Junkenstein's Revenge

"Our tale begins in Adlersbrunn, where the lord of the castle has called four heroes to come to his aid to defend him from the mad Dr. Junkenstein"

Junkenstein's Revenge is a co-operative brawl that is exclusive to the Halloween Terror event. It is narrated by Reinhardt and its events are non-canon, taking place in the fictional land of Adlersbrunn, which is based on the bridge and castle gates of Eichenwalde.





Event Details
"Our tale is about to begin..." This is a four player co-op event that situates the players into using only four of the characters. Players may only use McCree, Soldier: 76, Hanzo and Ana, who are known as "The Gunslinger", "The Soldier", "The Archer" and "The Alchemist" respectively. The players must defend the castle gates in Adlersbrunn from Junkenstein, his creations and his allies. The game will automatically end if all players die. The event is a wave-based horde brawl that gets progressively harder over time.

There are three different difficulty levels for this event, named "Easy", "Normal" and "Hard". During the brawl, players are given a performance rating, indicated by the stars on the top of the HUD. In Easy, two stars are locked, one is locked in Normal and all stars can be obtained in Hard. The rating is based on the number of Zomnics killed, how many times players die and how much damage is taken by the castle gates. At the top of the screen, a countdown timer shows the time remaining until the final wave. Beneath the timer is an indicator of the gates' health. Players' health and ultimate status are displayed in the top-left corner of the screen.

The characters have no changes to the cooldown of their attacks, their attacks or the charge of their Ultimate Abilities. The event also gives fewer experience points than a Quick Match or Competitive Match.

As of the 2017 iteration, a total of four different difficulty levels are introduced, named "Normal", "Hard", "Expert" and "Legendary". The 2017 iteration also introduces an endless mode called "Junkenstein's Endless" with the same difficulty levels, in which players must face twelve waves of Zomnics and bosses in fixed combinations. Once players successfully reach the twelfth wave, the game is considered victorious, but bonus waves of bosses will continue to spawn. The game would eventually end once Bonus Wave 15 was done, this is when the objective would change from "Defend the door" to "Kill the bosses", once all bosses were killed, the match would end. Players also have access to an increased roster of heroes, including Torbjörn (The Viking), Zenyatta (The Monk), Genji (The Swordsman) and Widowmaker (The Countess).

As of 2018, Symmetra uses her Photon Barrier ultimate instead of placing a Shield Generator. Brigitte (The Shieldmaiden) and Tracer (A Ghostly Will-O'-The-Wisp) were added as playable characters. Not much else was changed in this update.

The 2020 update includes Ashe (The Outlaw) and Baptiste (The Renegade) as playable characters, as well as weekly challenges on top of existing gameplay.

Adlersbrunn
The event uses a modified version of the Eichenwalde castle gate, known as Adlersbrunn. Unlike Eichenwalde, Adlersbrunn does not have any zone that players can fall off of. the two sides of the bridge are replaced by pools of water, and the drop on the right side is blocked by rocks. The entrance to the bridge has been blocked and is used as a spawn location for Zomnics.

The area is lit by moonlight and torches. There are occasional flashes of lightning and crashes of thunder.

Enemies
In the event, the main enemies are the Zomnics, creations of Dr. Junkenstein.

Zomnics
Basic Zomnics will travel toward the castle gates, where they explode and damage anything surrounding them. They will not attack the heroes directly, but can cause damage when they explode. Zomnics come in large groups, but are relatively easy to dispatch.

Zombardier
Zombardiers are much tougher than their Zomnic counterparts, but move little after spawning. They shoot energy projectiles, which look and behave similar to Zarya's alternative fire. They have more health than a normal Zomnic and can attack directly, but they are easy to defeat due to being almost stationary.

Their shots deal 60 damage each to heroes, have a radius of approximately 2 meters and cannot damage the door directly.

