Overwatch 2 Reveals Torbjorn Redesign

Since the game was first announced, the Overwatch 2 team has released regular information drops about the highly anticipated sequel to Blizzard's hero-based competitive shooter. The latest reveal is the redesign of Torbjorn, the game's turret-reliant Swedish hero, for Overwatch 2. Torbjorn is among the lower-picked heroes in Overwatch, and many players are hoping he receives a redesign to his mechanics as well as his appearance.

The new design is less aggressively mechanical in its overall style, and Torbjorn's helmet is replaced with a pair of goggles that sit on his forehead – Torbjorn finally gets to feel the wind flow through his hair, and players finally get to see his golden locks uninhibited. His beard is braided all the way up to his chin in Overwatch 2, whereas in Overwatch it was only braided (and capped) at the tips of each fork. Additionally, his boots are no longer studded, and his mechanical arm appears to have been altered as well.

Blizzard has released several updates covering new maps, mechanics, Story Mode, and character redesigns since Overwatch 2 was announced. In February 2021, redesigns for Widowmaker, Reaper, McCree, and Pharrah were shown off at BlizzConline. Blizzard streamed early gameplay in May and revealed new abilities, as well as the fact that Overwatch 2 PvP modes will no longer have five players on each side. Several maps have been shown off on the Overwatch Twitter account, too, including Rome and Rio-inspired maps.

While players don't know much about Torbjorn's abilities in Overwatch 2, this reveal at least confirms that the Swedish engineer will be returning in the sequel. Changes to Torbjorn's character design have made some fans wonder what revamps could be in the works for the hero. The attachments to his mechanical arm were switched with what appears to be a set of wires, which could indicate that Torbjorn's passives, abilities, and ultimate ability will change. He still wields his hammer, though, and will clearly still be focused on building. It's possible that there won't be any changes to Torbjorn in terms of gameplay, and so fans should keep that in mind as well.

Overwatch 2 doesn't have an official release date yet but it has been in development for at least a year and a half, as the original announcement of the sequel was late in 2019. Torbjorn is among the lowest-picked heroes in Overwatch, and although his redesign is cool to finally see, fans are wondering whether the hero will be more playable in the Overwatch 2 meta. Overwatch enthusiasts will simply have to wait for Blizzard to share more detailed information.

Overwatch 2 is shaping up to be an interesting project, as the game’s status as a hybrid sequel is interesting. While owners of the original Overwatch will be getting access to all the new maps and modes that are coming with the sequel, there are still some major changes that will be exclusive to the follow-up. While more will surely come, Blizzard has already revealed some of the biggest changes that will be made.