Overwatch Archives Event 2021 - Release Date, Skins, Weekly Challenges
Overwatch’s annual Archives event is live, giving fans an opportunity to revisit the game’s co-op missions and earn new skins and three new achievements.
New skins for Mercy, Lucio, and Zenyatta are up for grabs via weekly challenges and earning stars. Instead of having to win nine games each week, players can now earn stars in Overwatch’s Archives missions. The tougher the difficulty, the more stars you earn — and you don’t even have to successfully finish the missions to earn stars!
Overwatch Archives Event Release Date
The Overwatch Archives 2021 event will run from April 6 to April 27, giving players three whole weeks to drop in, play, and earn new items.
Overwatch Archives Event Missions
There are three story missions to complete or try in the Overwatch Archives event. The three new achievements require you to complete the three new challenge missions: Bulletproof Barriers, Sympathy Gains, and Thunderstorm.
Uprising
Travel back seven years in time and "join an Overwatch strike team fighting through the streets of King's Row to quell an uprising led by Null Sector." Play as Mercy, Tracer, Torbjörn, or Reinhardt.
The challenge missions include Bulletproof Barriers, reduced health and increased damage, and lava pools.
Retribution
Going back a little further now (eight years), play as Reyes, McCree, Moira, or Genji as a member of the Blackwatch strike force.
The challenge missions include the new Sympathy Gains mission, where dealing damage to enemies will cause other enemies to recover health.
Also included is the Surgical Strike mission, where you have to land a critical hit to deal damage.
Additionally added is the Close Quarters mission, where enemies can't be killed unless they're in close proximity to another player.
Storm Rising
Play as Tracer, Genji, Winston, or Mercy as you "pursue the devious entrepreneur Maximilien through the streets of Havana."
Challenge missions include Thunderstorm (which causes any damage dealt to enemies to also affect nearby players), Blood Moon Rising (where you can only heal through damaging opponents), and Storm Raging, (which causes some enemies to become enraged).
Overwatch Archives Event Achievements
A new reward system comes to Overwatch for the 2021 Archives event - earn stars instead of wins, and even more stars if you take on more arduous missions.
Every week, you'll need a certain amount of stars to earn items.
Week One - April 6 to 13
Ten stars are required to win the Corredor Lucio player icon, 20 stars for the Turn Up the Heat spray, and 30 stars for the Corredor Lucio Epic skin.
Earn double stars by playing the Uprising story mission.
Week Two - April 13 to April 20
Ten stars are needed for the Subaquatic Zenyatta player icon, 20 stars for the Deep in Thought spray, and 30 stars for the Subaquatic Zenyatta epic skin.
Earn double stars for playing the Retribution story mission.
Week Three - April 20 to April 27
Ten stars are needed for the Camouflage Mercy player icon, 20 stars for the Night Mission spray, and 30 stars for the Camouflage Mercy epic skin.
Earn double stars for playing the Storm Rising story mission.
Overwatch Archives Event Arcade Mode
The Overwatch Archives event 2021 also brings with it a PVE arcade mode, where four-player teams compete (not the usual 6v6 in regular OW matches).
Click to enlargeOverwatch Archives Event Skins
There are five new legendary skins in the Overwatch Archives event 2021, one each for Zarya, Soldier: 76, Tracer, Widowmaker, and Genji, and eight new skins total. These can only be earned from Archives loot boxes or by purchasing them with in-game credits. Skins and other cosmetics from previous years' Overwatch Archives events are available once again in loot boxes (or via in-game credits in the Hero Gallery).
Below are all of the eight new skins available.
2021 Skins
Legendary Skins
Mousquetaire Widowmaker - 3,000 credits
Bushi Genji - 3,000 credits
Soldier: 1776 Soldier: 76 - 3,000 credits
Cavalry Tracer - 3,000 credits
Polyanitsa Zarya - 3,000 credits
Epic Skins
Earned via weekly skin challenges, there are three Epic skins to collect.
Week 1: Corredor Lúcio (April 6-13)
Week 2: Subaquatic Zenyatta (April 13-20)
Week 3: Camouflage Mercy (April 20-27)
Click to enlargeOverwatch Archives Event Weekly Challenges
Three weeks of challenges await anyone dropping into the Overwatch Archives event 2021.
WEEK 1 (April 6 - 13)
- Earn double credit for Uprising Missions
- Molten Cores – Enemies drop Lava on death
- Glass Cannon – Players have 50% less health and increased damage
- Bulletproof Barriers – Enemy barriers are invulnerable
- Earn 10 stars to unlock player icon
- Earn 20 stars to unlock spray
- Earn 30 stars to unlock Corredor Lucio (Epic)
WEEK 2 (April 13 - 20)
- Earn double credit for Retribution Missions
- Surgical Strike – Only critical hits do damage to enemies
- Close Quarters – Enemies can only be damaged if a player is near
- Sympathy Gains – Damaging enemies heals other enemies
- Earn 10 stars to unlock player icon
- Earn 20 stars to unlock spray
- Earn 30 stars to unlock Subaquatic Zenyatta (Epic)
WEEK 3 (April 20 to 27)
- Earn double credit for Storm Rising Missions
- Blood Moon – No Support heroes and healing is reduced; heal yourself by doing damage
- Storm Raging – Some heroes are enraged; killing them spreads the rage
- Thunderstorm – Enemies damage all nearby players
- Earn 10 stars to unlock player icon
- Earn 20 stars to unlock spray
- Earn 30 stars to unlock Camouflage Mercy (Epic)
Images via Blizzard Entertainment