Shock-Tire
The Shock-Tire is a modified version of Junkrat's Rip-Tire that only targets the castle gates. This version of Rip-Tire inflicts less damage, and will not be able to kill a full-health hero in one hit if they are caught in its blast, but will severely injure them. The Shock-Tire is extremely hard to hit due to its unpredictable movement, and there may be up to two tires in play at once.

In the regular mode, Shock-Tires come at set times. The tire on the right always goes to the right of the burning pile. As of the 2020 event, the third Shock-Tire appears on the right when playing challenges instead.

Bosses
In this event brawl, there are Bosses who are simply Junkrat, Roadhog, Reaper and Mercy (and Symmetra as of the 2017 iteration of the event), all of whom are in their Halloween skins. They are respectively known as "Dr. Junkenstein", "Junkenstein's Monster", "The Reaper" ,"The Witch of the Wilds" and "The Summoner". These versions of the characters have an immense amount of health pools and aren't so easily dispatched. They all have specific orders in when they'll come out and there are strategies to combat them. They can all use their Ultimate Abilities, although Dr. Junkenstein uses a modified version of his the most frequently, even when he's not in battle. They are all indicated by a special sound and an introduction from Reinhardt.

The Reaper
The Reaper is the first boss that the players will fight. He automatically teleports in front of the heroes to combat them and usually stays close to them. He uses the abilities of Reaper, and can deal massive damage to heroes up close, as well as use Wraith Form to avoid being hit for a short time.

It is best to use McCree's Deadeye and Soldier's Tactical Visor, combined with Ana's Nano Boost to fight him. Deadeye is especially deadly to Reaper, often capable of killing him in one hit in Medium if charged. Take care not to fire when he is in Wraith Form.

This boss is unique, since unlike the other bosses, he will actually come back two times before being revived, thus meaning the same strategy should be advised. If neither character has their ultimates ready, it's best to focus the attack on him with most of the characters, while at least one dispatches the accompanying Zomnics. When Reaper teleports, Soldier can shoot at where his head will be and deal significant damage before he can respond due to teleporting.

Junkenstein's Monster
Junkenstein's Monster is the second boss. He has, of course, the highest health pool of all of the bosses in the event, and will appear just under where Junkenstein will spawn. He uses all of Roadhog's normal abilities, of course, and can heal himself, making him a tough opponent to dispatch.

It's advised to not be close up around him, as he deals the most damage at that range. He will have Whole Hog deployed very quickly, and it can wipe out the team quickly. If this happens, Ana's Sleep Dart should be used quick to cancel it out.

McCree's Deadeye will be of no value until the monster has lower health, due to the immense health pool of the monster itself. However he can Flashbang the monster to interrupt his self heal or Whole Hog. In addition, Ana's biotic grenade can prevent the monster from healing himself altogether.

Dr. Junkenstein
Dr. Junkenstein, also known as Dr. Jamison Junkenstein, the titular antagonist, will be the fourth boss. He's a very straight-forward boss to fight, if not the easiest one to dispatch. He will merely begin shooting his weapon at the heroes, though the weapon itself will not damage the gate. He usually stays in one place, making Hanzo's Dragonstrike a very optimal Ultimate to use, as Dr. Junkenstein won't be able to avoid it all that much. He cannot heal himself, thus making this one of the easiest of them to dispatch. However, he has infinite ammo and fires at a much faster rate than his counterpart, Junkrat, making his fight a lot more volatile.

The Summoner
The Summoner is the third boss. She will appear on top of the broken rampart, just across from Junkenstein's perch. Shortly after spawning, she will deploy a Photon Barrier which will last for a set duration. The Summoner uses none of Symmetra's standard abilites, only her gun's primary and secondary fire.

