Blizzard is gearing up to launch Overwatch 2 this October and while the original game will morph into the long-awaited sequel, certain things, such as levels, will be erased – something that doesn’t sit well with some fans.
Overwatch 2 is going to be revamping the original game in a big way with a new ranked system, 5v5 gameplay, hero reworks, and as it turns out, levels are being removed as well.
In a recent AMA, the Overwatch 2 devs revealed they would be removing levels from the game and that players would be able to level up their Battle Pass instead.
“We do still plan to remove portrait levels for OW2, but we also want to celebrate this legacy accomplishment. The plan is to display your portrait level in your profile once we launch OW2,” they said.
Players protest Overwatch 2 level removal
News of Blizzard’s plan to remove levels hasn’t sat well with some members of the community. Some believe they’ve wasted their time grinding the game while others wouldn’t mind starting back from level one.
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“Why couldn’t they just have everyone start fresh back at level 1?” a Redditor asked. “Having a leveling system in a PvP game is such a basic feature that it boggles my mind they decided to remove a feature meant to incentivize you to continue playing.”
“Just feels like all the XP you gained in 6 years was nothing,” said another. “I was so happy to get to lvl 500, a month later they said no levels in the future. It’s sad.”
However, not everyone was against the change. Some approved of removing levels, citing abuse they had received for not being a high rank in competitive despite playing so often.
Whether or not this change ends up being a good one remains to be seen, but like with many of Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 decisions, they’ve proven to be quite controversial, at least at first glance.