Overwatch 2: When Are Bastion and Torbjörn Returning to the Game?

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Veteran Overwatch heroes Bastion and Torbjörn are currently “missing” from Overwatch 2, and fans are starting to go mad looking for any indication of when they will fully return to the game.

Bastion and Torbjörn’s mysterious absence has been complicated by Overwatch 2‘s many bugs and generally rough launch. At first, fans suspected that the missing heroes were simply suffering from yet another Overwatch 2 bug. While that does seem to be part of the problem, the full story regarding the missing heroes paints a slightly different (and very confusing) picture.

So when are those beloved veteran Overwatch characters returning to the game? Here’s everything we know so far.

Overwatch 2: Why Were Bastion and Torbjörn Removed from the Game?

Bastion and Torbjörn were removed from Overwatch 2 on October 10 due to “bugs in their ability kits.” That information was confirmed by the Overwatch 2 team via this tweet:

Specifically, it seems that Bastion and Torbjörn were both significantly more powerful than intended due to bugs that were affecting some of their key abilities. Bastion’s Ultimate ability (Configuration: Artillery) was allowing players to fire many more artillery shells than intended. Some footage of “pre-removal” Bastion suggests that certain exploits allowed players to fire dozens of shells rather than the intended three shells. Needless to say, it was ruining matches.

The Torbjörn situation is a bit stranger. The most popular theory at the moment is that Torbjörn’s Overload ability (which boosts his attack power, health, speed, and reload time) was lasting twice as long as intended. However, Blizzard hasn’t yet confirmed which bugs were affecting those characters as of the time of this writing. We know they were not working as intended, but there is some debate regarding the extent of their exact issues. That debate has only become more interesting the longer that both heroes remain removed from (or limited in) the game’s various modes.

Speaking of which…

Overwatch 2: When Are Bastion and Torbjörn Returning to the Game?

At this time, there is no word on when Bastion and Torbjörn will be fully-reinstated to Overwatch 2‘s roster. At present, you are only able to play Torbjörn in Overwatch 2‘s Quick Play mode. He is not currently available for Competitive play. Bastion, meanwhile, still cannot be selected in any of Overwatch 2‘s multiplayer game modes.

Why the delay? Truth be told, the Overwatch 2 team still hasn’t provided an official answer to that question. Many expected to see those two characters back in the fray within a few days of their removal. Instead, it’s been over a week, and there’s still no indication of when they will be added back to all available game modes.

It’s highly likely that the Overwatch 2 team simply hasn’t been able to fix the initial problems with those characters in a way they feel satisfied with. Given that the issues with those characters corresponded (perhaps coincidentally) with other character roster bugs, it’s also possible that the two were contributing to more issues than fans suspected.

If you really want to put on your tinfoil hat, then you should know that a lot of Overwatch 2 players don’t seem to be especially upset that these characters are still missing. They would certainly like an explanation, but there are more than a few fans who think that Bastion and Torb were “cheap” heroes who were ruining the game’s competitive environment. As such, it’s possible that the Overwatch 2 team is waiting to see how the game fares without those two in the competitive pool. If that is the case, then the two might not return until Overwatch 2‘s sweeping balance patch, which is expected to be released sometime in December.

My personal guess is that Bastion and Torb will return before then in slightly altered forms. Given that they weren’t added back to Competitive alongside new healer Kiriko (who was added to the game’s Competitive play mode today), though, then it is starting to become a little more reasonable to suspect that the team is waiting to see how the OW 2 meta plays out before they drop a couple of potentially dangerous variables back into the game.