A new map has been added to Overwatch, having previously been announced at Blizzard’s BlizzCon event in November 2016. Oasis is set in a location that’s brand new to the game, taking players to a luxurious city situated among the sands of the Arabian Desert.
PC players have been able to access Oasis for the past few weeks via the public test realm. However, players across all platforms will now see the map added to competitive playlists thanks to an update that was released yesterday, according to a report from Polygon.
In Overwatch lore, the city that the Oasis map is based in and around was the product of some of the region’s greatest researchers and academics converging in one place. They decided to found a city that was committed to “scientific progress without restraints,” which explains why the place is so high-tech, even compared to other locations in the game’s near-future setting.
One example of this technological superiority is the floating and flying vehicles that can be found in various areas of the map. These vehicles aren’t entirely decorative — walk into their path and they’ll do some serious damage, so it’s well worth sticking to pedestrian areas whenever possible.
Oasis also differentiates itself from other maps by the inclusion of jump pads, previously seen as part of the Lúcioball brawl that was available during the Summer Games event that took place last summer. These pads allow players to jump higher than normal, which can open up a new set of strategies to quick-witted combatants.
After months of rumors and speculation, Blizzard recently added hacker character Sombra to the game, having teased her existence endlessly in the first six months the game was available. It remains to be seen whether or not the Oasis map features any hints toward the new characters the studio is apparently working on.
