Overwatch 2’s new first time user experience will respond to a longtime community complaint

Blizzard Entertainment is introducing a new “first time user experience” structure to guide new players into the complex world of Overwatch 2.

The developer revealed the first time user experience, or FTUE, as part of its Defense Matrix security strategy that targets cheaters, toxic players, and other bad actors within the game. Players who have never played Overwatch before and make their account on or after launch will start with a limited amount of modes and heroes available to them. By completing quests and learning the game’s rules, they’ll unlock all of the game’s modes and the first Overwatch’s heroes over time. It takes about 100 matches to unlock all of those heroes, according to Blizzard.

New players will have to complete FTUE’s quests to participate in all of the game’s modes and use in-game chat with other players during matches, among other restrictions. Players still working on FTUE will be able to party up with existing players and the group will not be subject to FTUE’s mode restrictions—minus Competitive. To participate in ranked matches alone or with friends, new players will need to win 50 Quick Play matches. This is different from the original Overwatch, where players had to reach level 25. Overwatch 2 is removing player level altogether in favor of battle pass experience.

The goal of FTUE is to decrease the overwhelm that new players feel when opening the game for the first time, according to Blizzard. Over its lifetime, the original Overwatch expanded considerably, adding a huge amount of new modes, heroes, and other features. Jumping into those waters now is tricky, especially for players who don’t know anything about the game. FTUE’s inclusion was based on community feedback to this effect.

Another of Blizzard’s goals with FTUE is to cut down on toxicity and cheating. As part of the wider Defense Matrix strategy, requiring new players to unlock everything over time makes it harder for bad actors to make new accounts after being banned and immediately jump back into the game. The longer introduction duration also gives Blizzard more time to flag suspicious accounts and get rid of cheaters before they ruin games. The development team is hoping that FTUE and Defense Matrix on the whole will make the game more fun and fair for everyone, especially for new players.

Overwatch 2 launches in early access on Oct. 4.