With Overwatch 2’s launch fast approaching, Blizzard has decided to drop an inf0-filled explanation of Overwatch 2’s Battle Pass system, how heroes will be rolled out, the in-game shop, Season 1 plans and loads more!
While we already know that loot boxes won’t be a part of Overwatch 2, the game’s in-game shop will feature a “Just for You” section that will be personalized based on what the player prefers to play and equip in-game. There will also be rotating bundles too, which will feature different items and will also feature special occasions and moments. For the first few seasons, the Just for You shop and rotating bundles will feature items from the first Overwatch to allow players to catch up to what they missed.
Overwatch 2 Battle Pass, Hero Unlocks, Season 1 Explained
As for the Battle Pass, it’ll feature a free and premium track, which is similar to most multiplayer games that feature a Battle Pass.
Introducing the Season One Battle Pass
It’s already known that any new Overwatch 2 hero released for the season will be featured in the free Battle Pass track, but for those who buy the premium track, they will instantly unlock the new hero. In Season 1, everyone who logs in will receive Junker Queen and Sojourn automatically, and those who own the first Overwatch will receive the new hero Kiriko through the Founder’s Pack, which needs to be redeemed by logging in before the end of Season 2.
The Overwatch Season 1 Battle Pass will feature the following unlockable free rewards in 20 tiers spread throughout the 80+ total tiers:
- Newest support hero, Kiriko (for new players who won’t have her already)
- 2 Epic Skins
- 1 Weapon Charm
- 2 Souvenirs
- 1 Highlight Intro
- 14 additional items (emotes, victory poses, name cards, sprays, player icons, etc.)
- Prestige Tier Titles (8 earnable titles available only after completing the entire pass)
The Season 1 Premium Battle Pass:
Every new season, Blizzard will release a Premium Battle Pass Track which will house even more rewards.
The Premium Battle Pass features 60 additional (for a total of 80) tiers to unlock, including our first ever Mythic-tier skin and many other premium cosmetic items. If the season features a new hero, purchasing the Premium Battle Pass will also grant instant access to that hero in addition
The Overwatch 2 Season 1 Premium Track will provide instant access to Kiriko for new players, and will contain over 60 cosmetics to unlock, which includes six all-new Legendary skins and the all-new Cyber Demon Genji Mythic skin.
In total, Season One’s Premium Battle Pass includes, in addition to all the free rewards above, the following unlockable rewards:
- Immediate access to Kiriko
- 20% XP Battle Pass Boost
- 1 Mythic Skin
- 5 Legendary Skins and 1 Epic Skin
- 3 Play of the Game Intros
- 4 Weapon Charms
- 3 Emotes
- 3 Souvenirs
- 6 Poses
- 6 Name Cards
- 30+ additional cosmetic rewards
The Premium Battle Pass will cost 1000 Overwatch Coins (equivalent of $10 USD) – those coins can be purchased directly or also earned over time by completing weekly challenges. Watchpoint Pack owners will automatically unlock Season One’s Premium Battle Pass.
New Heroes
According to Blizzard, new Overwatch 2 heroes will debut for everyone at tier 55 on the free track of the Battle Pass (for those on the premium track, the hero will be unlocked instantly). Also, for new heroes, there will be a delay in introducing them into Competitive modes for a few weeks. This will allow Blizzard to tune their balance if needed, and will also give players time to experiment with the hero.
New Overwatch 2 heroes are expected to drop every alternate season except for Season 1 and Season 2, which will each feature a new hero. After that, Blizzard plans to release a new hero in Season 4 and then in Season 6.
New Maps and Limited-Time Events
In addition to the already announced new maps for Overwatch 2—Circuit Royal, Colosseo, Midtown, New Queen Street, and Paraíso —Season One will also introduce a new push map set in Portugal, Esperança. All maps are available to everyone, and, moving forward, a new map will generally be introduced every alternate season.
We’ll also revisit past limited-time game modes and welcome new ones as early as Season One, which will include the new “Wrath of the Bride” Junkenstein event. We’ll have more to share about Season One’s event soon.
Finally, the PvE portion of Overwatch 2 will be released in 2023, and more details about it will be shared in the coming months.
You can check out the full FAQ regarding Season 1 of Overwatch 2 right here.