The Witch
The Witch is the last boss. When the timer runs out, she will revive Dr. Junkenstein and his monster, heal Junkenstein's Monster predominantly, heal Junkenstein if the Monster is dead, and so on; if both are dead, she will heal Zomnics. If you somehow find a way to eliminate all Zomnics and Zombardiers without the use of a custom game, she will simply run around aimlessly. It is optimal to dispose of her first; despite her low health, she can easily heal other bosses, and her movement is hard to predict. As with The Reaper, Deadeye is optimal; if it doesn't kill her outright, it can seriously damage her and her allies.

Challenges
Similar to other Overwatch events in 2020, the latest iteration of Junkenstein's Revenge introduces weekly challenges that provide additional obstacles for players to overcome, as well as associated achievements and sprays. Each mode comes with an additional audio cue by the narrator, describing Junkenstein's modifications to his allies. All challenges use the Expert difficulty level of normal Junkenstein's Revenge.

Vengeful Ghost

 * Following the initial wave of zomnics from all three spawn points, a hovering vengeful ghost will move around the map and harass the players, represented by a translucent zomnic surrounded by a wispy aura.
 * The aura will damage players over time if they are enveloped by the aura; affected players will hear a ghastly whispering audio cue. The aura will also increase in radius as the game progresses, reflecting the number of zomnics slain over time. The ghost cannot be removed from the game through player actions.
 * Staying mobile is the easiest way to cope with the ghost's damage. All classes can easily outrun the ghost, even the slower ones. In situations where the players have to stay together as a group (e.g. to fight bosses, or the final assault) it's advisable to move away as a group to keep up pressure while avoiding getting damaged in a cluster.

Frenzied Stampede

 * All zomnics and zombardiers will move noticeably faster in this mode, reducing the time between the former's initial spawn and reaching the door.
 * Greater awareness is imperative here. It's much easier for zomnics to slip by the players and swarm the door in this mode, especially during the final wave. If the door is already significantly damaged (e.g. 50% health) by the time the final wave starts, it's easy to lose the game at this point as players struggle between managing the bosses and the speedier zomnics.

Volatile Zomnics

 * Zomnics will blow themselves up when drawing close to a player, dealing damage and blowback akin to that when they explode against the castle door. The explosion charges in a split second, making it close to impossible for players to dodge.
 * Staying close to the gate and killing zomnics from a distance is heavily advised for this mode. It's extremely easy to get swarmed and damaged in this mode, especially during the final wave.
 * DPS heroes who can deal with zomnics at longer ranges like Widowmaker, Hanzo, Torbjorn, Ashe, McCree, or even Soldier: 76 is encouraged. Genji is discouraged as his Swift Strike will cause him to be close to zomnics, and his Dragonblade is useless, at it requires him to be close to the enemies to be effective.
 * Zenyatta is an ideal healer for this challenge, given his ranged healing capabilities and invulnerability during Transcendence. Conversely, Brigitte is heavily discouraged for this mode due to mostly being a close-ranged hero.
 * Ana is also an ideal healer, as she can heal her teammates from farther ranges with her rifle and Biotic Grenade. The Nanoboost can be used to save a player's life if some omnics explodes on them.

Three They Were

 * Players will only be able to play as a team of three, but their attacks deal more damage to compensate.
 * Keeping everyone healed is absolutely necessary in this mode as you can't afford to lose a player. Against bosses, particularly in the last stage, players will be pursued by them and quickly be overwhelmed once the heroes start getting picked off.
 * Heroes able to provide a wide range of covering fire are most recommended, such as Torbjorn and McCree.

Mystery Swap

 * Every so often, all players will forcibly change classes following a bright flash and audio cue, switching to a different hero while retaining their ultimate charges.
 * While rare, it's not unheard of for two or more players to be changed to the same hero.
 * The biggest challenge in this mode is the brief disorientation you might have playing an unfamiliar hero. Otherwise your roles should remain the same: kill every enemy you come across with the abilities of your current character.
 * You can keep your current ult charge and carry it on another hero when swapped. It's quite useful when you couldn't build charge fast enough on a certain hero.

