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Overwatch 2 Coins make new players less playful

Overwatch 2’s switch to Overwatch Coins from its loot box credit system has left newcomers short on ways to interact with their fellow players in the FPS game

Overwatch 2 Coins make new players less playful - Hammond the hamster grins in a Santa outfit

The new Overwatch 2 skin Gingerbread Bastion can be yours for just one of the Overwatch Coins adopted by Blizzard in the transition to its second instalment of the hero shooter. The new Overwatch currency was introduced as part of the switch to a seasonal model for the FPS game, which removes the loot boxes of old in favour of the current battle pass standard. However, the step away from the first game’s Overwatch Credits has left newcomers out in the cold somewhat when it comes to having some good old-fashioned fun.

Those who still have legacy Credits left over from the first game can still use them for most of the standard items in the in-game shop. If you’ve built up a hefty pile over the years, as some long-time players have, you’ll likely be able to pick up a few emotes, sprays, and voice lines for any new Overwatch 2 characters as they roll out. These can be bought with either legacy Credits or the new Overwatch Coins, with the number required the same either way.

A spray (which can be placed on almost any surface around the map) or a voice line will set you back 100 Coins or Credits, while the standard emotes cost 500. Overwatch Coins are much harder than their former currency to get your hands on for free, however. Currently, the main way to earn them in-game is by completing weekly challenges – you’ll get 30 Coins for finishing four, another 20 Coins for making it to eight, and a further 10 Coins should you complete all eleven in a given week.

That’s 60 coins in total available in-game per week – and, with skins typically costing 1,000 for an Epic and 1,900 for a Legendary, most players are going to be disinclined to spend what is likely two full weeks’ worth of earnings on a single voice line or spray. Even if you decide to buy yourself some Overwatch Coins with real money ($9.99 USD / £8.39 GBP for 1,000, with bigger bundles offering some additional bonuses), you’ll probably want to hold those for bigger-ticket purchases than something like a spray.

This has led to players noticing that many people aren’t as “playful” as some used to be in the first Overwatch. The pre-round waiting time in lobbies was almost always spent dropping down sprays to create fun combinations (whether intentional, such as the arm-wrestling pairs, or pure improvisation), throwing out sassy voice lines back and forth, or perhaps gathering around an emoting D.Va or Lucio to dance along with the music they were playing.

I love this – it’s a quick and easy way to establish rapport with your new comrades ahead of the match, and it genuinely feels like it can build a little team spirit that helps motivate you to all succeed together. To see new players standing sadly by, dropping the Overwatch logo or doing their basic ‘hero pose’ emote, almost feels like they’re being left out of the cool kids’ club. I see you trying though, newbies, and I want you to know that I don’t think any less of you for your lack of cosmetics. It’s the thought that counts – I just want more for these players.

It’s clear that Blizzard is at least listening to feedback – not only is the new Bastion skin available to all players for next to nothing, the Overwatch 2 Ramattra unlock tier was lowered from the equivalent for Kiriko in season one, making him available to free-to-play players sooner. Personally, I’d love to see some way for this to alter – either making the ‘lesser’ cosmetic items cheaper or perhaps offering a secondary unlock method for them to give new players more chances to get in on the party.

As Overwatch 2 season 2 rolls on, keep an eye on the best characters to play in our Overwatch 2 tier list. Blizzard has also announced that the Overwatch World Cup will return in 2023, and that a soft Roadhog rework is due to begin in early January as the team looks to find a spot for the perennially divisive tank in the 5v5 format.