Overwatch 2‘s transition to a free-to-play game has always been steeped in controversy, including one move that locked new heroes behind numerous challenges or through a battle pass. Starting in Season 10, however, Blizzard seems to be walking back this change and allowing players to make all heroes available for free in Overwatch 2. This means anyone can play new heroes immediately, instead of paying money or jumping through laborious hoops.
Free Heroes For All in Overwatch 2
To be more accurate, all heroes in Overwatch 2 were technically free…eventually. New heroes on release would be locked behind a battle pass, and those who paid for the battle pass could immediately obtain the new hero. For free-to-play players, they would have to grind the battle pass for a substantial amount of time, nearly eighty levels, before actually obtaining the hero. And if you don’t complete the battle pass at all? You’d have to complete a series of tedious challenges that could take hours before you can even practice the hero.
This issue stands out more in Overwatch than a game like League of Legends as Overwatch is built around counter-picking. If a new character like Mauga is released in an overpowered state, then anyone who does not have this hero unlocked puts their team at a disadvantage. Fortunately, in a new developer update by Aaron Keller, new heroes will be unlocked immediately. In other words, no battle pass nonsense. When Venture releases in Season 10, everyone will be able to practice them immediately.
Season 10 will bring some other noteworthy changes as well. Old maps will be reworked to remove any outdated designs, and a new gamemode will be playtested at the start of Season 10 in a limited-time trial. The new gamemode, Clash, will have players attempt to take over a series of five points in a straight line. You can check out the full developer discussion here.
