One of the biggest differences between Overwatch and Overwatch 2 is the latter’s prominent battle pass. This element, common in free-to-play games, allows players to earn experience points to earn in-game rewards. There is a free track, which grants a handful of cosmetics, and a premium track, which costs roughly $10 but includes almost quadruple the rewards.
In season five, there is no new hero, meaning that you don’t need to concern yourself with buying the battle pass just because you want quick, easy access to the game’s latest hero. Instead, your decision to purchase the battle pass will completely revolve around the cosmetic rewards you can earn in the fantasy role-play-themed season.
With that being said: is Overwatch 2‘s premium battle pass worth it?
What’s included in the Overwatch 2 premium battle pass?
First, the facts: Overwatch 2‘s premium battle pass costs 1,000 Overwatch coins, which can be purchased with real money. The total comes out to about $9.99 depending on what region you’re in. Purchasing the season five premium battle pass instantly grants a handful of rewards, including legendary skins for both Zenyatta and Orisa. The premium battle pass also grants players a 20 percent XP boost for the entirety of season five. You can also buy the premium pass plus 20 tiers, which immediately unlocks all of their rewards, for 2,200 Overwatch coins, and a $29.99 Ultimate battle pass bundle grants players even a few more perks, like 2,000 OW coins and skins for Pharah and Widowmaker.
Related: 3 biggest changes coming to Overwatch 2 in season 5
Before you purchase the premium pass, you can scroll through all of its tiers to see what it contains. Unlike previous seasons, there is a tightly knit theme for season five and even a small role-play story to follow along with as you level up called “Questwatch.” The fantasy role-play theme of the season includes Legendary skins that turn numerous heroes into Dungeons & Dragons-inspired characters that I personally think are the best slew of battle pass skins so far in OW2.
Here is what you can expect to get from the premium battle pass for season five if you can complete all 80 Tiers:
- Mythic Adventurer Tracer skin
- Five Legendary skins
- Four Epic skin
- Three highlight intros
- Five weapon charms
- Five emotes
- Six victory poses
- 12 voice lines
- 2,000 OW credits
Should I buy the Overwatch 2 premium battle pass?
So, based on the available assortment of items, should you purchase the season one battle pass? That depends on a few factors. The most important thing to do prior to making a decision is to take a long, hard look at your play time: after all, if you don’t actually play the game, what’s the point in owning all those cosmetics? Additionally, you could have a tough time getting to Tier 80 if you don’t play much.
Blizzard has increasingly sought to make it easier to hit Tier 80 in recent seasons with added XP events, however, and this season, it has upped its game by offering free battle pass Tier skips through various means, like Prime Gaming, Twitch drops, and Overwatch League drops. This could take the onus off of spamming as many matches as possible and reduce your anxiety toward achieving Tier 80 at least a little bit.
Related: All battle pass skins in Overwatch 2 season 5
Battle passes, whether free or premium, are a time investment. If you put money into purchasing the premium tier, you’re assuming that you’re going to be playing the game enough to get the rewards you want. Another change coming this season could help alleviate the stress of getting the seasonal Mythic skin too.
In previous seasons, the Mythic skin was an all-or-nothing affair. You either reached Tier 80 and earned it or you got nothing. This time around, players can earn the base level of Tracer’s Mythic Adventurer skin with limited customization at Tier 45. Then at Tiers 65 and 80, players can earn more customization options.
It’s also a matter of whether you like a given season’s battle pass theme and whether the heroes you like to play received cosmetics. Not every hero will receive something on a single battle pass, particularly high-ticket items like skins. However, for this season specifically, I find that the fantasy theme has some of the best cosmetics we’ve seen in Overwatch 2 by a wide margin, making the rewards well worth their while.
Related: All new Overwatch 2 season 5 content: events, skins, game modes and more
Overwatch 2’s battle pass price and cosmetic rewards are about in line with other games, like Apex Legends’. So Blizzard’s price point isn’t set to gouge you. But it makes sense that anyone looking to buy the premium pass will want to know what they’re getting for their money. Before you drop the cash, check out the rewards and decide for yourself whether you think they’re worth 1,000 Overwatch coins.
