Overwatch 2’s Free-To-Play Grind And Battle Pass System Has Players Wanting Loot Boxes Back - Kotaku

In the 2 weeks Overwatch 2 has been live—yes, it’s lone been 2 weeks— players person go truthful disappointed with the leader shooter’s free-to-play grind and conflict walk strategy that they’re longing for the days erstwhile the archetypal crippled had loot boxes.

In a station connected the Overwatch 2 forum, idiosyncratic LeafyBamboo summarized the game’s conflict walk strategy arsenic “frankly insulting” successful examination to Overwatch 1’s contentious loot container system. While the randomness of opening a loot container successful Overwatch often resulted successful getting duplicate skins, dependable lines, oregon emotes, LeafyBamboo argued that coins received from duplicate items astatine slightest gave players immoderate virtual currency to enactment toward the skins they really wanted. As it stands, Overwatch 2’s conflict walk doesn’t springiness players in-game currency that they tin enactment toward skins oregon acquisition aboriginal conflict passes, which has players questioning the constituent of adjacent being excited astir caller skins.

Read More: Competitive Overwatch 2 Players Have A Lot Of Complaints [Update: Blizzard Responds]

“In different games, if I didn’t privation to wage for a conflict pass, I would astatine slightest get SOME decent escaped rewards. The information that adjacent a anserine small angiosperm subordinate icon and immoderate disfigured nameplates are locked down premium is INSANE,” LeafyBamboo wrote.

“Almost each crippled with a conflict walk similar Call of Duty, Fortnite, Dead by Daylight etc, does it,” Redditor HydeSpectre wrote successful a akin post connected the r/Overwatch subreddit. “This crippled not doing it means you gotta walk wealth each play which is beauteous lame.”

OW2’s existent grind results successful “mediocre rewards” according to LeafyBamboo, who maintains that these lackluster prizes service the intent of further alienating players into purchasing a conflict walk successful bid to consciousness similar the hours they logged into the crippled mattered. LeafyBamboo is not unsocial successful this sentiment.

“People privation the crippled to springiness a rewarding consciousness of progression but this conflict walk conscionable doesn’t supply capable for however overmuch effort you person to spell done to unlock it all,” FizzyMilk replied.

“It’s beauteous atrocious and I don’t recognize the souvenirs? Why would I wanna usage worse emotes lol,” humanbeing said.

“If Blizzard went the Halo route and made it truthful that conflict passes don’t expire and you tin take which 1 you privation to level past that would astatine slightest instrumentality the sting retired of the large slap crossed the look Blizzard conscionable gave each of its loyal players,” argued different player.

Read More: Overwatch’s Paid Loot Boxes Are Finally Going Away

Whenever Overwatch soured connected players successful the past, it invariably managed to entice them backmost with vibrant caller skins for their favourite heroes. But Overwatch’s once-Pavlovian magic seems to person mislaid its effect connected immoderate players. Exhibit A: OW2’s collaboration with McDonald’s that was teased a week agone connected the clown delicatessen’s authoritative Australian Twitter account. While players thrilled astatine the anticipation that the collab mightiness effect successful immoderate benignant of gamer artifact of their heroes oregon Mickey D-themed skins, the metaphorically smushed sesame effect buns were pulled retired from nether them erstwhile they learned that it was simply a region-locked escaped tegument lawsuit for 1 of Tracer’s worst skins. Congratulations, Australia. Enjoy that.

Exhibit B: OW2’s discounted tegument bundles. To Blizzard’s credit, browsing the OW2 store does onshore players connected an in-game paper with a rotating enactment of tegument bundles astatine a discounted price. The lone occupation is that those discounts consciousness much akin to the money-grubbing accelerated nutrient proprietor Mr. Krabs from SpongeBob SquarePants than must-have deals. While immoderate players recovered OW2’s discounted skins to beryllium more costly than OW1’s emblematic asking prices, different players study that astatine slightest immoderate of the ”discounts” aren’t discounts astatine all and outgo the aforesaid terms arsenic they had previously, conscionable accompanied with the “discount” tag now.

“Blizzard’s monetisation of this crippled is truthful fucking scummy,” thatwasanillegalknee wrote successful response.

“I can’t judge that we are astatine a constituent wherever we are asking for loot boxes back,” said NunzioL.

Read More: Overwatch 2 Is Sounding More And More Like A Free-To-Play Nightmare

Exhibit C is OW2’s grind for chill skins. Although folks connected the r/Overwatch subreddit hold that OW2’s legendary and mythic skins are stylish—particularly Kiriko’s caller tegument successful the upcoming cyberpunk-themed tegument pack, which was caught connected camera and shared connected Twitter this week— immoderate hype for sparkly caller skins is instantly hampered by the world that players volition either person to cough up $20 toward a conflict walk oregon grind for countless hours to get them.

“OW1, somehow, years aboriginal aft lootbox controversy, ended up being a rewarding crippled compared to OW2,” said Redditor Rokuzan.

“Yeah, aft each the hatred they received primitively it’s a small comic seeing the nostalgia for them now,” waferchocobar replied successful the thread. “That being said, OW’s loot container strategy was well-implemented and not overly monetised compared to others, truthful there’s that too.”

“Seeing worldly similar this makes maine SO fucking gladsome to beryllium a bequest subordinate with astatine slightest 1 bully tegument for each OW1 hero,” wrote different user.

Kotaku reached retired to Blizzard for comment.