Overwatch Storm Rising – What Can We Expect to See?

With Overwatch’s release of another teaser on the Archive Event Storm Rising, players can expect to see many old theories burn out and new ones rise.

What is Storm Rising?

Storm Rising is one of Overwatch’s fan favorite Archive Events. Incase you are unfamiliar with what these events are, Archive Events are lore-based seasonal events in Overwatch. These events involve a unique PvE game mode. A single team of players must work to defeat large waves of AI-controlled bots on reskinned variants of already known maps. So far, they come with an Arcade game mode exclusive to the event, and takes place on unique maps. For instance, Uprising’s was on a reskin of King’s Row and Retribution was on an alternative version of Rialto. For more information on the previous Archive Events, read here: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/events/archives.

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In terms of Overwatch Storm Rising, the story goes so far that Jack Morrison (Soldier 76) assembles a team consisting of Tracer as leader, and Mercy, Winston and Genji as support with their target being Doomfist’s accountant Maximilien.

> Accessing archived file…

Decryption status: IN PROGRESS
Strike team deployed.

Prepare for Storm Rising April 16 pic.twitter.com/1yAIQw4ScA

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) April 9, 2019

New Hero Already?

After the first teaser for Storm Rising came out, fans were quick to post their theories on r/Overwatch. Many of these theories where different from one another as there was little to no information, but one thing was consistent. Many fans speculate that with the release of Storm Rising, players will be pleasantly surprised to receive a new hero. But who would this new hero even be? Well, the female voice heard giving the order to Jack Morrison (Soldier 76) to assemble a team signs off with the name Sojourn.

Video of the first teaser:

Players expect to see Sojourn come with the new event as she is shown as a very important character to the Overwatch lore. Her position of leadership, and the ability to send members on missions makes her crucial in this event.

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We, however, know very little about her. We don’t even know what she looks like or the exact role she plays in the Overwatch universe. However, this is not the first time we’ve heard the name Sojourn. One year ago on r/Overwatch, reddit user bystander007 created a concept support hero named Sojourn. If we go off what was in this year old post, we can find some possible details on Sojourn as not just a character but as a hero. Here’s her description:

• Age: 20
• Occupation: BodyguardHealth: 200 (50 Health + 150 Armor)
• Sports a “[h]efty energy handgun
• Can “[i]nstantly replenish/enhance the health of a single ally”
• Can “[d]eploy an autonomous support drone that provides damage reduction while quickly circling allies”
• She can “[b]oost self with Armor and gain Fortify effect to reduce incoming damage”

It’s still too early to fully confirm nor deny any of these theories. We will only truly know when Storm Rising is released on April 16th. However, there’s a strong corelation between opinions on the matter and one thing for sure is that Overwatch fans will see the introduction of a new character.

Just Another Crackpot Theory?

Prior to @PlayOverwatch’s tweet of another teaser for Storm Rising on April 9th, many fans had already made theories on what Storm Rising could be. Reddit users on r/Overwatch like Number Robotic, crafted massive theories that have only been strengthened with the newest teaser. The following is Number Robotic’s “crackpot theory” posted on r/Overwatch.

“So Storm Rising is a flashback event that takes place in Cuba, and thanks to a teaser image and weather forecast article, a hurricane’s gonna take place, and it’s gonna be a big one, with winds of up to 193 kmh are projected, along with substantial flooding.

Now some people have discussed’ ‘that the storm’s path makes no sense — it’s somehow moving south from Florida into Cuba, despite how stuff like the Coriolis Effect usually dictates it go the opposite way in the Northern Hemisphere.

This could have no logical natural explanation, but remember Mei’s backstory: it’s been long speculated that there’s something big causing the increasingly drastic climate change beyond mere industrialism and global warming. […]

But here’s the important takeaway: […] the map of Overwatch’s Earth in the present day from the Horizon Lunar Colony (which has been this way ever since the map came out), Cuba [is] straight-up gone, and in a way that it suggests it’s not just rising oceans since Florida is still around and exists on lower elevation[…]

[B]asically, I think in Storm Rising, we’re about to watch Cuba get wiped off the face of the earth firsthand.”

The teaser image in question:

Overwatch’s Earth:

What could the “something big” causing the increasingly drastic climate change in Overwatch’s story be, you might be asking. Well you’re in luck, as fans have also created some wild and crazy theories for that as well. The most prominent theory among players, is that Hurricane Fernand (the hurricane happening during rising storm) is somehow being controlled by Talon with a “weather machine” that allows them to manipulate the weather. It’s too early to say if this theory is true or not.

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