New Overwatch 2 heroes will be on the Battle Pass free track

Get ready to grind those pass levels

Overwatch 2 is less than a month out, and today we’re getting some mixed messaging about how its new heroes will roll out. It looks like Overwatch 2‘s heroes will unlock via the Battle Pass.

The Watchpoint Pack, the paid version of the upcoming free-to-play multiplayer portion of Overwatch 2, includes the first season’s premium Battle Pass track. And a since-removed portion of that description (via Polygon) notes unlocking heroes via the Battle Pass.

Overwatch commercial leader and Blizzard VP Jon Spector addressed this on Twitter, describing it as “incomplete info posted early” about the Battle Pass. While details will be shared ahead of launch, Spector confirms that new Overwatch 2 heroes will be available on the free track of the Battle Pass.

Addressing some incomplete info posted early about our Overwatch 2 Battle Pass – we'll be sharing all details ahead of launch, but want to confirm that new Overwatch 2 heroes will be available on the free track of the Battle Pass.

— Jon Spector (@Spex_J) September 8, 2022

This looks like heroes will be unlockable via some track of the Overwatch 2 Battle Pass. Whether they are also available via other means is unclear.

In a follow-up, one player asks whether heroes will still be unlockable even if someone doesn’t reach their specific tier in that Battle Pass.

“We will have free paths to get new heroes in future seasons too,” said Spector.

A new model

The shift of Overwatch 2 was always likely to entail some sort of change in how heroes are unlocked. Other free-to-play games like Valorant have hero-specific unlock tracks, where players can either grind for in-game points or purchase them.

Players have been expressing some issues with putting heroes on the unlock track of a seasonal Battle Pass, though. We knew Overwatch 2 is ditching loot boxes for the Battle Pass model. But putting playable characters on the pass feels rough.

Blizzard seems to have more to share about its model, so we’ll see what more there is to share about their new model. Overwatch 2 launches its free-to-play multiplayer for PC and consoles on October 4.