Overwatch 2 April Fool’s event: Dates, Balanced mode, free rewards, more
BlizzardThe Overwatch 2 April Fool’s event has arrived, and you can get some free rewards for playing the new game mode. So, here’s everything you need to know about the OW2 April Fool’s Day event, including the dates and the Balanced game mode.
Overwatch 2 Season 9 has brought plenty of events, from Cosmic Crisis to the Cowboy Bebop crossover. Now, the devs are embracing the silly side of the game with an entire event to celebrate April Fool’s Day, which comes with free rewards to unlock and an exclusive game mode.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Overwatch 2 April Fool’s event.
Overwatch 2 April Fool’s event dates
The Overwatch 2 April Fool’s event runs until Tuesday, April 9, 2024, after getting underway on April 1. So, it’s more short-lived than other recent events, but there’s still plenty of time to see everything and unlock every free cosmetic.
Overwatch 2 Balanced mode explained
The main addition during the Overwatch 2 April Fool’s event is the ‘Balanced Overwatch’ game mode, which gives every Hero a huge buff that would be out of place in regular matches. Many characters have received a major movement speed increase, while others have been completely reworked for the Arcade mode.
For example, in Balanced, Bastion defaults to his Assault Configuration with more ammo but less damage, and Ramattra’s Nemesis Form has been moved from his Ultimate Abilty to the Abilty 1 slot, allowing players to use it far more often.
The Ultimate penalty for switching Heroes mid-match has been significantly reduced, so you can happily swap between characters as often as you like to see each hilarious change. If all that wasn’t enough, Heroes have also had their eyes replaced with googly eyes, just to make things even more ridiculous.
For a full breakdown of all the buffs and tweaks in Overwatch 2 Balanced mode, check out the official patch notes.
All Overwatch 2 April Fool’s rewards & how to get them
There are 15 free Sprays up for grabs in the Overwatch 2 April Fool’s event, most of which must be earned by playing Balanced mode. Check out all the rewards and how to get them below:
| Challenge | Objective | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| April’s Fool | Complete 14 Balanced Overwatch games | Dev Doodle Lifeweaver and 10,000 Battle Pass XP |
| Giddy Gratitude | Emote “thanks” to anyone | Dev Doodle Mei and 2,500 Battle Pass XP |
| Prank Queue | Complete 5 games of Balanced Overwatch. Wins grant double progress | Dev Doodle Junkerqueen and 2,500 Battle Pass XP |
| Not Fooling Around | Complete 10 games of Balanced Overwatch. Wins grant double progress | Dev Doodle Symmetra and 2,500 Battle Pass XP |
| Ultimate Fool: Damage | Use your ultimate 3 times playing as a Damage hero in Balanced Overwatch | Dev Doodle Traver and 2,500 Battle Pass XP |
| Perfectly Balanced Damage | Complete 2 games as any Damage hero in Balanced Overwatch | Dev Doodle Genji and 2,500 Battle Pass XP |
| Sic ‘Em Boys | Deal 10,000 in Balanced Overwatch | Dev Doodle Hanzo and 2,500 Battle Pass XP |
| Ultimate Trickster | Use ultimate 10 times | Dev Doodle Sojourn and 2,500 Battle Pass XP |
| Ultimate Fool: Tank | Use your ultimate 3 times playing as a Tank hero in Balanced Overwatch | Dev Doodle Ramattra and 2,500 Battle Pass XP |
| Perfectly Balanced Tank | Complete 2 games of any Tank hero in Balanced Overwatch | Dev Doodle Sigma and 2,500 Battle Pass XP |
| Do I Have To? | Heal 5,000 damage in Balanced Overwatch | Dev Doodle Mercy and 2,500 Battle Pass XP |
| Ultimate Fool: Support | Use your ultimate 3 times as a Support hero in Balanced Overwatch | Dev Doodle Kiriko and 2,500 Battle Pass XP |
| Perfectly Balanced Support | Complete 2 games as any Support hero in Balanced Overwatch | Dev Doodle Zenyatta and 2,500 Battle Pass XP |
| Clicking Heads | Earn 15 eliminations/assists in Balanced Overwatch | Dev Doodle Illari and 2,500 Battle Pass XP |
| Everyone’s a DPS! | Deal or boost 5,000 damage with weapons | Dev Doodle Moira and 2,500 Battle Pass XP |
If you were one of the players whose challenge rewards got bugged, you can also get new sprays if you log in before April 8. These include Dev Doodle Kiriko, Dev Doodle Mei, Dev Doodle Tracer, and Dev Doodle Ramattra.
That was everything you need to know about the Overwatch 2 April Fool’s event. For more on OW2, check out our other guides:
Overwatch 2 Flashpoint | Best Overwatch 2 Heroes: Tank, DPS, & Support ranked | Best Overwatch 2 PC settings | Overwatch 2 crossplay | Is Overwatch 2 free-to-play? | How to get Golden Guns in Overwatch 2 | Best Overwatch 2 Heroes | Who are the most popular Overwatch 2 Heroes | How to check your rank in Overwatch 2