Kiriko in Competitive: When Can You Play Her in Ranked?
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The wait is over! Kiriko was available in Competitive Play starting on October 18th, 2022, approximately two weeks after the launch of Overwatch 2. This two-week lockout period was implemented to ensure fairness and give players time to unlock and familiarize themselves with the new hero before they could dominate the ranked ladder. This also gave seasoned players a chance to experiment with her strengths and weaknesses, learn counter strategies, and avoid a chaotic start to Competitive Season.
Understanding the Kiriko Lockout
The decision to temporarily exclude new heroes from Competitive Play wasn’t arbitrary. It stemmed from the desire to create a balanced and fair playing field for all participants. Here’s a breakdown of the key reasons behind this practice:
- Fairness: Launching a new hero directly into Competitive could create an uneven playing field, especially if the hero is particularly strong or has mechanics that are difficult to counter immediately.
- Learning Curve: Players need time to understand a new hero’s abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and optimal playstyles. A two-week period allows players to experiment and develop effective strategies.
- Competitive Integrity: Preventing immediate access to new heroes in ranked matches preserves the competitive integrity of the game by ensuring that players are competing on a level playing field with a good understanding of all available heroes.
- Counter-Strategy Development: Seasoned players need time to discover and implement counter-strategies to the new hero. If a hero were immediately available for ranked play, many players might quit the game in frustration when they are powerless against a new hero.
Unlocking Kiriko: What You Need to Know
While Kiriko became available in Competitive on October 18th, simply owning Overwatch 2 wasn’t enough to automatically unlock her for all players. There were specific methods for unlocking her and making her playable, which varied depending on whether you owned the original Overwatch.
- Original Overwatch Owners: As an apology to fans for some of the hiccups during Overwatch 2‘s launch, Blizzard granted Kiriko for free to all players who owned the original Overwatch. This removed the need for these players to complete challenges or purchase the Battle Pass to access her.
- New Overwatch 2 Players (Post Season 1): Players who started Overwatch 2 after Season 1 had two primary methods for unlocking Kiriko:
- Hero Challenges: These involve completing a series of in-game objectives focused on playing Support heroes and mastering Kiriko’s abilities.
- In-Game Store: Kiriko can be directly purchased from the in-game store. This allowed players to instantly access her without needing to grind through challenges.
Kiriko Hero Challenges: A Deeper Dive
The Kiriko hero challenges provide a structured way for new players to learn the hero and earn her as a reward. These typically involve:
- Winning Games as Support: A significant part of the challenges involves winning a certain number of games while queued as “All Roles” or playing as Support heroes in Quick Play, Competitive, or No Limits modes. The initial challenge was to win 35 games.
- Mastering Kiriko’s Abilities: Specific challenges are designed to test your proficiency with Kiriko’s unique skills, such as landing critical hits with her Kunai or healing a certain amount of damage with her Healing Ofuda on allied bots in the Practice Range.
- Completing Practice Range Drills: Some challenges will send you to the practice range to try out Kiriko’s kit. These drills help you get a feel for her kit and her general playstyle.
Kiriko: A Deep Dive Into Her Abilities and Playstyle
Kiriko is a unique support hero in Overwatch 2, blending healing with offensive capabilities. Understanding her abilities and optimal playstyle is crucial for maximizing her potential in Competitive.
- Healing Ofuda: Kiriko’s primary healing ability. She throws a volley of talismans that seek out and heal allies. This is her main source of sustain and should be used frequently.
- Kunai: A projectile weapon that deals increased critical damage. This allows her to contribute significantly to damage output, especially when landing headshots.
- Swift Step: A teleport ability that allows Kiriko to quickly move to an ally’s location, even through walls. A great escape tool and gap closer.
- Protection Suzu: A throwable item that makes allies briefly invulnerable and cleanses negative effects. This is a powerful defensive ability that can turn the tide of a fight.
