Overwatch 2 Is Shaking Up How Players Unlock Heroes In A Big Way
With "Overwatch 2" still looming on the horizon, seemingly in perpetuity, there are still several details that have yet to be revealed or verified. We know about many of the returning characters and have seen previews of some newcomers, but there are still some uncertainties surrounding the sequel to one of Activision Blizzard's most popular multiplayer games.
One such uncertainty revolved around the way players would be able to unlock new playable characters in the upcoming (possibly free-to-play) team shooter. Blizzard VP Job Specter took to Twitter in order to try and clarify some of the confusion by explaining the new approach to unlocking characters, though the news has caused a bit of a stir.
The fact that additional heroes beyond the initial roster have to be unlocked at all is something of a departure compared to the original "Overwatch," as the first game's newcomers were always just available to everyone right away. As soon as the character addition update went live and was downloaded, they would be there, ready to use. Such is not the case in "Overwatch 2," apparently.
You unlock new characters by what now?
According to Specter, "new Overwatch 2 heroes will be available on the free track of the Battle Pass." Meaning that "Overwatch 2" will not only require that players perform various in-game actions or meet certain criteria to access these new characters, but it will also tie them to players' seasonal Battle Pass progression.
This, understandably, has many players concerned as it means the only way for them to unlock any new playable characters for free is to "grind" for them during a limited promotional window. Meaning that if they can't complete the necessary steps to unlock that new character, they won't get to use them.
Spector did reply to one such concerned comment by stating that future Battle Pass seasons will also include free paths to unlock previously unlockable characters. Though it's unclear if those paths will remain available and consistent from season to season, have uncompleted progress reset with the start of each new season, or if some seasons won't offer free character unlock paths.