Blizzard has finally shed some light on how the Overwatch 2 battle pass and new hero system will work in the game. Overwatch 2 is scheduled to launch in early October as a free-to-play model but the game will be funded through battle passes and other monetization features. Sadly, the announcement of the battle pass and how the system works have been met with some rather nasty backlash from Overwatch fans. However, Blizzard has defended the Overwatch 2 battle pass saying it will improve the experience.
So how does it work? Well, at the launch of Overwatch 2 on 4 October, players won’t have access to all the heroes in the game. Overwatch 2 won’t feature any loot boxes at all and unlockables are solely linked to the battle pass system and cosmetic store. In order to gain access to new heroes, you’ll have to fork out $10 for the season’s premium pass or grind the free track to tier 55 out of 80.
However, for the launch of Overwatch 2, Blizzard is overlooking this typical hero rollout to offer players a kick-start to the game. Everyone that owns the original Overwatch will receive a Founder’s Pack that must be redeemed before the end of the second season. This Founder’s Pack comes with the newest hero, Kiriko as an instant unlock. Outside of this Founder’s Pack incentive, you’ll usually have to purchase the premium pass track or grind to tier 55.
Keep in mind that the Founder’s Pack doesn’t include the premium pass. You can only get the premium pass by purchasing it separately or buying the Watchpoint Pack. This pack comes with the premium pass, 2,000 Overwatch Coins, skins for Cassidy and Soldier 76 and of course, Kiriko.
Blizzard says that this new battle pass system and locking heroes behind progressing a free track isn’t going to affect the game. They claim that even regular players can unlock heroes well before the season ends. To break it down, here’s what each battle pass and pack includes:
Overwatch 2 Battle Pass Free Track
- Support hero Kiriko
- Two epic skins
- One weapon charm
- Two souvenirs
- One highlight intro
- 14 other items like emotes, name cards, and sprays
Overwatch 2 Season One Premium Pass Track
- Instant access to support hero Kiriko
- 20% XP boost for the battle pass
- One customizable mythic skin
- Five legendary skins
- One epic skin
- Three highlight intros
- Four weapon charms
- Three emotes
- Three souvenirs
- Six poses
- Six name cards
- 30 other cosmetic rewards
Ranking up your battle pass, be it the free or paid tracks, requires playing the game. However, while you’ll get XP for simply playing the game, you’ll also get bonus battle pass XP for completing challenges. Overwatch 2 includes daily and weekly challenges that come with various objectives to complete in order to earn this XP. Some challenges task you to defeat opponents, not die while dealing damage and winning matches.
By the look of things, each rank you level up with these challenges will result in new, tougher ones being provided to players and a higher XP cap to reach in order to level up to the next battle pass tier.
MORE OVERWATCH 2 – New Overwatch 2 Heroes Won’t Be Free
Weekly challenges are tougher with more wins, kills and damage numbers required to complete. You’ll also earn Overwatch Coins for completing a set number of challenges.
So by playing Overwatch 2, you’ll earn Overwatch Coins to spend in the cosmetic store and XP to level up the battle pass to unlock new cosmetics and items. You’re just going to have a problem if you don’t want to spend money on the premium pass. This means you’ll have to grind up tiers in order to earn those heroes.
Here’s a trailer of the Season One content:
Source: Blizzard
