Overwatch 2’s second season launches Tuesday, bringing with it a new tank hero, a new map, and a new battle pass. Season 2 will also see a substantial change in how — or rather how quickly — Blizzard will let players who don’t pay for the game’s premium battle pass get access to its new hero, Ramattra. Unlike Kiriko, season 1’s new hero, who could be unlocked at battle pass level 55, Ramattra will be available to all players who reach level 45 in Overwatch 2’s new battle pass.
Overwatch game director Aaron Keller announced the change on Monday, saying, “After reviewing data for Season 1, we’re moving Ramattra in to Tier 45 of the Battle Pass and making a few more weekly challenges easier to complete.”
Making Overwatch 2’s weekly challenges easier to complete is another way of saying players should be able to progress through the battle pass faster and earn more currency (Overwatch Coins) going forward. In season 1, players typically earned 5,000 XP — half of a battle pass level — for completing a weekly challenge. They also earned 30 Coins for completing four Weekly Challenges, 20 for completing eight, and 10 for completing all 11. That’s a maximum of 60 Overwatch Coins per week, though earning those final 10 coins was sometimes more trouble than it was worth.
Overwatch 2’s premium paid battle pass will grant instant access to Ramattra, as well as a 20% XP boost for the duration of the pass. That version of the pass costs $9.99, or 1,000 Overwatch Coins. But Blizzard received intense criticism for putting new heroes behind the battle pass, requiring players to either pay or grind through the game for weeks to access the hero other players already had access to. And while many players unlocked Kiriko in season 1 around halfway through the inaugural season, leveling up the free version of the pass, receiving meager rewards along the way and being locked out of a new support character was received poorly by many players.
In November, Overwatch executive producer Jared Neuss said 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 in a blog post. “We want you to feel more rewarded just for sitting down and playing.”
Blizzard will launch Overwatch 2 season 2 on Dec. 6. The game is available for free on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