Shocking Surprise

 * Shock Tires will appear much more frequently in this mode, on top of the ones accompanying boss waves.
 * Additional Shock Tires will not have the usual audio cues of a musical sting and one of the heroes announcing where it comes from. The whizz of the spinning tire will still be audible.
 * Tires can spawn on the castle wall and jump off the ledge, making their way across a new route via the pool on the left (next to the staircase).
 * Bosses will spawn two additional Shock-Tires upon death from the spot where they stand.
 * This is by far the most difficult mode that requires players to be constantly on their toes, as they will be constantly barraged by so many tires that the door can easily lose most of its health before Junkenstein spawns.
 * Heroes who focus on auto-aim and area denial, namely Torbjorn, Soldier: 76 and McCree, are highly recommended for this mode. Zenyatta is likely to be your preferred healer due to his Orb of Discord debuff - the quicker you destroy the Shock-Tires, the less likely they can slip through your defenses.
 * It may be a good idea to lure bosses such as Reaper and Junkenstein's Monster from the gate before they're defeated, giving players more breathing room to deal with the Shock-Tires that bosses leave behind.

Story
Dr. Junkenstein laughed as his minions arose, for tonight was the night of Junkenstein's Revenge!

The lord of the castle called for heroes to come defend his castle from the nefarious Dr. Junkenstein and his Zomnic army. The heroes endure wave after wave of the onslaught, all while Junkenstein, his minions and his allies all came forth to take battle upon the heroes and attempt to destroy the gate that protected Adlersbrunn. The heroes all fight valiantly and with determination as The Reaper was the first to appear, teleporting in front of them all and laying fire upon them. Eventually, he is struck down by one of the heroes, and soon after, Junkenstein's Monster appears, rearing its own power to the fray. While it fought so heavily against the heroes, it too succumbed to the might of them. Not long afterwards, enraged and wanting personal revenge, Dr. Junkenstein comes out and fires upon the team of four with his launcher, and The Reaper has come back, to the heroes' dismay, for revenge himself. The two would be struck down together, all while The Witch makes her grand appearance.

The Witch revives her fallen allies for one last battle, and the heroes, exhausted yet determined, kept on fighting until the very end, and before long, all of Junkenstein's creations, all of Junkenstein's allies and the doctor himself soon fall by the hands of the heroes themselves. The heroes return to the castle, the lord praising them and giving them all a grand reward for their valiant efforts and defending Adlersbrunn.

Alternatively, however, should the heroes fall in battle or the gate shatter, Junkenstein will have had his revenge against the lord of the castle, even despite the heroes' efforts.

In Endless Mode, the heroes' efforts are described as having given the castle's inhabitants enough time to evacuate and flee, but the tale ends with Junkenstein's revenge at Bonus Round 15.

Quotes
See Junkenstein's Revenge/Quotes

Trivia

 * The event itself is a complete reference to Mary Shelly's Frankenstein book, as well as various other Halloween or traditional horror-related lore.
 * The Reaper himself is a nod to the folktale of The Headless Horseman, even going as far as to sporting a disembodied head where a pumpkin takes place. However, the pumpkin, unlike the tale, is incapable of being used as a projectile. His name also comes from the Grim Reaper himself.
 * However in the 2017 version, the reaper is instead a vampire.
 * The Witch, however, does not have a specific story to tie into, but instead, could fit any various sources of the common witch.
 * Reinhardt's narration is told akin to campfire stories or stories often told to groups of people, which are known as folktales.
 * The Zomnics are an obvious nod to horror movies related to zombies- the slow-pacing zombies of older movies.
 * There are three movies that tie in to the event.
 * Junkenstein's Revenge is film that covers Junkenstein, and potentially the whole event.
 * The Reapening features the Reaper.
 * Rise of the Zomnics features the Zomnics, which were created by Junkenstein.
 * The map was developed as a means of gauging player interest in possible singleplayer content.