Nexon launches Overwatch Season 5 with new hero Doctrine, Solo Leveling crossover
In short
Nexon said it began Overwatch Season 5, titled “Creed of Darkness,” adding the support hero Doctrine and the escort map Grimsvøten, and reworking Sombra and Roadhog. A collaboration with the “Solo Leveling” IP runs to Oct 20, alongside a fan creation contest through Oct 21 and a streamer tournament, the Runner League, from Oct 16 to 23 with a 20 million won prize pool. A Korean Halloween event and Overwatch Week are also scheduled.
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Nexon said it has begun Overwatch Season 5, “Creed of Darkness,” an update that adds a new hero and map, reworks existing heroes and brings a large-scale collaboration and Korea-specific events, according to Gamemeca, Inven and Kyunghyang Games. All three outlets reported the season launch on Oct 7. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The new hero is Doctrine, a vampire-themed support who heals allies while damaging enemies, the outlets said. Doctrine uses Injection to add effects to her next ability, a propulsion barrier that reduces incoming damage while moving, and a Vigor Drone that heals allies and raises their attack speed; her ultimate sends a swarm of drones that reduces enemies’ maximum health and grants allies extra health, Gamemeca reported. The new escort map, Grimsvøten, is set in an Icelandic volcanic region and is described as a maximum-security prison and technology storage base where Doctrine was confined, according to Gamemeca and Kyunghyang Games. [ 1 , 3 ]
Among existing heroes, Sombra moved from the damage role to support, with her playstyle rebuilt around healing allies, while Roadhog’s primary fire changed to a two-shot and gained a new ability that absorbs enemy projectiles and detonates them, the outlets said. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Alongside the season, an “Overwatch x Shadow Monarch” collaboration based on the “Solo Leveling” IP runs until Oct 20, adding legendary skins for Genji and Anran designed around the characters Sung Jinwoo and Cha Hae-in and other cosmetic items, according to Gamemeca and Kyunghyang Games. A fan creation contest, the “National Power-Level Golden Hands Hero Tryout,” accepts fan art, cosplay and video entries until Oct 21, with prizes worth a total of 10 million won including Nexon Cash for 20 winners, Gamemeca and Kyunghyang Games reported. Kyunghyang Games also reported a Korean Halloween event, “Beom Naeryeonda,” based on the traditional Changwi tale and running to Oct 20, offering a Changwi Naegeumwi (Cassidy) legendary skin, a title and weapon decorations for completed missions, and said the OWCS Korea Stage 3 schedule continues from Oct 9. Inven separately reported an Overwatch Week event from Oct 14 to 23. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The Runner League, a streamer tournament hosted by “Runner,” a player and team owner of the Overwatch team RunAway, runs Oct 16-23, with Korean streamers competing for a total prize pool of 20 million won using Season 5 content, the three outlets reported. Matches are broadcast live on the CHZZK channel, according to Inven and Kyunghyang Games. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The update bundles new game content with Korea-specific events — a local IP crossover, a fan art contest and a streamer-run tournament — pointing to how the publisher courts Korean players alongside global seasonal content. It also keeps the domestic Overwatch esports calendar running, with the OWCS Korea Stage 3 schedule continuing from Oct 9. The documents do not give sales or player-number targets, so the commercial impact is not yet known.
Key facts
- Nexon said it started Overwatch Season 5, “Creed of Darkness,” adding the new support hero Doctrine and the escort map Grimsvøten. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Doctrine is a vampire-themed support hero who heals allies and damages enemies, using abilities including Injection, a propulsion barrier and a Vigor Drone. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Grimsvøten is set in an Icelandic volcanic region and is described as a maximum-security prison and technology storage base where Doctrine was held. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Sombra was changed from the damage role to support, and Roadhog’s primary fire became a two-shot with a new ability that absorbs enemy projectiles and detonates them. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- An “Overwatch x Shadow Monarch” collaboration with the “Solo Leveling” IP runs until Oct 20, with legendary skins for Genji and Anran based on the characters Sung Jinwoo and Cha Hae-in. [ 1 , 3 ]
- A fan creation contest accepting fan art, cosplay and video entries runs until Oct 21, with total prizes worth 10 million won for 20 winners. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The Runner League streamer tournament runs Oct 16-23 with a total prize pool of 20 million won, hosted by the streamer “Runner” and broadcast live on CHZZK. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Season 5 “Creed of Darkness” began with the new hero Doctrine and the new map Grimsvøten. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Sombra and Roadhog were reworked. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The “Solo Leveling” collaboration runs until Oct 20, and the fan creation contest until Oct 21. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The Runner League runs Oct 16-23 with a prize pool of 20 million won. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- A Korean Halloween event, “Beom Naeryeonda,” running to Oct 20 and offering a Changwi Naegeumwi (Cassidy) legendary skin, is described by only one outlet. Single-source claim, listed only in the Kyunghyang Games article.
- An Overwatch Week event from Oct 14 to 23 is reported by only one outlet. Single-source claim, from the Inven summary.
- OWCS Korea Stage 3 continuing from Oct 9 is reported by only one outlet. Single-source claim, from the Kyunghyang Games article.
- The documents do not say where the announcement was made or give any player or revenue figures. Not stated in any document.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Gamemeca publishes its report on Overwatch Season 5 beginning, including the new hero, map and Korean events. [ 1 ]
- Inven publishes its summary of the season launch, adding an Overwatch Week event from Oct 14 to 23. [ 2 ]
- Kyunghyang Games publishes its article, adding a Korean Halloween event and the OWCS Korea Stage 3 schedule. [ 3 ]
- OWCS Korea Stage 3 schedule is set to continue, per Kyunghyang Games. [ 3 ]
- Overwatch Week event, per Inven. [ 2 ]
- Runner League streamer tournament with a 20 million won prize pool, broadcast live on CHZZK. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- End date given for the “Overwatch x Shadow Monarch” collaboration, the fan creation contest’s prizes and, per Kyunghyang Games, the Halloween event. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Deadline for the fan creation contest, per Gamemeca and Inven. [ 1 , 2 ]