We've got some Overwatch 2 Battle Pass details, and they couldn't come soon enough. Not long after news leaked about how new heroes are only accessible via battle pass progression, and just a few short weeks until the October 4 launch date, Blizzard has revealed more about the sequel's controversial Battle Pass.
According to Overwatch 2 general manager Walter Kong, who was one of several Blizzard employees that spoke to several outlets during a round table interview, the goal of switching to a free-to-play battle pass model is "to give players what they wanted, which was just continuous delivery of content. We know because players have been telling us that's what keeps them engaged over the long term."
Whether you agree with that logic or not, you'll want to know al the details about the Overwatch 2 battle pass, from what you can get in it to how to advance along it. Read on for everything we know.
How long will Overwatch 2 seasons be?
Overwatch 2 will have nine-week long seasons, each with its own seasonal battle pass that will have paid and free tracks and 80+ unlockable tiers of content. You'll be able to unlock traditional cosmetics like hero skins, and all new cosmetics for Overwatch 2 like name cards, charms, and souvenirs. If there's a new hero debuting that season, you'll be able to earn them along the free tier of the battle pass, but you'll get them a lot faster if you pay up.
Overwatch 2 battle pass cost
The Premium Battle Pass will cost you 1000 Overwatch coins (or $10). You can purchase these coins directly or earn them by completing weekly challenges, which we'll detail below.
There is a free version of the Overwatch 2 battle pass. Blizzard is promising that the free battle pass will have plenty of rewards for players. "From the perspective of the business, this isn't free," Kong said in reference to development and the battle pass. "And we spent a long time knowing how important this would be to players. We spent a long time thinking through how to be able to fund our continuous development of the game in a way that would still present fair and enjoyable experiences for all players, whether they choose to pay, or whether they choose to play for free. And our approach in terms of players who pay is to deliver a tremendous amount of value."
Overwatch 2 Mythic skins
Mythic skins are a new tier of cosmetics for Overwatch 2 and the "coolest thing we've ever put in the game from a cosmetic perspective," according to commercial lead Jon Spector. Mythic skins are customizable, with layers you can mix and match that offer different color schemes and patterns. Blizzard has plans to include one mythic skin in every seasonal Battle Pass.
Overwatch 2 free battle pass content
The Overwatch 2 Season 1 Battle Pass will include the following as free rewards, spread out across 20 tiers throughout the total 80+ tiers:
- New support hero Kiriko at Tier 55 (Overwatch 1 players will get instant access to Junker Queen Sojourn, and Kiriko through the Founder's Pack)
- Two Epic skins skins
- One weapon charm
- Two souvenirs
- One highlight intro
- 14 additional items (like emotes, name cards, sprays, etc.)
- Prestige Tier Titles (8 earnable titles available only after completing the entire pass)
Overwatch 2 Premium Battle Pass content
The Overwatch 2 Season 1 Premium Battle Pass will include the following rewards:
- Immediate access to Kiriko
- 20% XP Battle Pass boost
- One Mythic skin
- Five Legendary skins
- One Epic skin
- Three play of the game intros
- Four weapon charms
- Three emotes
- Three souvenirs
- Six poses
- Six name cards
- 30+ additional cosmetic rewards
Overwatch 2 challenges
During our roundtable interview with Overwatch 2 devs, we got a chance to see the internal production build, which showed off the new challenge system. Challenges are ways to earn coins and battle pass tiers through gameplay, and there are both daily and weekly challenges.
"Weekly challenges are one of the new systems that we're launching in Overwatch too. So every player now will have challenges that they can go into. And the way that we've built the challenges is a different set of daily, weekly, seasonal, and then some kind of lifetime and broader challenges within there," Spector explains.
Every day you'll have six daily challenges to complete, which range from completing three games queued for all roles to something as simple as winning a game. The first three daily challenges you complete will net you a cool 9,000 XP, which is just 1,000 short of what's needed to move from Tier 1 to Tier 2. It's not clear how much XP is required to reach each tier, but it will likely increase as you traverse the Battle Pass.
Weekly challenges are harder to complete than the daily ones, so naturally, they are you more XP. These challenges include winning ten matches or dealing 125,000 damage. The more weekly challenges you complete, the more Overwatch coins you earn: 30 coins for completing four weekly challenges, 20 for completing eight, and 10 for completing 11.
While it's not super clear how much grinding you'll need to do in order to get through the Battle Pass, Spector says the team's design goal and philosophy is "overwhelming, obvious value for players."
