[Update #2]: My Overwatch 2 review is now out, and to put it simply it's a terrible sequel, though thankfully a terrific game!
[Update]: Blizzard has now detailed the fox themed support Kiriko's abilities, playstyle and lore. Additionally, the Overwatch 2 team has also unveiled all of the new balance changes coming with the October 4th launch.
Unlike the original, Overwatch 2 will be a free-to-play game. As such, the monetization is going to be a bit different than before. So instead of digging for them through loot boxes, most skins will be available for purchase through the in-game store.
Additionally, there will be a genre-standard Battle Pass that comes in both free and paid flavors. The free track will offer a variety of minor cosmetics like name cards, sprays, charms and victory poses, along with a couple epic skins to help spice things up. Most importantly, level 55 on the free Battle Pass will also give you access to the newest hero, in this case the fox themed support Kiriko.
If you would like to skip the grind and immediately access the new hero, you'll need to get the $10 premium Battle Pass. Besides instantly unlocking the newest hero, the paid Battle Pass will bring with it a ton of new cosmetics, as well as a Mythic-tier skin that is going to be highly customizable. The first one will be for Genji, and as you can see through the small teaser below, the plan is to make it a fair bit fancier than usual.
While I'm somewhat worried about new heroes being locked away behind the later levels of a Battle Pass, even if it's free, it's not all bad news as new heroes will not be entering competitive play for a few weeks after launch. This should give the Overwatch 2 team enough time to iron out any kinks and nail the balance before truly unleashing them upon the game, and hopefully also give the players enough time to actually unlock them.
As for the future, Overwatch 2 will be releasing heroes with every alternate season, except for the first two which will come with a brand new hero each - Kiriko for Season 1 and a new tank hero for Season 2. New maps and extra features will typically drop in the seasons between. A brand new Battle Pass will, naturally, launch alongside every new season.
The final thing worth mentioning is that Overwatch 2's "PvE experiences" will be arriving in 2023. The exact details are still few and far between, but I can only imagine these are going to be small pieces of the long-anticipated Overwatch 2 co-op campaign.
Whatever the case may be, I'll make sure to let you know once all of these updates arrive. Until then, you can read more about Overwatch 2's future at the latest blog post. Enjoy, and I'll leave you with a teaser for some of the new Legendary skins:
