Blizzard nails TTRPG theme of Overwatch 2 season 5 with Critical Role Easter egg

It was probably only a matter of time before Overwatch 2 and Critical Role cross-pollinated once again. And what better way to do it than in celebration of a Dungeons & Dragons-style season?

The essential juncture of the two seemingly-unrelated properties is Matthew Mercer, the voice actor for Cassidy since the original Overwatch launched back in 2016, as well as the game master of Critical Role, the popular TTRPG streaming show that has spawned multiple Amazon Prime animated series. And the Easter egg in question is a simple one, easy to miss if you’re not in the know, but instantly recognizable to Critical Role fans anywhere.

The Overwatch 2 season five battle pass tier 44 voiceline for Cassidy is a simple question: “How do you want to do this?” The line is a nod to Mercer’s catchphrase from Critical Role. Usually, Mercer takes the actions that players give him in the middle of a game and narrates what’s going on in the game, filling out little actions and atmospheric touches. But when a player in a fight takes down a boss or one of the main figures that the party is battling, he asks the player who lands the final blow how they want those final moments to go and take over some of the narration themselves.

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It’s usually an exciting moment since the players don’t necessarily know that an enemy has been defeated until the signature “How do you want to do this?” leaves Mercer’s lips. And now, it’s in Overwatch 2.

It’s a full-circle moment in a way for both the game and the show. Critical Role began as a niche streaming show on Geek and Sundry in 2015, with the original Overwatch beta releasing less than a year later.

While Overwatch almost immediately exploded into popularity upon its release, Critical Role steadily built up its fandom over multiple years and campaigns into a fully-fledged operation with a full programming slate, a nonprofit organization, a game publishing company, and its partnership with Amazon for The Legend of Vox Machina, an animated series based on their first campaign, and the forthcoming Mighty Nein series, which will be based on the second campaign featured in the show.

This Easter egg is a great nod to a community that will instantly recognize it and helps add an extra touch of magic to the new content in Overwatch 2 season five that wants to feel that way to its players.