As part of the Overwatch 2 “Defense Matrix” fair play initiative announced yesterday, Blizzard has introduced a unique progression system for new accounts called the First Time User Experience (FTUE). FTUE brings a number of changes to the classic Overwatch experience, but most notably, players will not have access to the full roster of original Overwatch heroes in Overwatch 2 until they have played approximately 100 games.

• Related Reading: Overwatch 2 Announces “Defense Matrix” Initiative to Combat Toxicity; Launch Trailer Out Now

FTUE limits the content and functionality available to new players until they have spent enough time playing the game. This is in response to players “feeling overwhelmed by numerous game modes and heroes,” and also to discourage cheating and other malicious behavior.

Blizzard notes that FTUE is divided into two phases: players will unlock all game modes and in-game chat in Phase One, while Phase Two consists of unlocking all the original Overwatch heroes over the course of around 100 games.

And that’s not all for FTUE, which involves even more changes:

• Player levels now removed
• Competitive mode locked behind 50 Quick Play matches
• Voice chat and match chat unlocked later in FTUE

FTUE is limited to accounts made after the October 4 release, and as such will not affect players who have been playing Overwatch previously or those who have purchased the Watchpoint Pack. Most FTUE restrictions (other than the Competitive mode lock) will be lifted while players are in a group to make the experience more accessible.

FTUE also does not affect new heroes in Overwatch 2, as those will be unlocked through the in-game Battle Pass.

Overwatch 2’s PvP will launch as a free-to-play title on October 4, 2022 for the PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch platforms. The game will feature full cross-play support.

Source: Blizzard