Last week, Blizzard confirmed that Overwatch 2 would feature a battle pass system that was connected to its future heroes. Now, the developer has released a deeper explanation into how the system will work, and the ways that players will be able to acquire new characters.
For Overwatch 1, new Heroes were free to all players upon release, and its loot box-driven system had its share of controversies. This new method is quite a departure and in the case of the shop, offers considerably more transparency on what players will be getting.
Heroes featured in a new season can be earned one of three ways: on the free battle pass track by playing the game and reaching level 55 (of 80), buying a Hero with in-game Overwatch Coins earned by completing weekly challenges, or paying $10 to instantly unlock them with the premium battle pass.
Each season will alternate between featuring a new hero or new map (for example, after season two, a new map will come with season three, and a new hero with season four).
Blizzard argued that Overwatch 2’s method for Heroes was fair to players, as it “respects the competitive nature of the game, and aligns with our goal of supporting Overwatch 2 as a live service moving forward.”
Overwatch 2 will also feature a revamped in-game shop. With loot boxes gone from the game, the shop will explicitly show players what it is they’re buying. The shop will also feature a curated section for players to buy personalized in-game items and rotating items.
In June, Blizzard confirmed that the in-game currency of Overwatch 1 could be transferred to its sequel. However, that currency can’t purchase items from Overwatch 2’s shop.
It’s worth noting that this battle pass method applies to Overwatch 2’s PvP mode at launch. It remains to be seen how the post-launch PvE portion of the game will factor into the battle pass, if at all.