Overwatch 2 gives out free cosmetics, 2XP weekends for server downtime

Overwatch 2’s launch has been a rough one, with players suffering from disconnections, server downtime, and bugs, like being locked out of the game’s full roster. On Tuesday, Blizzard Entertainment said it has “largely stabilized the game overall” and plans to continue addressing issues. It’s also handing out some free cosmetics and planning double match XP weekends to “help make up for any lost time.”

Logging in players can Overwatch 2 from Oct. 25 through the end of season 1 — which should run through early December — will get the Cursed Captain Reaper legendary skin and a Health Pack weapon charm for their troubles. And players looking for a boost to their battle pass grind will get “several” weekends with double match XP boosts, though Blizzard hasn’t announced dates. It’s also not clear the extent to which experience will be boosted; Blizzard specifies match XP, which implies that experience will not be doubled for, say, daily and weekly challenges, which pay out thousands in XP.

Blizzard’s mea culpa for Overwatch 2’s rough launch will, at the very least, be a salve for players hoping to get more of the game’s skins for free. Most skins will be available in the coming weeks. Overwatch 2 now require paying for and completing the game’s battle pass, or buying them outright from Blizzard’s in-game shop. These prices are high and range from 1,000 to 2000 Overwatch Coins to about $10 to $20 real money. Overwatch Coins are a tedious grind. Players can earn only 60 coins per week.

The developer said it plans to run a new Halloween-themed event, Junkenstein’s Revenge: The Wrath of the Bride, from Oct. 25 to Nov. 8. It appears that the mode is a variant on the well-known cooperative brawl mode, which was in use during Overwatch’s Halloween Terror event in years past. The Wrath of the Bride is expected to usher in some new, spooktacular faces. Overwatch 2Junker Queen and Kiriko are newcomers who will receive executioner- or witch-themed cosmetics at the event.