There’s a new tank in town, as Overwatch 2 hero 36 Ramattra was announced by Blizzard at the Overwatch League grand finals, where competitive teams of the multiplayer game duked it out for the trophy. Releasing as a part of Overwatch 2 season 2, players of the FPS game are furious as to how he’ll be unlocked, sparking ‘pay to win’ concerns and further cementing a widespread disdain for how Blizzard is choosing to monetise its free-to-play version of Overwatch.
Here’s how Overwatch 2’s Ramattra will work with season 2: you can either buy the premium version of the season 2 battle pass, or rank up to level 55 on the free track to unlock the new tank. While this is somewhat similar to the unlock method for Overwatch 2’s Kiriko, there are some pretty big differences.
Kiriko can be unlocked the same way as Ramattra in Overwatch 2 season 1, by having the premium pass or getting to level 55. The character can also be unlocked via the founders pack, which was given to all original Overwatch players for free if you played before June 2022 – so for many hardcore and long-time players, Kiriko was basically free.
Overwatch 2 art director Dion Rogers has said battle pass progression and hero placement therein is “a constant conversation for our team” when talking to PC Gamer, but there’s no real indication of if that means changes are on the way. Overwatch 2 tank Ramattra will also have two forms, and Blizzard has also called him “one of the biggest models we’ve made” for the game.
Herein lies the problem, the Overwatch Reddit and forums are now aflame with discussion surrounding Ramattra’s unlock method, with one player writing “pay to win is coming,” and comparing Ramattra’s potentially overpowered release to Brigitte. We could end up seeing Ramattra needing lots of nerfs, and players that pay for him getting that distinct advantage from day one because they paid.
This also raises questions surrounding free vs premium battle pass players, as another user notes that players that pay for these heroes and don’t need to grind to unlock them get an unfair advantage. “While the free player spent those weeks unlocking Kiriko, the paid player was actually practising with [them] and ‘getting ahead’, such as it is.”
While the definition of pay to win can differ from game to game, Overwatch 2 looks like it will start developing a problem where players either willing to pay, or that have the disposable income, will be able to essentially skip the queue free players have and get their practice in.
Granted, Overwatch 2 has switched to the free model instead of a base payment, but long-time players can no longer even play the first game, with Blizzard’s change in tactics forced on the people who play the game the most.
We’ve got a constantly shifting Overwatch 2 tier list if you want to find the best here for your role, alongside the best Overwatch 2 sound settings to give you an edge during matches.
