"Grinding for hell": Overwatch 2 community erupts as Blizzard locks new hero behind battle pass

Overwatch 2's battle pass could create massive problems for the game even before its full release. After several slows, Blizzard's iconic hero-shooter will become available very soon to all players worldwide. However, the community is extremely displeased with the publisher's mechanics regarding new heroes.

Blizzard disclosed the battle pass earlier, and fans saw what kind of content would be there. Unfortunately, there is a major problem with it as far as fans are concerned. It all boils down to the introduction of Kiriko and how the developers have decided to implement her.

As it appears, players will have to unlock her from the battle pass, and everyone can do that. However, free players will have to grind until level 55 to get Kiriko, whereas those who unlock the premium path will obtain her instantly. This has created a lot of furor in the community vehemently against this decision.

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Overwatch 2 community erupts as Blizzard locks Kiriko behind a battle pass

Overwatch 2 getting a battle pass is more or less along the expected lines. It has become a staple of live service games, and given the free-to-play nature, one can understand the rationale. What battle passes usually don't do is lock something which can have a telling effect on the gameplay.

The main element of a hero-shooter is the hero itself, and they can have the greatest impact. While Blizzard made a positive decision by making the base game free, players believe the latest implementation has gone completely wrong. It has angered many in the community who have used social media to express their displeasure.

One player stated that the biggest problem this would cause in Overwatch 2 is in the long run. A big gameplay strategy is to pick heroes that benefit someone's team and counter their opponent. This system will create barriers simply because various heroes will be locked for some players.

Some players fear that the poor implementation of the battle pass could lead to an untimely end for the sequel. One of them was ready to pay full price for Overwatch 2, given how much they enjoyed their first title.

The battle pass system means players will have to grind hard if they want to unlock Kiriko. This has left some players unsure, as playing on a routine basis makes the game feel like work rather than fun.

For some, the second game is an incomplete project and much worse than the first one, released several years ago.

One fan feels that the most crucial part of the Overwatch experience is that all characters are available at all times. This has changed due to the new system and is a significant issue for many players.

Another Twitter user felt that it would be foolish to expect anything else from Blizzard at this point. The publishers have been slammed this year for their monetization schemes in Diablo Immortal.

The biggest issue with battle passes is that players must constantly play the game to not miss out on rewards. With heroes now locked in the battle pass, Overwatch 2 players could easily miss some of them if they don't play for some time.

It's quite clear that the overall consensus towards Blizzard's decision is negative. Some words of support have stated that Overwatch 2 is a free-to-play game, and the new hero will be available for unlocking to all. However, no one can deny that there are some specific concerns.

Unlike Overwatch, players must play every season to not miss out on a hero. They will also need to complete at least 55 levels of the battle pass unless there's a change to the system in the future. All this indicates that certain issues can manifest into something bigger. It remains to be seen if the decision will have any impact on the success of the game.