Summary
AnOverwatch 2player showed their appreciation forBaldur’s Gate 3with a series of concept pieces for potential crossover skins. The skins match up belovedBaldur’s Gate 3party members like Astarion, Karlach, and Shadowheart with playableOverwatch 2heroes.
Like many live service games that lean on cosmetic additions as a business model,Overwatch 2is no stranger to crossovers. HoweverOverwatchcrossovers are more unique in that its crossover skins often express their crossover fantasies as “cosplay.” Unlike, say,Fortnitecrossovers where Marvel superheroes or the rock band Metallica join the game as themselves, mostOverwatchcrossovers feature the heroesdressed up as characters from series likeCowboy BeboporOne-Punch Manwithout abandoning their core identities.
Artist IlNextly achieved a similar feat when they posted two sets ofOverwatch 2andBaldur’s Gate 3skin concepts on theOverwatch 2subreddit. Their first post brought three popularBaldur’s Gate 3characters into theOverwatch 2roster: Junker Queen asthe fan favorite Tiefling Barbarian Karlach, Baptiste as the Warlock Wyll, and Mercy as Dame Aylin, a Paladin who played a major role in several quests. Their second post added three more crossover costumes: Lightweaver in the role of troubled vampire Astarion, Brigitte as the cleric Shadowheart, and Zenyatta as Withers, who is arguablyBaldur’s Gate 3’s most useful NPC.
Overwatch 2 and Baldur’s Gate Crossover Fan Concepts Include Clever References
LlNextly’s blending ofOverwatch 2characters withBaldur’s Gate 3party members carefully mixed key aspects of both. In their Junker Queen Karlach skin, the character incorporates Karlach’s red-tinted skin and the glowing flame seen just below her heart, but still strikes theJunker Queen signature idle pose, and equips her unique pair of weapons. Meanwhile, Mercy’s typically winged costume designs and angelic theme fit well with the concept of Dame Aylin, who is an Aasimar, a type of being inDungeons & Dragonsthat carries angelic or divine blood in their veins. They also solicited more character pairings from the community to further flesh out their lineup.
The community responded, praising llNextly’s work and suggesting more character crossovers, leading to their next post covering Zenyatta, Astarion and Shadowheart. According to their comments, llNextly included some key references to theBaldur’s Gate 3characters' development in their designs. For Lifeweaver as Astarion, llNextly designed Lifeweaver’s petal to resemble a scar on Astarion’s body, whichplayers find out about as they get to know Astarion(or play as him in the main story). And for Shadowheart, llNextly once considered using Widowmaker as the template, but decided that Brigitte suited her more as a character. It also helps that Clerics inDungeons and Dragonsgames (such asBaldur’s Gate 3) are quite capable of wielding arms and armor like Brigitte does as a tank.
Overwatchfan artists are once again showing off their affection for the characters that drive the game. Despite developer Blizzard’s seeming abandonment of more ostensibly storytelling-focused modes like PVE,Overwatch’s players are still interested enough in its playable cast to want to see them dressing up as characters from their favorite games and franchises.
Overwatch 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Power up your railgun and disrupt the battlefield as Sojourn, or yield your axe and command attention as Junker Queen. Battle to take control of a robot and move it toward the enemy base in the new Push Mode. Bring the fight to new destinations across the globe in iconic locations like New York, Rome, Monte Carlo and Rio. Daily challenges and frequent updates mean there is always something new to play.
