The transition from Overwatch 1 to Overwatch 2 (opens in new tab) was not a peaceful one for longtime fans. Heroes were locked behind battle passes, free loot boxes were gone, and legendary skins that had been around for years saw their prices skyrocket overnight. At the same time, Blizzard eliminated the free currency Overwatch Credits, eliminating the only way to earn cosmetics just by playing the game.

After months of negative feedback regarding Overwatch 2's underwhelming Battle Pass (opens in new tab) and outrageously expensive microtransactions, Blizzard sprouted again (opens in new tab). Overwatch Credits (previously retitled Legacy Credits) will return in Season 3 as a free reward for Battle Pass. Free course players can earn up to 1,500 credits for completing the pass, while premium course players can earn an additional 500 credits.

In conjunction with this change, "almost all" Legendary skins can now be unlocked with Overwatch Credits from the Hero Gallery, with the standard Legendary costing 1,500 credits. This means that a completely free "Overwatch 2" player can earn enough credits to purchase one Legendary skin of their choice every few months.

"These changes are not the end of our journey to make "Overwatch 2" a more rewarding game to play.

Because we don't think one cool skin every few months is as rewarding as Blizzard thinks it is. It's great that going free-to-play will allow more people to play, but when it comes to rewards, it's true that longtime players were simply better off before the days of "Overwatch 2". I remember it taking days, not months, to earn enough credits to unlock the skins I wanted.

Season 3 of Overwatch 2 will begin in early February. No new heroes this time, but expect new maps.