Blizzard has officially announced that Kiriko will get a new Mythic weapon skin for Overwatch 2 Season 19: Haunted Masquerade, and the opinions are definitely mixed. The Overwatch account published a post saying, “Keep your friends close and your kunai closer 🦊” accompanied by an incredibly chic image of the Spirit Keeper Weapon Skin, hinting to gamers that they might procure it the next day with the onset of the season. Yet, if you scan through the comments, you could easily think that the hype and pure salt are having a back-and-forth rally like in a tennis match.
But can you tell us what this Mythic weapon skin really is? The treatment of Legend skins will be the most absolute form of praise for those who are not very much into Overwatch cosmetics. They usually come with custom visual effects, unique animations, and sometimes even sound effects. The one for Kiriko’s kunai and ofuda is, in fact, already being suggested to be very spectral and perfectly matching the Haunted Masquerade theme. But what is actually stirring up the conversations is that – it’s ONLY a weapon skin and not a full character Mythic skin. Depending on a person’s point of view, this can either be the best news ever or the final straw.
The roller coaster ride of community feedback is really like a roller coaster. Some players are more than satisfied, in fact, one player was so happy that he even didn’t mind not having to pay for this. User SuiteSonata_ tweeted “Golly glad she’s getting something for once, about time OWs design team made something for her” with what we can only imagine as super heavy sarcasm, while Anubirai appeared to be genuinely ecstatic, stating, “So glad I don’t have to pay for this.” Hold on – does that suggest this Mythic weapon might be included in the seasonal battle pass rather than being a separate purchase? That would be extremely important if it turns out to be true, as most of the time, Mythic items cost a lot.
On the other hand, there is a very loud opposite camp. User 1nin_ expressed with a very powerful statement: “I’m so tired of seeing Kiriko everywhere. Every season she gets a new skin, and now a weapon too? You guys only care about money — you probably don’t even get how it feels to start hating your favorite character more and more.” Ouch. That’s a lot of frustration, right there. And they aren’t alone – SadClown3r added, “I’m just exhausted at this point, lets just give her 15 new mythic skins and let other characters rot.” There is certainly a growing number of complaints about Kiriko being the favored one.
Then again, there is the question of whether or not the other players can see your fancy Mythic weapon effects. pussycatdawg asked directly: “Will other players see the VFX when I use it? If not, I’m not buying it.” SadClown3r answered, “They never do, no mythic weapon has that option, only u will see it” – but then Anafuu challenged with, “They do. I always see them at least. Maybe people running low graphics won’t. I see the blast when the enemy rein kills teamies. And the glowy weapon effects on others’ guns as they stack kills.” So now there are conflicting views on visibility? Just another classic Overwatch community moment.
Meanwhile, some players are claiming that most characters are simply being overlooked while others are getting the spotlight according to a few comments. One user, bakerboi__ shared a funny post with a GIF and asked, “How does Kiriko feel after getting another skin while Ramattra is still waiting for his dance emote?” and srg_xna voiced, “Cool now can you actually make LW’s skin a mythic and not a lazy basic legendary with 0 proper customizations or effort?” The complaints regarding the Lifeweaver’s Mythic skin seem to be genuine, for sure. And LongTaizi literally begged, “Need Genji next or let me get the Illidan skin for Genji” – of course, Genji mains want their share.
There is even a bit of uncertainty about what actually differentiates a Mythic weapon from regular cosmetics in terms of specialty. bonafide_nini raised the question, “The only real difference is the flower on the back. Compared to let’s say Juno where it’s totally different clothes and shit etc” while stormholloway countered, “Problem is you aren’t even being honest. The customizations are clearly more than recolors.” People are becoming so confused that they can’t even agree on what they are seeing anymore.
Then, there is a Portuguese comment from Herta583421 that could be paraphrased as “Oh please, Blizzard. Go back to narrating your stories. We want an animated series! My dream is to live your stories through an adaptation. I have been with you for 6 years! Unfortunately, I can’t play anymore. But I still want to see you!” which is… honestly a bit heartbreaking. This comment is not directly related to Kiriko’s weapon skin but it clearly demonstrates how engaged the community really is.
So where do we stand in this whole saga? The launch of Overwatch Season 19 brings along what seems to be yet another cosmetic for Kiriko, and the player base is split right down the middle. While some are thrilled with more fox spirit-related content, others are completely bored and annoyed with the same characters getting all the love, and the whole community is heatedly debating the visibility of weapon effects to other players. The Haunted Masquerade theme is also very appealing visually and at least we are getting new content instead of just another long wait. Whether you are thrilled about the new Mythic weapon or wearing your riot gear because of Kiriko’s yet another cosmetic, one thing is for certain – Overwatch players always speak their minds. The new season starts tomorrow, so we will all see if this kunai is worth the drama or not.
Ramattra fans have been vocal, and the PlayStation and Xbox communities are also watching closely.
