Overwatch 2 heroes will be free at launch starting in Season 10

Overwatch 2 heroes will be free at release starting with the launch of Season 10 in mid-April.

In a developer update released on Tuesday, game director Aaron Keller said players will no longer have to purchase the premium battle pass to unlock new characters at release, or grind for hours to unlock them through the free track of the battle pass.

“Heroes are one of the most exciting additions to the game and we want all of our players to have immediate access to them when they launch, which is why I’m thrilled to share that Venture and all future heroes will be free for all players when they launch,” he said.

“Starting with Venture, heroes will no longer be unlocked through the Battle Pass. This includes all previous Overwatch 2 heroes.”

Blizzard is also introducing a new way to unlock Mythic skins with the launch of the Mythic Shop in Season 10.

“The Mythic Shop will allow you to work towards past and current seasonal Mythic hero skins as you progress through the Premium Battle Pass,” the studio said.

“You get to decide how far into each Mythic skin you would like to build. So, for example, if you don’t want to fully unlock all of a skin’s color or model variations, you can spread your progression towards other Mythic hero skins.”

Starting with Season 10, players will also earn coins through the free and premium tracks of the battle pass. The number of coins players can earn for free per season will rise from 540 to 600.

Earlier today, Blizzard launched Plunderstorm, a new battle royale-inspired limited-time event for World of Warcraft.