplay oriented fans may get a kick out of it. If you want to leave the Overwatch fanbase after this disappointment/betrayal, I implore you to do so. May I suggest Omega Strikers? I hear it's like league of legends, without the toxicity and tendency to give you mental health issues. If you desire to block me, do so. I admit this is one of my more off-putting posts.

Regardless, thank you for listening. Have fun. Stay safe. And I'll see you all next PvWeak.

[lazyvase]

PvWeek

Welcome to my weekly posts discussing Overwatch 2 PvE!

Every Saturday I’ll be starting little discussions about PvE.

Today’s topic: Why I’m doing this.

I’m know I’m fool for believing this, but I believe that the PvE and/or Story Mode will save Overwatch.

Overwatch 2 is not in a good place publicity and image wise. It’s not dying. But it certainly isn’t thriving. People are getting a bit restless, and The lack of new content is not helping.

But I believe that once the PvE drops. Overwatch will be closer than ever before to its glory days.

This flush of new content will bring an equally big (if not bigger) flush of players and publicity.

Streamers will stream missions. Let’s players will finally have something concrete to let’s play. Diehard Overwatch fans will have a new way to grind out. And most importantly, Overwatch lore heads will no longer have to be scrounging for scraps, and shall finally feast with new lore and interactions.

Honestly, the lore and interactions will probably be enough on their own to stir up a wave of notice. As this will be our deepest dive into these characters.

I for one can’t wait to see the cutscenes with my own eyes.

Overwatch 2 PvE/Story mode will save Overwatch 2. I’ll bet all my legacy coins on it (265). I have no doubts.

The hard part will be keeping Overwatch 2 alive until then. *sigh* I hope it comes soon for all our sakes.

[lazyvase]

PvWeek (2/18/23)

Hey all! @daylightcommand3 here. It’s time to talk about all things PvE/Story Mode related. Remember to send ‘asks’ about what topics you want to see.

Won’t you take me to - Junkertown

The Junkers are the unruly and dangerous faction that rule Australia. That like to keep to themselves, and hate troublemakers and omnics. They could very easily fight Overwatch if they catch them “trespassing”. However, the Junkers are just as likely to help Overwatch if Null Sector is present. They’re not the biggest fan of robots, so they’ll probably accept Overwatch’s help in smashing them. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if JunkerQueen wasn’t too fond of Overwatch if she listened to Hammond’s thoughts on Winston.

Let’s take ‘em to the wasteland

The Wastelanders are the unruly and dangerous nomads who roam the wasteland. They will attack anyone they come across. If Overwatch is in the wrong place at the wrong time, they may be attacked. But, as mentioned above, if Null Sector is present, Overwatch will seem like the lesser evil.

All your parts are belong to us

The wasteland has another type of inhabitants: the feral omnics. I have a lot I want to say about the “feral” omnics in a future post. So I’ll keep it short here. The feral omnics have shown a habit of violence. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them attack passing Overwatch agents.

[lazyvase]

PvWeek (1/28/23)

Hello! Welcome to PvWeek! Every Saturday I'll be bringing up topics related to the anticipated Overwatch 2 story mode and PvE. Make sure to send me asks about future topics you'd like to see discussed.

Bad Guys: Blank Space

It’s time to go over the enemy factions we may see in the story mode. Null Sector is the main threat in the Overwatch 2 story mode. We know its leader and soldiers. But there still is one looming question:

What is their goal?

I know that their intent is to “make a better future, for all omnics.” But what does that entail? Setting up an omnic nation? Wiping out humanity? Causing a second awakening? Who knows.

Most of the actions by Null Sector have been violent. The events of the uprising mission. Attacks on Paris, Russia, and Busan after the Recall. Not to mention the numerous attacks around the world that are featured in the story mode. What is the purpose of these actions? Secret objectives? Demoralizing of humanity? Gaining attention from the United Nations and the world? We won’t know until the story mode releases.

Regardless, it’s been made clear that Null Sector will destroy anything in its way. Whatever Ramattra’s endgame is, he’ll see to it that it gets done.

[lazyvase]

The big bad wolf.

[lazyvase]

PvWeek

Welcome to PvWeek! Every Saturday I’ll be starting discussions about the coveted Overwatch 2 story mode and/or PvE mode.

Reinhardt In The Room

So we’ve all accepted that they’re gonna kill Reinhardt off, right?

Like there is no way the story mode ends and he’s still kicking.

He has all the characteristics of a character who dies in stories. He’s old. He’s a mentor (to Brigitte). He has a tendency to throw himself into danger to save others. He’s beloved by all the other characters. He’s popular enough for his death to be shocking and heard outside the fandom. But he’s not popular enough to where Overwatch’s imagery and marketing will be suffering without his presence. It’s the best end to his character: “Live with honor. Die with glory.”

