It's been almost nine months since Overwatch 2 was first released in early access, and the controversies surrounding it haven't stopped for longer than a month or so. Back in 2019, Overwatch 2 was first announced, and Blizzard promised the world. An entire campaign mode with dedicated hero skill trees, fully-fledged cutscenes, new heroes, new maps, and new mechanics were all promised features, and while Blizzard has stayed true to its word on some of those, it's also let fans down in some pretty significant places.
Most recently, the big controversy surrounding Overwatch 2 was the cancelation of the game's campaign mode. Though PvE missions are still coming to Overwatch 2, they won't feature the same complex skill trees and progression that fans were promised and had been looking forward to for four years. But once again, Blizzard is trying to make up for its shortcomings in one department by offering a boon in another, and this time it's a brand-new "Hero Progression" system, which has both its upsides and downsides.
The Pros and Cons of Overwatch 2's New Hero Progression System
Coming in August along with the Invasion update, Overwatch 2's new Hero Progression system will see players level up their individual heroes by simply playing as them. Unlike the first game, where players would just increase their overall level, Overwatch 2's Hero Progression system sees each hero level up individually via a new set of stats, each of which can be leveled up themselves. For instance, in the example above, Reinhardt's character sheet includes a wide range of different statistics, from the number of games played to the amount of melee eliminations to the number of successful Earthshatter stuns and kills.
On the one hand, this update adds a lot of beneficial content to the game. By simply playing Overwatch 2, players will be leveling up all of a hero's different stats, and with each new level gained, a new reward is given. Next to each statistic is a little symbol, which is actually a hero emblem that players will unlock, and with each subsequent level-ups of that specific stat, the emblem will be improved visually. For those that love to keep track of their stats, this Hero Progression system not only provides those in spades, but also rewards players for their effort.
However, on the other hand, Overwatch 2's Hero Progression system could be viewed as a tad disappointing. The only rewards Blizzard has revealed for this system are emblems and name cards, and while it's great to be rewarded for just playing the game, these rewards aren't too compelling. After hundreds of hours of playtime, these emblems and name cards are going to feel pretty stale, and it won't be long before fans stop taking notice of this system altogether. What would improve this system tenfold is if players could unlock a legendary Overwatch 2 skin, or even an epic one, for reaching a certain milestone with a hero, giving players something to work toward for all the characters.
During the livestream that announced this new Hero Progression system, Overwatch 2's director Aaron Keller said that this system won't put a cap on XP, meaning that players will forever be leveling up their heroes' stats. Keller stated that this was done so that players don't feel like they need to rush through the system and complete everything, but in doing that it's also given the Hero Progression system no satisfying endpoint. For many fans, this might dissuade them from engaging with the system altogether, as they have no level cap to work toward and seemingly no special skins to collect.
Overwatch 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
