Blizzard will be introducing the new Escort map Shambali Monastery with the launch of Overwatch 2 Season 2, and it should prove to be a great new addition to the hero-shooter's lineup of maps. Overwatch 2 Season 2 is going to be an exciting time for fans of the game, with the biggest new addition being the debut of Tank hero Ramattra.
Ramattra will be joining the Overwatch 2 roster with Season 2. The leader of the antagonist Null Sector group, Ramattra should prove to be a formidable addition to the game's growing roster of playable characters. But Ramattra isn't coming alone. As luck would have it, Overwatch 2 players will also be treated to the Shambali Monastery map with Ramattra's debut, and the map has ties to both to the new character and Zenyatta.
Shambali is where Ramattra and Zenyatta practiced as monks, and so its lore ties directly to the omnics, which always help elevate interest in any given map. The Best War Games was able to go hands-on with the map ahead of its debut in Overwatch 2, and it should be great from a gameplay standpoint as well. As an Escort map, Shambali has the attacking team lead the payload through temples and a winding mountain path, while the defending team tries to stop them.
While Overwatch 2's weather system means this could change down the line, the default version of Shambali is set at night, with snow and other wintry effects helping create a unique atmosphere that helps it stand apart from the other maps that are currently available in the game. Since it's been built from the ground-up for Overwatch 2, Shambali is one of the most impressive maps in the game from a visual standpoint and players should have a great time exploring it when they're not too busy battling over the objective.
Compared to other Escort maps, Shambali seems to have more side areas to dip into. These sections may not get a lot of traffic in the heat of battle, but they do help make the map feel more alive. These areas of Shambali will likely shine more in custom games that aren't as competitive as Overwatch 2 Competitive Play or Quick Play, and it will be interesting to see what Easter eggs the community unearths while checking it out.
Overwatch 2 maps are full of Easter eggs, and there's no reason to think that Shambali will be an exception to the rule. Overwatch 2 Season 2 is set to launch in a matter of hours from the time of this writing, so fans of the hero-shooter will soon be able to explore it for themselves.
Overwatch 2 is available now in early access for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.