Overwatch 2: New players must first unlock old heroes

Overall, Blizzard’s decision to include new heroes from Overwatch 2, such as Kiriko, in the game’s Battle Pass was quite controversial. Especially since these are after level 55. At least the old heroes from Overwatch should be available for everyone right from the start, but it looks like that’s not quite the case, as the company in explained in a new blog post.

Blizzard wants to protect Overwatch 2 from cheaters and toxic players

Blizzard received regular feedback from new players who felt overwhelmed by the various game modes and heroes. To fix this issue, brand new accounts that have never played Overwatch before must first unlock most of the title’s game modes and heroes. So if you’ve never had anything to do with Overwatch before, first unlock the various game modes and the game’s chat function. After that, it’s the turn of the original heroes from Overwatch 1. According to Blizzard, new players should have access to all old heroes and game modes after about 100 matches.

Most game modes are also said to be unlocked when playing in a group with others, so new users can play their preferred mode directly with their friends. Ranked mode alone will remain locked until you win 50 matches in quick search. Originally, ranked mode was unlocked when you reached level 25.

Additionally, starting October 4, 2022, players will need to link their cell phone number to Battle.net in order to play Overwatch 2 at all. Blizzard hopes that blocked players will not be able to get back into the game via detours. Similar to Riot Games with Valorant, the company would now also like to look at the voice chat of reported players.