Progression has been one of the most consistent sources of criticism when it comes toOverwatch 2, as many players have felt that there is little to strive for in the game apart from reaching a higher competitive rank. Considering that the originalOverwatchhad lootboxesto collect and an account-based leveling system, this is understandable. Fortunately, Blizzard has listened to the criticism and is working on a hero-based progression system that will be talked about more in Season 4. In the meantime, it has introduced earnable credits with Season 3, though more can be done with these credits.
Currently,Overwatch 2fans earn credits every few levels in the battle pass. A total of 1500 credits can be gathered for free even if players never purchase the premium pass, while those with access to the paid items on the track can get an additional 500 credits for a total of 2000. This is a solid start, but Blizzard can still add a few more earnable credits to the mix as a way to reward those who play the game regularly.
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Other Methods of Rewarding Players With Overwatch 2’s Credits
One great method to distribute more credits toOverwatch 2players is as a role-related reward. Inthe originalOverwatch, players would get either a free loot box or 25 credits for playing the least popular role - usually Support. Now, players who pick Support or the Flex option will receive a bit of extra battle pass XP. While it is good to progress through the battle pass quicker, this approach has a big downside.
Blizzard has gone on record to say that it deliberately designed theOverwatch 2battle passso that a majority of players will not struggle to complete it, and for the most part, it seems to have succeeded in its goal. If players play for just an hour a day to make progress on their weeklies and finish three daily challenges, they will have no problem clearing the Battle Pass with plenty of time to spare. While this is undoubtedly a good thing, it also means that a lot of players will have little to do once they hit tier 80.
Players can unlock someOverwatch 2titlesto add to the leaderboard, name cards, and highlight intros as they work through tiers 80-200. This is all there is to unlock, unfortunately, with nothing at all being unlockable beyond 200. Players simply need to wait for the new season to begin at this point, and with few players caring about collecting every title, the grind to 200 is a lot less interesting. This instantly makes the bonus battle pass XP for playing Support or Flex less valuable.
Fortunately, Blizzard can address this problem by adding credits as a reward for playing Flex orOverwatch 2’s least popular role. It can be treated as a reward for finishing the main path of the battle pass, with players getting small amounts of credits - maybe 5 - for each match they play as Support or Flex. This way, players can slowly add to their credit counts, potentially earning enough for another Legendary skin if they play enough during a season. This could give players a reason to strive for tier 200, too, as once they reach this point they could start earning 10 credits a match since they will no longer need battle pass XP at all.
Another option would be to add credits alongside each unlockable title. Players could get larger batches here, as they only get a title after they progress through several tiers. Players could earn a bonus 100 credits with each title, and when combined with bonuses for playing the hero shooter’s least popular role, credits could be earned at a consistent pace. Obviously, maintaining an in-game economy that does not stop players from spending money will be important for Blizzard since the game is free-to-play. However, capping the credit amount at 2000 per season is simply not satisfying. Letting the mostdedicatedOverwatch 2playersearn a few extra credits once they finish the main portion of the battle pass could be a good solution, as it would stop players from stopping and waiting for a new season to begin once the pass is complete.
Overwatch 2is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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