Overwatch 2 accused of deliberately misleading players with the newest battle pass

Overwatch 2’s third season released last week with a new Antarctic-themed map, a promised Valentine’s dating sim, and, of course, another battle pass featuring various in-game cosmetics. Blizzard had already announced that this battle pass would have in-game currency for the first time, allowing players to buy their choice of cosmetics, rather than just the passes’ selection of skins and souvenirs. But fans on Reddit have accused Blizzard of deliberately misleading players with these rewards.

For all the Overwatch noobs (or anyone that rightly ignores weird monetisation) OW2 features two main currencies. There are Legacy Credits, which can be imported from the original game and used to buy a limited selection of in-game items. Then there are Overwatch’s premium Gold Coins that are bought using real money and can be spent on exclusive packs and other such stuff. Both currencies have a similarly shaped icon, so they’re usually distinguished by colour; Legacy Credits are white, Gold Coins are golden, League Tokens are red, etc.

Overwatch 2 has a number of Legacy Credits included in its most recent battle pass, although you’d be forgiven for missing that since they’re all masquerading in gold and look more like the premium coins. This led to accussations that Blizzard were complicating rewards in order to sell more battle passes. In fairness, most of the currency payouts are available on the battle passes’ free track. Regardless, changing currency colours for only this occasion is odd, and muddies OW’s already confusing monetisation even more.

Overwatch players have been baffed by the sequel’s free-to-play monetisation since launch, decrying the game’s thin battle pass that locks new heroes behind multiple tiers if you don’t pay. Scrolling through any Overwatch related Twitter thread or Reddit post - especially about in-game cosmetics - makes fans’ problems clear. Fans and critics have pointed out that the sequel doesn’t feel like the series continuation, but rather just an overhaul of its monetisation and progression.

Overall, Overwatch 2’s monetisation can be endlessly foggy. You have one currency for skins, another currency for league themed skins, then a different currency for the other not-league-themed skins. It’s hard to say whether or not Season 3’s battle pass is intentionally obfuscating rewards, but if the game’s monetisation was more streamlined, would this even be a problem?

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