Since the release of Overwatch 2, new players have faced several challenges, including “why are my heroes locked in overwatch 2,” thus, in this post, we will discuss the reasons why characters are locked for old players in Overwatch 2.
Blizzard has published a new Overwatch 2 blog outlining the Overwatch Two defense matrix system, which is effectively Blizzard’s new upcoming system to help maintain gameplay integrity and eliminate toxic players, cheaters, hackers, and Smurf accounts, as well as all of the other negative things that end up in the community.
While it’s great to see Blizzard attempting to rein in some of the unfun play styles and aspects of a game like Overwatch, there was one thing mentioned in this article that I think is worth mentioning because it’s at the very least interesting to discuss, and that’s the fact that new players entering Overwatch 2 will not immediately have access to all original Overwatch One heroes.
So let’s go to the part of the article where this is clearly discussed
First-time User Experience: The first-time user experience is an introduction to Overwatch Two that is particularly tailored for brand new players that create their account after the game’s release.
“We want FTUE to ease new players into Overwatch 2 since we’ve received continuous feedback from new players who are overwhelmed by the number of game types and characters. To reduce them, new players are given access to a restricted range of game types, heroes, and other limitations.
The first part of our new FTUE quickly unlocks all game types and the ability to speak in-game, and the second step gradually unlocks all of the original Overwatch heroes over the course of about 100 matches. This targeted experience introduces novice Overwatch players to the game’s many modes, regulations, and other high-level components in an understandable manner.
In this blog, Blizzard clearly mentioned, “New players begin with access to a limited set of game modes, heroes, and some other restrictions to onboard them more gradually. The first phase of our new FTUE rapidly unlocks all the game modes and the ability to chat in-game, and the second phase unlocks all the original Overwatch heroes over the course of approximately 100 matches.”
Okay, so I went through quite a bunch there, even beyond just the ancient heroes being locked behind this FTUE mechanism, but the locked heroes are, of course, the main point I want to focus on.
There has already been a lot of outrage regarding Overwatch 2’s incoming new characters being locked behind the Battle Pass system, and now Blizzard is confirming that previous heroes will also be semi-restricted for new players to help ease them into the game.
Now, I want to argue that, at first look, this appears to be a terrible thing since, once again, it is just restricting the number of Heroes available to any individual player.
Unlike the Battle Pass system, I believe Blizzard behaves in this manner for good reasons. Seeing more than 30 Heroes on the screen for a new player entering Overwatch might be overwhelming.
In specific ways, it might not be easy to choose a hero if you don’t know the one you want to play straight away. So, limiting the number of characters you have access to the first time you log in after creating a new account would undoubtedly assist gamers in better comprehending the Overwatch environment, game types, and everything else before blasting them with the complete roster of playable heroes.
So, in a way, I can see how this is a beneficial improvement. It’s also worth mentioning that the matchmaking system will aim to favor grouping new players who haven’t unlocked all of the Heroes yet with other new players who haven’t unlocked the new Heroes yet.
This implies that if you’re a longtime player who has played all of the Heroes for years, you have a very low chance of being paired with some of these newer people who don’t have all of the original 32 heroes at this point.
In fact, it appears like the only time you’ll face people like this, whether on your own or an enemy’s squad, is when they’re in a group with another player who already has all those heroes unlocked and has progressed through the new player experience system.
So, even if you urgently need an honor on your team because that’s the right hero for the circumstance, and let’s say the support players on your team are new players who haven’t unlocked Ana yet, it appears a rather unusual case, at least hopefully.
It should not happen too often. At the same time, based on the information on this page, it may take up to 100 matches for a new player to obtain access to all of the heroes.
As someone who plays a lot of Overwatch, 100 matches may not seem like a long time, but how long will it take the average newcomer casual player who plays maybe a couple of times a week to unlock all the heroes if it takes 100 matches? Don’t even get me started grinding new heroes like Kiriko through the Battle Pass.
Getting those core original 32 heroes will be a challenge in and of itself, and while I see the need for this in terms of preventing Smurfs and other cheats and such from simply creating a new account and hopping into the competition, is 100 matches too many?
This is one area where I’m truly interested in hearing what everyone has to say about it. I believe there will be a lot of negative feedback at first just because of how much animosity there was over the Battle Past Heroes.
I’d like to cover a few additional topics in this blog article. Because I’m not going to cover the full topic, there’s a lot of highly technical material that I don’t think is really fascinating to get into. Another thing we discovered is that there will be adjustments regarding endorsements shortly. Positive encounters ought to be rewarded. Thus, Overwatch 2 endorsements are being optimized.
There will be just one endorsement category every match, rather than three, and you will only be allowed to recommend players on your side. As a result of this change, positive players will have an easier time attaining and sustaining high endorsement levels.
Our objective is for players to identify and aspire to be positive forces in our community, and we intend to reward individuals with high endorsement levels with Battle prior experience to express our thanks.