I can already see how it will go:

“Brigitte, remember: Live with honor. Die with glory.” Reinhardt puts on his iconic helmet, and charges forward.

“Reinhardt! NO!” Brigitte drops her shield. She reaches out for him.

Reinhardt speeds past her into the approaching storm of Nulltroopers.

Brigitte races after him. Tracer blinks over and grabs her by the shoulder. "Brigitte, the ship's gonna blow! We need to get out of here."

The Null Sector command ship sparks and enflames.

Brigitte breaks out of Tracer's hold. "Not without Reinhardt." She heads forward.

She feels something prick her skin in the folds between her armor.

She stumbles forward and collapses.

"Tracer." Ana puts away her sleep dart gun. "Get her on the ship."

Tracer nods.

Together they drag Brigitte into the Overwatch Shuttle. They rest her on one of the chairs.

"I'm sorry," says Ana softly to the dozing Brigitte. "But Reinhardt would have never forgiven me if I let you stay. Not to mention Torbjorn."

Tracer blinks to the pilot's seat. She grips the controls. She takes a deep breath. She blasts the shuttle out of the command ship.

Ana looks out the window. She can still see Nulltroopers be flung about, and the unmistakable hammer be swung.

The command ship explodes into a ball of fire.

"I hope you found your glory. Old friend." Ana turns away from the window.

TL;DR

See y'all next Saturday! Also, you can send me asks about what topics you want me to discuss in future PvWeeks.

[lazyvase]

The big bad wolf.

[lazyvase]

PvWeek (2/11/23)

Bad Guys: Prime Time Crime

There are numerous criminal organizations that can oppose Overwatch.

Anti-Midnight

The Deadlock Gang is a major crime gang in the New West. Their criminal acts how gotten on Overwatch’s radar before. Not to mention that the prevalent Overwatch member Coke Cassidy is wanted painfully dead by Ashe, the leader of the Deadlock Gang. However, if one looks back at the trailer for the PvE and looks hard, one can see Ashe fighting side by side with Winston and Mercy. So, I doubt they’ll be causing us much trouble in the PvE.

Till Death Do A Part

The Los Muertos gang has already been attacked by Soldier 76. And if little Alejandro could figure out he was an Overwatch member, then I’m sure the gang members could. And when Overwatch shows up, the Los Muertos Gang may take an opportunity to settle the score.

The Sleeping Dragon

The Shimada Clan was one of the most powerful crime gangs. Overwatch launched several attacks on the clan, giving the clan good reason to strike at the newly reformed Overwatch. Doomfist has confronted Hanzo about resurrecting the clan, but Hanzo has denied any suggestion. Ultimately, it is incredibly unlikely that the Shimada Clan has any forces present in the story mode.

Real-time footage of the Shimada Clan:

We are Hashimoto, son!

The Hashimoto Clan is the big cat on the prowl in Japan. They’ve already striked at the Shimada Clan before. If Genji or Hanzo show up, the Hashimoto Clan may take the opportunity to pounce.

[lazyvase]

PvWeek 3 (1/21/23)

Welcome to PvWeek! Every Saturday I’ll post about Overwatch 2’s highly anticipated story mode and PvE mode. Don’t forget that you can always send ‘asks’ about future topics to discuss on PvWeek.

Barrier To Entry

Now, I’m not talking about Winston’s barrier. I’m talking about how much a player needs to know before they start the story mode.

Overwatch lore moves at a snail’s pace (7 years and only now we are getting substantial in-game lore-based content). As such, it’s easy for those not stuck in Overwatch lore brainrot to forget or overlook aspects or details of the lore. The animated short showcasing this storyline released THREE (3) years ago. I’m not sure most people will know what’s going on when they first step in without (what every CinemaSins fan dreads) exposition.

Every story has exposition. For Overwatch, the question is how much will need to be provided. Will the average player know about how Null Sector’s goals reflect the world of Overwatch? Will they know of heavy omnic discrimination? Will they know of the Omnic Crisis? Will they know what Overwatch was formed for or even what the organization is? Will they even know who’s currently in Overwatch? A subset of people will be genuinely shocked that Junkrat and Roadhog aren’t in Overwatch. And in all fairness, a lot of Junkrat’s lines don’t help.

Fortunately, good exposition isn’t distracting. And from what I’ve seen, Overwatch stories aren’t bad at exposition. Still, diehard lore heads need to be ready for contradictions and oversimplifications. There’s only so much that can be said in so little time, and there's a lot of details and nuances to go over.

See y’all next week!

