There are three different Archive missions that are back from past year’s events. There’s Uprising, which takes Reinhardt, Tracer, Mercy or Torbjorn back to the early days of the Omnic attacks (and Tracer’s first day on the job). Then there’s Retribution, that features the evil Talon attacking the covert group of McCree, Genji, Reaper and Moira. Finally, last year’s Storm Rising starring Winston, Mercy, Tracer and Genji taking down robotic assassins is back with a vengeance.

These events are all player-versus-enemy missions, meaning you won’t be fighting any real players, but AI bots. Overwatch 2, the much hyped sequel to the hero shooter, will feature a large amount of PVE content on its release. Soon, the Archives event won’t be the only way you’ll be able to fight Talon agents.

Alongside these events, new Challenge missions are being added to the mix. Each week there will be new mission types that you can mess around with. Along with that, you’ll be able to receive exclusive rewards for every three wins you get in Quick Play, Competitive Play or the Arcade. Getting nine wins in one week will grant you an exclusive skin without needing to open any Loot Boxes.

Overwatch Archives Challenge Missions and Skins

There are eight new skins in total, with players being able to earn three for free.

Aviator Pharah

King Jamison Junkrat

Militia Roadhog

Sniper Ana

Workout Zarya

Week 1: March 12-19

Holi Symmetra player icon, spray and skin

Challenge: Molten Cores—Enemies drop lava upon death. Glass Cannon—Players have reduced health and deal increased damage.

Week 2: March 19-26

Rustclad Torbjorn player icon, spray and skin

Challenge: Surgical Strike—Only critical hits do damage. Close Quarters—Enemies can only be killed if a player is nearby.

Week 3: March 26-April 2

Snowbear icon, Bear Hug spray and Bear Mei Epic Skin

Challenge: Blood Moon Rising—No support heroes. Heal yourself by doing damage. Storm Raging—Some enemies are enraged. Killing them spreads the rage.

This Archive event isn’t really unique but it is nice to see it return once again. Overwatch events tend to repeat themselves and can get pretty tedious, so it’s nice to see a new group of skins and challenges to incentivize players to continue. For those that weren’t around the last time the Archives event was released, it’s also a nice opportunity to get some background lore. Getting to play Tracer as she takes on her first Omnic threat or as Reaper slowly moves to the darker side will never be boring for fans of the lore.

How do you like the Overwatch Archives event? Tell us in the comments.