Overwatch 2 Invasion PvE: Is the new single-player content worth $15?

With the launch of Overwatch 2's Season 6 Invasion, developer Blizzard Entertainment introduced PvE missions to the game for the first time. Initially revealed at Blizzcon 2019, these single-player missions aimed to further expand the lore of the Overwatch universe, that is, until the rendition as we knew it back then was canceled.

However, Blizzard has still brought a handful of separate PvE missions to the game. With players getting what is essentially scaled-back content, is it worth their time and money?

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and reflect the opinions of the writer

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Are the Overwatch 2 Invasion PvE missions worth buying?

Mission select screen for the story missions (Screenshot via Overwatch 2)

As part of the Invasion bundle, which costs $15, players will receive three PvE missions, access to the Premium Battle Pass, and 1000 Overwatch coins.

The coins allow players to purchase cosmetics from the in-game shop, although we recommend saving those for the next Battle Pass. However, the highlights here are the Invasion story missions.

Taking place across three distinct locales, players will assume the role of various heroes to thwart the Null Sector threat. The first one, called Resistance, takes place across the war-laden Rio de Janeiro as players control beloved characters like Reinhardt, Lucio, Genji, and more to infiltrate and destroy the invading spaceship from within.

The Ironclad mission is perhaps the most interesting of the bunch (Screenshot via Overwatch 2)

The second mission, Liberation, sees the cast swerving around the alleys of Canada's Toronto, along with Sojourn, to save the citizens from hostile omnic robots.

The third and final mission, Ironclad, sees the team visit Gothenburg in Sweden to meet up with Torbjorn, Bastion, and Brigette and utilize massive turrets to take down the Null Sector Titan.

Each mission sees the heroes battle a variety of robotic threats. There is decent enemy variety, from the small and fast Splicers to the deadly Stalkers that will grab unsuspecting allies and constantly damage them. Players must work together to fight through waves of foes across varied set pieces.

The levels are very linear and are interjected with unique objectives like defending a vulnerable point. However, they are very straightforward and simplistic, especially the first two.

I thoroughly enjoyed the final mission, which saw the group set up defenses to thwart incoming Null Sector hordes while trying to prep a massive cannon to shoot back at the humongous Titan mech.

Mission 2 Liberation sees players trying to save Toronto from consciousness-depleting headwear (Screenshot via Overwatch 2)

Each mission will start and end with wonderfully animated pre-rendered cutscenes featuring various Overwatch 2 heroes discussing how they will proceed in the situation. These are, by far, the highlights of the story missions as each member is personable and well-acted. Unfortunately, the game drops the ball in other aspects.

The first mission is exactly how it was shown off in the demo. However, the main differences are the lack of extra mechanics and the changed UI, which reflects the current hero selection screen. That's right, the skill tree and loot system from the demo is gone. This severely degrades the gameplay experience.

There are four difficulties to pick from: Normal, Hard, Expert, and Legendary. While both AI and real players are an option, we recommend not using bots on anything higher than Hard.

While the AI companions are surprisingly efficient in battle, they are not exactly great. It is fairly easy for them to fall off of narrow walkways, like inside the first mission's ship.

Each hero has their use but some are a cut above others (Screenshot via Overwatch 2)

At higher difficulties, focusing on special enemies over the fodder ones is paramount to winning, especially since on Legendary, players only get one chance to beat a mission. Unfortunately, since the bots cannot be commanded to focus-fire, this can easily overwhelm the group, leading to a wipeout. This brings us back to the canned content.

Back then, each hero could pick between different skills and use consumables to supplement the combat. Tracer, for example, could damage enemies by dashing through them. She could also place turrets obtained from loot crates in strategic locations to help allies. With the final product, only the character's standard PvP abilities are here.

In other words, not only are certain heroes like Tracer not viable at higher difficulties due to hard-hitting and bullet-spongy foes, but this artificial difficulty also sours the experience. The artillery barrage, in particular, is able to one-shot allies on Legendary. Then there is replayability. The missions play out the same each time, with the same spawns even at higher difficulties.

Players can earn additional rewards for beating the missions (Screenshot via Overwatch 2)

At the very least, there are Overwatch 2 challenges tied to these missions that grant voice lines, sprays, and even cosmetics upon completion.

Finishing all three missions grants the Vigilante Sojourn legendary skin as well as immediate access to the hero for newcomers. However, besides that, these PvE missions are a one-time affair.

To answer the main question: is this content worth buying? Perhaps, if all three missions were as well-paced and engaging as the final one. Alas, that is not the case, so I would say no, given how middling the overall package is.

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Is the $40 Invasion Ultimate bundle worth getting in Overwatch 2?

Besides the standard Invasion bundle, an Ultimate bundle is also available in the in-game shop for $40. In addition to everything in the base bundle, players who get this one will receive 20 Battle Pass tier skips, Null Sector-themed skins for Cassidy and Kiriko, as well as an additional 1000 coins for a total of 2000 Overwatch coins.

Once again, I think this is too steep a price for a few extra skins and coins. However, others may feel differently, especially since 2000 coins in the shop cost about $20, which is half the price of this bundle. The skins for the two heroes are also fairly unique, granting them a cold, robotic look that stands out from the rest.

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Overwatch 2 Season 6 Invasion is out right now across consoles and PC via Steam and Battle.net.