Overwatch 2 will stop locking new heroes behind a battle pass with season 10

polygon.com:

The next season of Overwatch 2 will introduced a new hero, Venture, and a new way to unlock them. Instead of having to pay for the game’s premium battle pass or unlock that new hero through dozens of hours of gameplay, Blizzard will make Venture and all future heroes available to free for all players when they launch.

Overwatch 2 players will also get free access to all of the game’s previously released heroes, including characters like Mauga, Illari, and Lifeweaver, when season 10 launches in April. New players will still need to complete the first-time user experience to unlock heroes, Blizzard says, but “once the heroes from the original Overwatch roster have been unlocked, all Overwatch 2 heroes will also become available.”

That’s a big change from the original (and controversial) structure of locking new Overwatch heroes behind a paywall or progression. It’s one of a handful of changes to how Blizzard is handling the game’s battle pass, game director Aaron Keller revealed in a new video.

Starting with season 10, Blizzard will also make Mythic skins previously released through Overwatch 2’s paid battle pass available for direct purchase. Pricing and launch details on the game’s new Mythic Shop are still forthcoming, but here’s what Blizzard said in a new blog post about the shop:

The Mythic Shop will allow you to work towards past and current seasonal Mythic hero skins as you progress through the Premium Battle Pass. You get to decide how far into each Mythic skin you would like to build. So, for example, if you don’t want to fully unlock all of a skin’s color or model variations, you can spread your progression towards other Mythic hero skins.

Additionally, starting with season 10, players will be able to earn Overwatch Coins — the game’s premium currency — through the free and premium tracks of the game’s battle pass. (Blizzard currently rewards Overwatch Credits through the pass.) Players will be able to earn up to 600 coins per season, up from 540.