Summary

• Heroes will be free in Overwatch 2 without needing to buy the battle , a change that harkens back to the original game.
• Season 10 introduces Venture, the game's new non-binary hero, alongside improved coin and experience acquisition rates.
• With these changes and still no prospect of a PvE mode coming to fruition, Overwatch 2 is inching closer to replicating its predecessor.

Since its release in 2022, dedicated PvE mode, was canceled.

Many of the changes did not please players, as 2023 and 2024 did not treat Overwatch 2 kindly. Last year witnessed both the end of the official Overwatch League and a continued litany of financial struggles. Combined with all the criticism players levied towards the sequel, Blizzard has finally taken notice and taken steps to ameliorate the troubled hero shooter. Season 10 will launch the 40th hero of the game alongside massive shifts in how players obtain new heroes, bringing the game closer to its original iteration in 2016.

Season 10 Makes Overwatch 2 Heroes Free Again

When Season 10 launches in April 2024, players should expect to see a myriad of changes to Overwatch 2. The most significant news is that heroes will no longer be coupled to the battle . After unlocking the regular roster, players will have free access to new characters like Lifeweaver, Mauga, and Illari. Before Season 10, if players wanted to use the new heroes in a timely fashion, they would have to spend $10.

While a step in the right direction, this brings Overwatch 2 closer to its roots instead of tarnishing the Overwatch legacy. Veteran players of the series will recall that new heroes in the original Overwatch did not cost more money beyond the game's initial price. It is suspected that the game's poor financial situation catalyzed this change. Bloomberg reported that Blizzard employees on the Overwatch team did not receive a profit-sharing bonus in August 2023, a rarity for the company.

A New Hero & A New Mode Arrives in Season 10

Season 10 promises other fun updates for Overwatch 2, including Blizzard's 40th hero, Venture. In addition to being Blizzard's first playable non-binary character, the DPS offers mobility across the map using their drill. Blizzard's commitment to making inclusive characters is an irable step in representation for the LGBTQ+ community, and eagle-eyed X (formerly Twitter) Hazelet even noticed that the patch on Venture's jacket reflects the colors of the non-binary pride flag. While Overwatch 2 still significantly differs from its predecessor, the title retains the franchise's commitment to inclusivity and diversity in the hero roster.

Season 10 players will also experience the Clash mode teased at BlizzCon 2023. The mode will feature five capture points on a mirrored or straight map. At the start of the game, each team will control two points, with the center point belonging to no one. Players will vie to capture all five points to win. The Clash mode will debut on a new map, Hanaoka, which is translated from Japanese into English as "flower hill."

Tweaks & Improvements Coming To OW2 In Season 10

Blizzard is making some quality-of-life improvements in Season 10. In a step to improve item accessibility, Blizzard has announced that the prior season's Mythic skins can be purchased with money in the new Mythic Shop. Previously, these skins could only be unlocked by buying the battle and playing the game religiously. While Blizzard's cosmetics are expensive, at least these skins will not be time-gated, and returning players will have the chance to obtain them.

The rate at which players earn coins and experience in Overwatch 2 is another common criticism. The new patch aims to ameliorate this issue by making coins just a bit more plentiful and easier to earn by making the amount of free coins players can earn per season increase from 540 to 600. Furthermore, Blizzard has stated that it will make Weekly Challenges more flexible and will tweak them to grant Battle experience points. These changes inch the experience of the sequel back to the original Overwatch and make obtaining the skins in the first game a bit easier.

Overwatch 2 PvE Mode Still Remains Canceled

Players highly anticipated the PvE campaigns in Overwatch 2. This mode was to be a critical part of the experience and one of the reasons for creating a new game rather than just a DLC or an update. Before release, Blizzard announced that the game would launch without the PvE mode before officially canceling it several months later. This threw into question why a sequel was even being released.

As expected, Season 10 brings no new updates to the PvE in Overwatch. Aside from the PvE-focused time-gated maps like the Halloween Event and the three Story Missions priced at $15, there are no more official PvE experiences. Players seeking to experience the PvE options in the game without spending money or waiting for events can play community-made Workshop missions like Zombies or Dungeons, which are accessible through custom games. With the PvE experiment largely failing, Overwatch 2 continues the legacy of its prequel - a hero shooter.

Despite lacking a PvE mode, Overwatch 2 has removed its most controversial issue as heroes become free-to-play once more. Fans should hold tight to see what other changes Blizzard will implement. While players might still be missing their second tank or a two Winston and two Lucio combo à la Season 1 of the original game, Overwatch 2 seems to be shifting closer to its roots.

Sources: Bloomberg, Hazelet/X