The Overwatch Anniversary 2021 event is upon us. It’s the only time of the year that all of the skins and other cosmetics from every seasonal event are available in loot boxes and buying them in the Hero Gallery, as well as all of the Anniversary exclusive items (like the wonderful dance emotes).
What’s more, there are eight brand new skins for you to scoop up, five Legendary skins and three Epic ones. Here’s a look at all of them.
Legendary Skins
Seasoned Overwatch players will know the drill by now, but just in case... If it’s your lucky day, these five skins might pop out of an Anniversary loot box. If not, and you want to snag one of them, you’ll be able to buy them from the Hero Gallery for 3,000 credits.
Funky Baptiste
This is the first skin that Blizzard revealed for this year’s batch of Anniversary looks. It’s a disco-themed getup for Baptiste (pictured above) that gives him a lava lamp backpack. It’s a rad skin, even if myself and much of the Overwatch community are mystified as to why the lamp (or Immortality Field) isn’t a disco ball.
Venus Moira
Reader, I may or may not have melted a little when Blizzard revealed this skin on Monday. It’s stunning, and one of the best skins Team 4 created in a while. That’s saying something, because the skin designs have been excellent for a long time. I’m absolutely going to be claiming this one.
Black Cat Sombra
I like this skin, but I can’t say I love it. The whip is a fun touch, as are those pointed nails. And if this is supposed to be a play on Catwoman, what better hero to be a cat burglar?
Junkfood Junkrat
I like the play on words with the Junkfood Junkrat skin. It’s a fun look, though I’m not yet sure if it’s better than last year’s terrific Ice Cream Orisa skin.
Gladiator Doomfist
I love the idea behind this one. If you’re going to make a gladiator skin, might as well give it to Doomfist, the brawliest of all Overwatch heroes.
Weekly Challenge Epic Skins
Over the past several seasonal events, Blizzard has been running weekly challenges. You’ll need to play a certain number of matches across Quick Play, Competitive and the Arcade to claim some extra goodies. You can find out more details about how the new rewards system works in my other Anniversary post. Remember that this might be your only chance to ever unlock these three skins, though.
You’ll need to play 27 games across Competitive, Quick Play and Arcade modes each week to unlock each one. Winning a game counts for double.
Week 1: Cybermedic Ana (May 18-25)
Ana has been my favorite hero for ages, so I’ll never not want new skins for her. This is a solid cyberpunky look, even if the mask is perhaps a little similar to the one on the Sombra skin.
Week 2: Bird of Paradise Echo (May 18-June 1)
Echo has been getting a lot of attention from recent season events, but as the latest hero to join the game, she’s got a lot of catching up to do on the skin count front. Her latest look is a lovely blast of color.
Week 3: 8-ball Wrecking Ball (May 18-25)
Look how cute Hammond’s tuxedo is!! I’m digging this skin a lot. It’s so much fun.
The Overwatch Anniversary 2021 event runs until June 8. After that, all of these skins will probably be locked away until next year’s event.
