Amid criticism over the game's paywalls and systems for unlocking cosmetics, an Overwatch 2 fan offers a possible solution for how Blizzard can address these criticisms and make some of this content more easily accessible. It has been a major point of contention for players since the removal of loot boxes in Overwatch ahead of the sequel's release earlier in October in favor of a new item store and battle pass. The player's suggestion, by comparison, can offer gamers a more direct path to desirable cosmetics and better incentivize gameplay.
Overwatch 2's current cosmetic system, as mentioned above, uses both the slightly revamped game shop to purchase items directly along with a seasonal battle pass where players unlock 80 tiers' worth of items. While the item shop was nothing new for players, the battle pass almost immediately raised some eyebrows among the game's community due to the price and potential grind. It further turned some players off after it was announced Kiriko, the newest support hero, would require purchasing the battle pass or reaching tier 55 for new players to unlock her.
By comparison, Reddit user Godramm offered a different idea on how to unlock cosmetics where gameplay is still required, but also incentivizes players to try the full roster of heroes. They suggest using a "Hero Challenges" system where XP boosts, hero-specific cosmetics, and Overwatch Coins are unlocked by completing challenges as specific heroes. In Godramm's model, a challenge list for D.Va can be seen requiring playing a certain number of matches, winning game's in specific locations, and getting a specific number of kills using D.Va's ultimate.
It is a familiar twist on the seasonal challenge model in games such as Fortnite and Destiny 2, where players can complete specific tasks in-game during a content season to unlock various items and boosts. The challenges can typically range from general activity completions to more specific requirements, such as completing seasonal content and activities or killing a specific number of enemy types. Special events will feature their own challenge cards as well, such as Destiny 2's new event card seen in Solstice and Festival of the Lost that offers event-specific items rather than just seasonal items.
While some players would argue Godramm's idea would be welcome change to the current grind, it wouldn't be surprising to see some players have lingering questions about this type of system in Overwatch 2. Still, given how lengthy the current grind for cosmetics is, with a player calculating just how long it would take to unlock all of Kiriko's items, any change would likely be welcome. It would require Blizzard implementing this type of challenge system to see how long the potential grind is, but even if the studio did introduce a challenge-type system, players would likely still have access to the store if they were willing to drop real-world money on some of the best skins.
Overwatch 2 is currently available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
