Overwatch 2 reveals new hero and Season 1 battle pass details

Blizzard has revealed new Overwatch 2 hero Kiriko and explained how the game’s battle pass will work.

As previously confirmed, Overwatch 2 will launch in early access on October 4 as a free-to-play title.

It will have seasonal updates every nine weeks and a battle pass featuring new content including heroes, game modes, maps and cosmetics.

If a season features a new hero, they will unlock immediately on the premium battle pass track and for everyone else at Tier 55 on the free track of the battle pass, Blizzard confirmed on Thursday.

New heroes won’t immediately show up in competitive modes. For example, new support hero Kiriko will debut in competitive play two weeks after Season 1 launches, giving Blizzard time to fine tune the character’s performance and players on the free battle pass track some time to unlock them.

The premium battle pass will cost 1,000 Overwatch Coins (equivalent of $10), which can be purchased directly or earned over time by completing weekly challenges.

Season 1’s battle pass, which will have a cyberpunk theme and include the Mythic Genji Skin, will offer the following unlockable free rewards in 20 tiers spread throughout the 80+ total tiers:

• Newest support hero, Kiriko
• 2 Epic Skins
• 1 Weapon Charm
• 2 Souvenirs
• 1 Highlight Intro
• 14 additional items (emotes, victory poses, name cards, sprays, player icons, etc.)
• Prestige Tier Titles (8 earnable titles available only after completing the entire pass)

Kiriko will be included for all original Overwatch owners through the Founder’s Pack, which can be redeemed by logging into Overwatch before Season 2.

Further reading

Overwatch account merging detailed ahead of cross-progression launch

The upcoming sequel will also support cross-play

Players will also be able to acquire items through a new and “consistently updated” in-game shop, but unlike its predecessor, the game won’t include loot boxes.

Overwatch 2, which includes a new five-versus-five setup as well as cross-play and cross-progression, is coming to PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4 and Switch.