- Kitsune Rush: Kiriko’s ultimate ability. Summons a fox spirit that speeds up the movement, attack speed, and cooldowns of allies who follow its path. This ultimate can allow the team to take over chokepoints and eliminate threats.
Kiriko’s playstyle revolves around balancing healing and damage output, while also using her mobility and defensive abilities to support her team. She’s effective at both close and medium ranges, making her a versatile pick for various team compositions.
FAQs: Everything You Need to Know About Kiriko
1. Was Kiriko initially locked from competitive?
Yes, new heroes, including Kiriko, are usually locked from competitive play for about two weeks after their initial release. This provides players with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the new hero’s kit, abilities, and gameplay mechanics.
2. How did I unlock Kiriko in Overwatch 2?
Those who owned the original Overwatch received Kiriko for free. New Overwatch 2 players could unlock her through hero challenges, which usually require completing a set of objectives like winning games as a support hero, or purchasing her from the in-game store.
3. What are some of the Kiriko Challenges?
Kiriko’s challenges are designed to familiarize players with her kit and playstyle. These challenges usually involve completing certain objectives in the practice range or winning a certain number of games while queued as a Support.
4. Can you still unlock Kiriko if you started playing after Season 1?
Yes, you can still unlock Kiriko! Players that begin playing after the first season can still unlock Kiriko.
5. What happens if I didn’t unlock Kiriko in Season 1?
If you missed unlocking Kiriko during Season 1, you can acquire her through hero challenges or by purchasing her from the in-game shop.
6. Why were Kiriko and Torbjorn temporarily disabled in Overwatch 2?
Both heroes were temporarily disabled due to game-breaking bugs.
7. What is a good team composition with Kiriko?
Some team compositions with Kiriko include D.Va, Bastion, Mei, and Lifeweaver; Junkerqueen, Genji, Sojourn, and Lucio; and Orisa, Hanzo, Pharah, and Mercy. These team compositions allow Kiriko to leverage her kit and play to her strengths.
8. How old is Kiriko in the Overwatch universe?
Kiriko’s age is officially stated to be 21 years old.
9. Is Genji older than Kiriko?
Yes, Genji is older than Kiriko. Genji is currently stated to be 37.
10. What is Kiriko’s relationship to Genji?
Kiriko and Genji share a close friendship that developed during their childhood. Genji, notably fond of Kiriko, served as a mentor, teaching her about Shimada Castle and introducing her to the local arcade.
11. Is Kiriko considered a top-tier hero?
Many players consider Kiriko to be a strong support hero due to her versatile kit, which includes high healing output, temporary invulnerability, maneuverability, and significant damage potential. However, whether she is “top-tier” can depend on the current meta and player skill.
12. Did everyone get Kiriko for free?
No, not everyone received Kiriko for free. While players who owned the original Overwatch received her as a gift, new Overwatch 2 players had to unlock her through hero challenges or purchase her from the in-game store.
13. Can I get Kiriko without the Battle Pass?
Yes, you can get Kiriko without the Battle Pass by completing hero challenges. She is available through the free tier for everyone.
14. How long does it take to unlock everything in Overwatch 2?
Unlocking everything in Overwatch 2 without spending real money can take a very long time, as earning enough credits to acquire all legacy items through weekly challenges alone would require hundreds of years.
15. What are the ways to unlock new heroes besides Kiriko, such as Ramattra?
Similar to Kiriko, heroes like Ramattra can be unlocked by completing specific hero challenges, which typically involve winning matches as the respective hero’s role (e.g., Tank for Ramattra) and mastering their abilities in the Practice Range. These challenges are specifically designed to familiarize players with the new hero’s kit and abilities. It provides them with a general understanding of their kit, the hero’s strengths and weaknesses, and the basic playstyle of the new hero.
Overwatch 2, like many games, also strives to enhance learning in a fun and engaging way through its challenges, hero designs, and team-based gameplay. For more information on the intersection of games and learning, visit the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org.