Blizzard detailed what to expect from the Overwatch 2 battle pass in a lengthy new blog post, outlining what you get in the free track when you unlock the hero shooter’s new characters – along with how much the paid premium track will cost.
Blizzard plans on debuting a new hero every other month after Overwatch 2 launches on Oct. 4, 2022. While you can unlock them without paying anything, the process requires a fair bit of work.
Those who stick with Overwatch 2’s free battle pass will unlock new heroes at battle pass tier 55. Blizzard has yet to reveal how players can earn battle pass XP and how much experience it takes to advance to a new tier. The other tiers reward players with items ranging from weapon charms to new character skins.
The premium battle pass costs 1,000 Overwatch Coins – the game’s new virtual currency – which Blizzard says will set you back by $10. Purchasing it unlocks the season’s new hero immediately and gives players access to other exclusive rewards. These include Overwatch 2’s new Mythic Skins, dynamic cosmetics for certain heroes that let you customize them with different layers and colors.
Blizzard making heroes a battle pass reward is a new practice for Overwatch, which usually gives players free access to all playable characters, though not an uncommon one in the genre. Other competitive shooters, including Apex Legends, require players to spend in-game currency to acquire new characters. They may not be tied to a battle pass, but the effort it takes to gain enough currency is similar to raising a battle pass level.
It will likely help keep Overwatch 2 profitable as well, in light of Blizzard removing loot boxes from the game.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF.
