Funky Monky
Today sees the launch of the second season of Activision Blizzard’s arena shooter, Overwatch 2 — And in something of a minor reshuffle, the development team has announced that it will be moving its newest hero, Ramattra, to Tier 45 on the season 2 battle pass, from his initial sitting of Tier 55.
“Hey all! Quick update on some changes coming to Season 2,” wrote OW2 director Aaron Miller on Twitter. “After reviewing data for Season 1, we’re moving Ramattra [to] Tier 45 of the Battle Pass and making a few more weekly challenges easier to complete. Excited for you all to see everything new in Season 2 starting tomorrow!”
Hey all! Quick update on some changes coming to Season 2. After reviewing data for Season 1, we're moving Ramattra in to Tier 45 of the Battle Pass and making a few more weekly challenges easier to complete. Excited for you all to see everything new in Season 2 starting tomorrow!
— Aaron Keller (@aaronkellerOW) December 5, 2022
Originally, Overwatch heroes were simply added to all players’ rosters as they were released. But with the arrival of Overwatch 2 and its free-to-play structure, the new heroes now reside within the debuting, (and hugely divisive), battle pass system. By moving the new heroes to Tier 45, it is hoped that players will unlock the characters faster, though it is, admittedly, still a pretty meaty grind to get there.
The addition of the battle pass mechanic has been met with much grumbling from the Overwatch faithful. A common complaint, (echoed by this writer), is that it is simply a dull and excitement-free way to unlock goodies, and pales in comparison to the box of goodies players would receive for popping a new level. Of course, loot boxes come with their own highly negative ramifications, but, personally, I’ll take the loot box animation and fistful of varied treats over grinding through endless drab avatar images… while paying for the privilege.
Overwatch 2 season 2 kicks off today on all platforms. You can check out our hands-on look at its newest hero, Ramattra, in our previous report.