Overwatch 2 battle pass and progression changes coming soon, Blizzard says

Overwatch 2’s launch and inaugural season as a free-to-play game hasn’t always gone to plan. The game’s creators said before the game’s launch they wanted its battle pass to feel like an “overwhelming, obvious value,” but much of the conversation around rewards and cosmetics for Overwatch 2High-priced skins, and substandard freebies have been the norm. That appears to be changing for the game’s second season, which kicks off in December.

New Overwatch executive producer Jared Neuss said in a blog post Thursday that Blizzard “aren’t completely satisfied with how everything feels right now,” when it comes to rewards and progression in Overwatch 2.

“There’s a lot we like about it — knocking out a bunch of daily/weekly challenges or getting something new for a hero you love can feel great! But we also recognize that today’s experience has opportunity for improvement that we need to focus on,” Neuss said. “We want you to feel more rewarded just for sitting down and playing. We want you to have new accomplishments to chase outside of your Competitive Rank and Battle Pass level.”

Neuss stated that Blizzard has changed to accomplish this. Overwatch 2’s rewards structure “so that each event has a skin you can earn by playing, in addition to the other cosmetic rewards we already offer.” (Overwatch 2’s first event, Halloween Terror 2022, did not reward players with much beyond some titles, voices lines, and XP.) Twitch is where content creators stream live to players Overwatch 2Neuss explained that the viewership will be able to continue receiving free cosmetics.

“While we’re working on the long-term plans, we want upcoming seasons to feel more rewarding than Season 1,” he added. It is likely that more skins will be available and there will be increased rewards for battle passes.

Neuss also hinted at “a mix of Battle Pass changes, more interesting Challenges to pursue, and more exciting play-focused progression systems” coming in season 3, which would likely kick off in February 2023. The game’s weekly challenges in particular have been a point of contention for players, because that’s how Overwatch 2Overwatch Coins is a game currency that can be freely dispensed.

It seems that Blizzard may also adjust XP rewards to battle pass players who queue up in support roles or all roles. This is an effort to reduce queue times for roles such as tank and damage.

Neuss added that Blizzard is also working on ideas related to the support role to make it “more fun and more rewarding to play.” That includes “targeted support hero reworks, game system updates, and even some role-wide changes to improve support quality of life.”

Season 2 Overwatch 2Starts Dec. 6. Season 2 will feature a new hero, Ramattra the tank, as well as a map and new battle passes.