As an Overwatch 1 veteran with over 1000 hours played, I couldn‘t wait to jump into Overwatch 2. But I know the shift to free-to-play has changed things for new players just discovering the wide cast of unique heroes.
With 35 amazing heroes spread across roles like Damage, Tank, Support, and Hybrid – gaining access to your favorites can be confusing. Well, I‘m here to help with the inside scoop on the different ways to unlock heroes as a new player!
Starting Hero Roster
Blizzard provides new Overwatch 2 players with an initial roster to start off:
Tanks
- Reinhardt
- Winston
- Zarya
Damage
- Reaper
- Soldier 76
- Tracer
Supports
- Lucio
- Mercy
- Moira
Hybrid
- Echo
This starting lineup lets you taste tank brawling, precision damage, healing support, and flexible hybrid gameplay from the get-go. As a new player still learning, I recommend sampling different heroes during this intro period to find your personal favorite playstyle.
Unlocking Original Heroes via Challenges
Once you‘ve settled into Overwatch 2‘s frenetic brand of 5v5 team battles, you‘ll surely be eager to expand your options beyond the starting 13 heroes. Well my friend, prepare to unlock them all!
The original Overwatch hero roster from 2016 can be unlocked by completing challenges tied to playing matches. Each has a set target number you‘ll need to hit – for example:
- Unlock Genji after just 1 match
- Unlock Junkrat after 12 matches
- Unlock Echo after 150 matches
Here is the full breakdown of how many matches it takes to unlock every original hero:
| Hero | Matches |
|---|---|
| Genji | 1 |
| D.Va | 2 |
| Cassidy | 3 |
| Ana | 4 |
| Hanzo | 9 |
| Junkrat | 12 |
| Roadhog | 15 |
| Symmetra | 20 |
| Zenyatta | 25 |
| Bastion | 30 |
| Sigma | 40 |
| Ashe | 50 |
| Brigitte | 60 |
| Mei | 70 |
| Doomfist | 85 |
| Baptiste | 100 |
| Sombra | 115 |
| Wrecking Ball | 130 |
| Echo | 150 |
Note: Once Ana is unlocked, wins count double progress toward the remaining heroes.
With this challenge path, just by playing Overwatch 2 matches you can organically unlock fan favorites like Genji, Hanzo, Junkrat, Mei and more. Within 20-30 matches, expect to expand your options significantly beyond the 13 starter heroes!
Battle Pass System for New Heroes
What about those shiny new heroes like cybernetic ninja support Kiriko, explosive Junker Queen, and the mysterious Fox Girl coming soon?
Well my overwatch-obsessed friend, the way to unlock the latest heroes added in Overwatch 2 is through the new Battle Pass system.
As you play matches, complete challenges, and level up – you‘ll progress through the 100 tiers of the current season‘s battle pass. The hotly anticipated heroes land at these tiers:
- Kiriko unlocks at Tier 55
- Junker Queen unlocks by logging in before Season 1 ends
- Fox Girl will surely release somewhere between Tier 30-50
If your goal is to shortcut the grind and instantly access the newest heroes, purchasing the premium Battle Pass for 1000 Overwatch coins will let you bypass level requirements.
However, even if you miss out during a season – you can still unlock past heroes later by completing special hero challenges. So take your time and just have fun!
| Battle Pass | Hero Unlocks |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | Kiriko (Tier 55) Junker Queen (Login before season ends) |
| Future Seasons | Fox Girl (Estimated Tier 45) + more upcoming heroes! |
Tips from a Seasoned Player
With Overwatch rapidly approaching its 7th anniversary, I‘ve put in over 1000 hours on the PS4 alone mastering heroes since the original 2016 launch. So let me drop some pro tips for new players aiming to round out their options faster:
Play with friends – Group queuing earns +20% XP to help you level up your seasonal Battle Pass quicker. I‘ve built a dedicated crew ready to log in and grind!
Focus weekly challenges – These offer large XP payouts for hero-specific and gameplay objectives. Make these a priority on your sessions.
Learn multiple roles – Being competent in Damage, Tank, Support will keep your matches fresh and teams balanced.
Find your main, then experiment! – It‘s fine to devote to a single starting hero, but eventually sampling others will reveal fun surprises.
Take breaks – No need to marathon – with rolling seasons and always-available challenges, unlocks will come in time. Play at your pace!
See you on the objective my friends! Let me know once you‘ve unlocked your top heroes.
Signed,
A Passionate Overwatch Fan
Q&A – Common Hero Unlock Questions
I get a lot of questions from new players on Discord and Reddit when it comes to hero unlocks. So I‘ve compiled some common ones here:
Do I have to unlock heroes I want to play each match?
Nope! Once unlocked, heroes remain permanently playable moving forward.
Can I unlock heroes faster by buying Loot Boxes?
Overwatch 2 no longer has Loot Boxes. Only the Premium Battle Pass and completing challenges matter.
What happens when a season ends?
Your overall player level and unlocked heroes carry over. Only seasonal cosmetics go away.
Do I have to unlock heroes separately per account?
Yes. Unlocks and progression are tied to each individual Overwatch 2 account.
Why can‘t I select newly unlocked heroes in modes like Competitive?
Brand new heroes are unavailable in Competitive during the initial weeks to allow time for balancing.
I hope this guide gives you confidence to jump into the action and start unlocking your Overwatch 2 hero roster! See you on the objective.
