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Overwatch 2 will lock new heroes behind battle pass progression, and even though you can access them for free by grinding some games, it's still a disappointing move from Blizzard. Overwatch 2 seemingly won't tie new heroes to premium or slowly accumulated currencies like other free-to-play hero shooters such as Valorant and Apex Legends – and that's a big seemingly – but the franchise is so firmly rooted in experimental and reactive team compositions that this move feels antithetical to what makes it fun and popular in the first place.
Blizzard seems to have expected pushback on this decision. Overwatch 2 is out in less than a month, and leaks are the only reason we know about new heroes going on the battle pass. Overwatch commercial leader and VP Jon Spector took to Twitter to address "incomplete info posted early" about the battle pass, confirming that "Overwatch 2 heroes will be available on the free track." Naturally, responses were swift and loud, with many players echoing my sentiments. Overwatch 2 feels more and more like it's abandoning the spirit of the original, and this is just one more body on the pile.
There goes hero comp
Overwatch has traditionally been a lightning-fast chess match with explosions. You might select one of your favorite heroes at the start of the match just to discover you're getting absolutely stonewalled by an enemy's counter and have to switch off. But even if your first pick proved to be untenable in a certain match, the beauty of Overwatch 1 is that every hero is at your disposal to try and take out a dominating Widowmaker or snuff out a raging Torbjorn.
The entire premise of Overwatch as a hero shooter is one where each hero has a unique and finely tuned skillset, and how well each team performs is rooted in their ability to shift and adjust compositions for every match, map, and objective point. Unlike Valorant or Apex, you can swap to a different hero mid-match to better compensate for a gap in team dynamics, further driving the point home that Overwatch was about unfettered choice. Sure, I always end up playing Moira for a healer, but that's because I just can't put them down, not because I don't have other options.
Considering new heroes have, historically, dominated the meta because they were initially too powerful or too clear a counter for a popular team comp (read: Brigitte), this is even more worrying.
If Blizzard follows the trend implemented by other free-to-play titles and lets players pay for battle pass tiers, then they'd have access to newer, potentially stronger heroes before everyone else. And even though Spector has confirmed that all three new heroes - Junker Queen, Sojourn, and the previously unnamed Kiriko - can be unlocked through the free battle pass, we've no word yet on how much of a grind that will be. But it poses the risk that players who have less time and money available will get steamrolled in Overwatch 2, which is fundamentally against the spirit of the franchise.
Comms check
Considering Overwatch players have been waiting for new content for years in the interim between the original game and the sequel, it certainly doesn't sit well with the community that the three new heroes won't be available on day one. Overwatch League player danteh pointed out the issue with new heroes making for "extremely oppressive metas" on Twitter, and the quote tweets on Spector's original tweet are largely full of outrage. Overwatch has always been about balance, with Blizzard often making massive adjustments to heroes to ensure that things remain somewhat even-keeled. Making certain heroes available to certain players, or at different times based on hours invested, obliterates that concept entirely.
I was worried that the free-to-play model might be a mistake back in June, and I'm even more worried now. With two Overwatch 2 betas under my belt, it's clear to me that the game is shifting more towards aggressive, gun-heavy gameplay, which feels like Blizzard is stretching to meet current trends. Overwatch isn't supposed to be another game about gunfights; it's supposed to be a hero shooter where every character is unique and readily available. Gating the three new heroes (two of which we know are incredibly aggressive and dive comp-y) behind battle pass progression is so declaratively anti-Overwatch that I'm doubly concerned about the future of a series I love so much. Every player should have access to every hero on day one, or it just isn't Overwatch.
A third Overwatch 2 beta is a must to ensure the sequel's success.
