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  1. Games
  2. Overwatch

Here are the skins, modes, and changes in Overwatch's Year of the Rooster update

News
By Sam Prell published 25 January 2017

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Overwatch's Lunar New Year event - AKA Year of the Rooster - is now live. And you know what that means: skins, skins, and more skins. Oh, and a new Brawl mode and a few balance updates. Before we dive in though, let's take a look at the official trailer:

Overwatch's version of Capture The Flag is called Capture The Rooster, which means you literally need to grab a… flag. What'd you think I was gonna say? Game director Jeff Kaplan revealed in a developer update that the mode has actually been in development since before the game was even announced, and it's only through many iterations that Blizzard came up with the version that's now playable.

As for balance, I suggest reading through the entire patch notes if you want the full skinny, but here're a few of the highlights (or low-lights if you main D. Va):

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D. Va still has a total of 600 hit points, but prior to the patch, that was divided into 200 regular health and 400 armor. Now the reverse is true and D.Va has 400 health and 200 armor. Damage from her Fusion Cannons has also been reduced, from 3 to 2 per bullet, though she now fires 11 bullets per shot instead of 8.

The cooldown for Sombra's Hack has been reduced from 12 seconds to 8 seconds, and the time it takes to hack a target has also been shortened, from 1 second to .8 seconds.

Roadhog's hook won't be able to pull enemies from around corners anymore, as the rules for how his hook and line of sight function have been changed. His hook now breaks off if there's an obstruction, so even if you get snared it's not the end. But basically, Roadhog players need only remember this simple rule: if you can't see them, you can't hook or pull them.

Now for the really fun stuff: the skins. There are more than a dozen to collect from the limited-time Lunar Loot Boxes, along with a plethora of player icons, sprays, victory poses, emotes, and highlight intros. Check out all the skins below:

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Sam Prell
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Former News Editor

Sam is a former News Editor here at GamesRadar+. His expert words have appeared on many of the web's well-known gaming sites, including Joystiq, Penny Arcade, Destructoid, and G4 Media, among others. Sam has a serious soft spot for MOBAs, MMOs, and emo music. Forever a farm boy, forever a '90s kid.

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