Overwatch 2 devs reveal big progression system & reward changes amid community backlash

Eleni Thomas
Overwatch 2 progression changes

Overwatch 2’s progression system will see some big changes in the coming months in light of community criticism over the lack of earnable skins and rewards, instead with a bigger emphasis being placed on purchasable cosmetics. 

Overwatch 2 will be moving forward with a slightly different progression system – as well as what rewards will be unlockable – as time goes on. This change is a result of the massive uproar from fans since the game went live at the beginning of October.

In a recent blog post, Jared Neuss – the new Executive Producer for Overwatch 2 – broke down the changes coming to Overwatch 2’s rewards system and provided some insight into what future updates on the progress model will look like.

When explaining the decision to rework the system, Neuss wrote that the dev team isn’t “completely satisfied with how everything feels right now.” Going on to add that they want players to feel as though they have been rewarded fairly for the amount of OW2 they have played.

“We want you to feel more rewarded just for sitting down and playing. We want you to have new accomplishments to chase outside of your Competitive Rank and Battle Pass level. When you finish a session, we want you to feel good about the time you just spent in the game— even if you ended on an epic losing streak at 2 AM after saying that you wouldn’t end on a loss.”

What progression reward changes are coming to Overwatch 2?

Overwatch 2 progression changes
Since going free-to-play, the Overwatch community has been critical of the new focus on buying cosmetics.

Neuss broke down the short and long-term changes players can expect for Overwatch 2 when it comes to the game’s reward system. The following changes will be made in the short term and will be implemented for Season 2:

  • Each event will now have a skin you can earn on top of purchasable cosmetic rewards
  • More twitch drops are on the way

For Season 3 and beyond, the devs are looking to explore bigger changes such as:

  • Revamping the Battle Pass
  • Bigger and better challenges to complete
  • More play-focused progression systems

We’ll be sure to keep you updated with all the latest Overwatch 2 progression changes when more information comes our way.

About The Author

Eleni is a Melbourne-based journalist. Having completed her Bachelor's in communication (Journalism) at RMIT University, Eleni is now a Senior Writer for the Dexerto Australia team. A big Nintendo fan (with a Triforce tattoo to prove it) and a lover of the zombie genre, Eleni covers gaming, entertainment as well as TV and movies for the site. She is also passionate about covering Queer and female representation. Contact Eleni at eleni.thomas@dexerto.com