Overwatch 2 has brought many changes to the original game model, including being completely free to play for all players who have the available platform. Another significant change has been the addition of fun, new heroes for players to try out in the game.
However, Overwatch 2 has made many playable characters unavailable at the beginning of the game. This is done to ease players into the experience and prevent them from being overwhelmed when they start out.
Nevertheless, this can be frustrating for players who are used to having all characters unlocked. So, in this guide, we’ll be taking a look at how to unlock all heroes in Overwatch 2, so get ready for some grinding!
Unlocking Heroes In Overwatch 2
Overwatch 2, to date, has 35 different heroes you can play with, each with their own abilities and play styles. If you aren’t satisfied with the initial unlocks, you can always grind the game to access other heroes. Here’s how you can unlock each Overwatch 2 hero in the game:
Initial Unlocks
For players who previously owned Overwatch on any platform and connected it to their new Battle.net account, all heroes will already be unlocked. In addition, they will also be able to access the 2 new heroes, Junker Queen and Sojourn.
For the rest of the players, upon download and the completion of your sign-up or sign-in process, all players will have access to 13 heroes initially.
| Hero Name | Hero Role |
|---|---|
| Mercy | Support |
| Lucio | Support |
| Moira | Support |
| Soldier: 76 | DPS |
| Reaper | DPS |
| Pharah | DPS |
| Torbjorn | DPS |
| Tracer | DPS |
| Widowmaker | DPS |
| Reinhardt | Tank |
| Winston | Tank |
| Orisa | Tank |
| Zarya | Tank |
This is a small enough roster that covers all the different types of play. While the initial characters allow players to try out various roles and find what they enjoy, they aren’t all that Overwatch 2 has in store. There are 22 other heroes that you can unlock while grinding the game.
Unlocking New Heroes
Hero unlocks have been locked behind something called “Hero Challenges”. These are basically achievements that you need to complete to receive new Heroes as rewards. However, not all heroes follow this same mechanic, as we will see.
Here is a list of all the unlockable heroes and their requirements.
| Hero | Role | Number Of Games Needed To Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Genji | Damage | Complete 1 Game |
| D.VA | Tank | Complete 2 Games |
| Cassidy | Damage | Complete 3 Games |
| Ana | Support | Complete 4 Games |
| Hanzo | Damage | Complete 9 Games |
| Junkrat | Damage | Complete 12 Games |
| Roadhog | Tank | Complete 15 Games |
| Symmetra | Damage | Complete 20 Games |
| Zenyatta | Support | Complete 25 Games |
| Bastion | Damage | Complete 30 Games |
| Sigma | Tank | Complete 40 Games |
| Ashe | Damage | Complete 50 Games |
| Brigitte | Support | Complete 60 Games |
| Mei | Damage | Complete 70 Games |
| Doomfist | Tank | Complete 85 Games |
| Baptiste | Support | Complete 100 Games |
| Sombra | Damage | Complete 115 Games |
| Hammond/Wrecking Ball | Tank | Complete 130 Games |
| Echo | Damage | Complete 150 Games |
| Kiriko | Support | Unlocked on tier 55 of the Battle Pass |
| Junker Queen | Tank | Unlocked instantly for people who played the original Overwatch |
| Sojourn | Damage | Available instantly for people who played the original Overwatch |
An important thing to note, which is not made explicitly clear to players, is that every win doubles your unlock progress. This means that for every win you get, you are able to get an additional point of progress on your Hero Unlock Achievements.
For example, if a character requires 10 games and you win 5, you will be able to unlock them. This will help speed up your hero unlock progress a fair bit.
Checking Your Unlock Progress
If you are looking to get a certain hero, then you must surely be tracking your unlock progress to see how close (or far) you are to getting them. Blizzard has made this fairly easy to check with a few quick clicks:
- Launch Overwatch and head to the home screen
- Click on the orange medal on the top right of your screen to see your Challenges
- Navigate to the Hero tab in your challenges
Here you can see all your hero challenges and the progress you’ve made to complete them.
Unlocking Battle Pass Characters
Battle Pass is a new mechanic that has been introduced since the release of Overwatch 2. Previously, all new heroes would automatically be added to the game and made available for everyone to use.
However, now they will be released and attached with the new seasonal Battle Pass. The Battle Pass will have both, a premium version and a free version for players who aren’t heavy on cash.
Grinding The Free Battle Pass
The free track of the battle pass will have the new heroes available at tier 55. For free-to-play players to unlock these characters, they will have to play a lot of games so they can make their way to tier 55 and gain access to the new characters.
Each tier requires 10,000 XP to receive its reward, so you’ll need to grind 55,000 XP to unlock the new heroes in the Battle Pass. While you can get a maximum of 9000 XP from daily challenges, you’ll be able to get around 55,000 XP by just completing the weekly challenges.
This means, if you’re willing to put in the effort, you’ll be able to unlock new heroes in a week (or two) tops.
However, if you were to miss clearing the battle pass on time, Blizzard has assured us that they plan on providing alternate paths for players to unlock those characters. We will see these policies in action once the first season ends.
Premium Battle Pass Purchase
If you’re not ready to play tirelessly in order to unlock the new heroes in the Battle Pass, you can always purchase the premium battle pass using 1000 Overwatch coins, roughly equal to $10 if you were to buy them directly.
Players who purchase the premium track of the battle pass will be able to receive all sorts of additional benefits from it. Not only this, but they will also have instant access to the new character associated with the Battle Pass.
Wrapping Up
While it may seem confusing at first, unlocking heroes in Overwatch 2 is, for the most part, a simple and straightforward process. All you need to do is play and enjoy the game and you’ll have all the characters unlocked in no time!
Read More From Get On Stream:
