Overwatch Season 5 midcycle update brings Taking Reign, EVE Protocol and Necrotic Knight Roadhog
Overwatch's Season 5 midcycle update brings the Taking Reign finale, EVE Protocol skins, Necrotic Knight Roadhog, Loot Hunt and a Black Friday Vault Sale.
Blizzard has detailed the Overwatch Season 5 midcycle update, which wraps up the year-long Reign of Talon story and brings a stack of events and cosmetics. Blizzard’s dates are given as 3 November, the day the update starts on its US schedule.
Taking Reign
Doomfist and Overwatch head to Rialto for the finale of the story. The five-week event has 24 tiers of rewards earned by playing and completing challenges.
The Free Pass leads to an Epic Sigma skin recolour. Upgrading to the Event Pass costs 1,000 Overwatch Coins and opens a path to Legendary Resurgence Doomfist, Vendetta’s new Heroic Weapon and more. Taking Reign runs from 3 November to 7 December.
Overwatch x EVE Protocol
This crossover brings five characters from EVE Protocol into Overwatch as skins:
- Widowmaker as EVE
- D.Va as Lily, an Ultra skin with custom kill effects and a unique Hello emote
- Freja as Raven
- Vendetta as Tachy
- Soldier: 76 as Adam
It runs from 3 November to 17 November.
Necrotic Knight Roadhog
Mythic Necrotic Knight Roadhog arrives on 3 November. It has four levels of customisation: the base form, helmet options inspired by a skull, a knight and a plague doctor, extra colour palettes, and a final level with ethereal skulls, claws, spectral flames and smoke. There are also custom Hook and projectile effects and unique voice lines.
Loot Boxes and Junkrat
Excavation Initiative returns from 3 November to 7 December. Complete three digs each week for a Loot Box, with extra Loot Boxes, Epic Loot Boxes and a Legendary Loot Box for further digging.
Junkrat’s Loot Hunt runs 20 to 23 November. Every five games completed earns a Loot Box, up to nine times, with no daily reset. Double XP is live throughout.
Drives and the OWCS Finals
Drives return 3 to 7 December with separate Competitive and Quick Play tracks. Competitive Drives offer up to 3,000 Competitive Points and a Signature, while Quick Play Drives offer up to 3,000 Legacy Weapon Points. Once you reach the fourth checkpoint this season, you can equip eligible previous Signatures.
Twelve teams will play the OWCS World Finals in Guangzhou from 2 December to 6 December. The Cheer Rally runs 3 to 7 December, with in-game challenges and extra rewards for watching on Twitch or YouTube with your account linked.
Black Friday Vault Sale
The Black Friday Vault Sale runs 3 November to 7 December. It includes the Peak Mega Bundle, Hero Spotlight Bundles for Mercy, Soldier: 76, Ramattra and D.Va, the 2026 Mega Unvault Bundle, updated Tank, Support and Damage Essentials Bundle 2 packs, and a StarCraft Mega Bundle.
