Now thatOverwatch 2is live, players have a solid grasp on just how long it will take them to earn cosmetics–and they are not happy with what they see. The slow income ofOverwatch 2Coins free-to-play players can earn means they will have to save up for months if they wish to earn a single Legendary skin.
Overwatch 2uses Overwatch Coins as its new digital currency, which is used to purchase cosmetics in the game. Overwatch Coins can be purchased with real money, or they can be earned by completing Weekly Challenges.
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However,whenOverwatch 2players opened the game, they were dismayed to see how absurdly difficult it was to earn Overwatch Coins without spending money. Players can earn a cumulative total of 60 Overwatch Coins each week by completing challenges. To put that number into perspective, a RareOverwatch 2skin costs 300 coins, meaning players would have to save up for over a month to buy even the most simple of skins. With Legendary skins costing 1900 Overwatch Coins, players will have to complete all of their Weekly Challenges for eight whole months to unlock a single skin.
100 Overwatch Coins are a $1 value, though players who buy $20 or more get some bonus coins as well. With only 60 cents worth of coins available for free each week, spending money is the only reliable way to earn cosmetics inOverwatch 2. Players can alsounlock certain cosmetics via the Battle Pass inOverwatch 2, but at a 1000 Overwatch Coin cost, players would have to grind Weekly Challenges for over four months to get the Premium Battle Pass without spending $10.
Many players are unhappy withOverwatch 2’sFree-to-Play business model. While Overwatch Coins are mostly for cosmetics, unlocking heroes from past Battle Passes will be done via Overwatch Coins in the future, meaningOverwatch 2is already relying on FOMO–the fear of missing out–to fuel its microtransaction system. The slow trickle of Overwatch Coins combined with the massive price hike for buying cosmeticsmakesOverwatch 1’sunpopular loot box systemlook more attractive in retrospect.
Overwatch 2has gotten off to a rocky start. Between multiple DDoS attacks, criticism of the system for unlockingOverwatchheroes, and the Battle Pass, the nearly-nonexistent opportunities for earning Overwatch Coins without spending money are just icing on the cake. IfOverwatch 2is going to remain successful, it will need to do something to make it more accessible for free-to-play players.
Overwatch 2is free-to-play for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