[lazyvase]

Who's afraid of the big bad wooooolf?

[lazyvase]

The big bad wolf.

[lazyvase]

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

[lazyvase]

The big bad wolf.

[lazyvase]

PvWeek (3/4/23)

Welcome one and all to PvWeek! The forefront for the lorefront.

In its world, there are only secrets.

In the world of Overwatch, there is no greater mystery than the Global Conspiracy (or GC, for short). The only person we know that is aware of the GC is Sombra. The rest of the world seems to be completely unaware of the GC’s influence. As are we. We haven’t seen much (explicit) actions or moves by the GC. Which is fair, conspiracies tend to be secretive and hidden. But still, there is a lack of development on what would be a major factor in the world of Overwatch. Hopefully, the story mode will shine some more light on the GC.

I say hopefully, because the only way we can learn about the GC is through Sombra. The hero who never gives out information easily. So, I don't think we're gonna learn much if Sombra is our only source. However, we can compile what little we know.

The Global Conspiracy has connections to Overwatch, Talon, Numbani, Volskaya, and Lumerico. There are also plenty of other entities it may have its hands in, but we don't have a full view of the picture. What I find most interesting is that there is no presence of the Shambali, nor Null Sector. Perhaps the Global Conspiracy has a more human focal point and means. Or perhaps the omnic centric groups are one of the connections cut off. Regardless, this is all we know of the Global Conspiracy. Which doesn’t leave too much to be interested in.

Furthermore, I'm not the biggest fan of the Global Conspiracy in general. The main reason for my displeasure with it, is the fact that it kinda steals Talon's thunder. Talon is supposed to be the shadowy organization pulling strings and fulfilling a secret, evil agenda. But nope, there is actually a conspiracy even higher which is currently manipulating Talon. It kinda takes the oompf out, you know?

There is, however, a way to rectify and redeem the GC. The Global Conspiracy should be a single person, not a collective. There are two candidates I have in mind.

Gaze into the Iris

The first sentient omnic was Aurora. Eventually, she reached tranquility and spread her gift across omnic-kind. This unfortunately costed her her life. (Zen ult causes you to die in Overwatch lore).

But what if death is not the end. What if through spreading sentience (or causing the Awakening as known in Overwatch lore) Aurora was able to find a new way of existence. Zenyatta even described her transcendence as beyond “this existence, this way of being,”. (Short story: Stone by Stone). Who’s to say there isn’t another way to live on?

What if Aurora is able to live on digitally through the power of the Iris? And if she’s one with the Iris, then a form like this makes sense.

However, there is one little hole in this theory. Why? Why is Aurora secretly manipulating some of the most powerful factions on earth? She very clearly believed in peace and understanding and selflessness. Granted, we haven’t seen any malicious actions from the Global Conspiracy. But still, why the secrecy, why the underhandedness? Aurora has no motive. She doesn’t even have connections to most (if not all) of these organizations. It doesn’t make to much sense for the GC to be her.

However, there is another candidate for the Global Conspiracy’s true identity. But this PvWeek has already gone on for too long. And I want a full PvWeek for the second candidate, as I have a lot to say about them. So, make sure you tune in next week for the final* PvWeek on a character that I've been dying to talk about.

But, before we go, I just have one last question:

Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf?

[lazyvase]

PvWeek (2/25/23)

It's PvWeek folks! The only place where you can get regular Overwatch lore discussions and posts. Remember to send asks about future topics you want to see discussed.

Cold Ghosts

The Second Omnic Crisis Russian Omnics (or SOCRO for short) and the Gwishin are the biggest omnic threats in the current day of the Overwatch world (besides Null Sector). Both the SOCRO and the Gwishin have shown a propensity for violence against humans. It is without a shadow of a doubt that these forces will team up with Null Sector and attack Overwatch on the Volskaya Industries and Busan missions. However, a much larger question is at play.

How in the Iris are these omnics still working like this?

Due to recent retcons, Anubis is the sole instigator of the original Omnic Crisis. Once it was locked up, all the omnics went inert (according to the wiki). So, how are the SOCRO and Gwishin still operating? Anubis was the driving force for the creation and strategy of all omnics during the crisis, for it had complete control over the omniums. How are new omnics being designed and created in the East China Sea Omnium? How are SOCRO forces able to mount numerous successful offenses without any guidance? They aren't. Someone or something else must be pulling the strings. It's probably not Anubis. It is still locked up in the Temple of Anubis. I also imagine it would have better options for omniums to use, such as Ramattra's frozen omnium. No, there is only one other entity that could possible have the means to manipulate these omniums. One that I'm not the biggest fan of. I think tha-

Next PvWeek: In its world, there are only secrets.