Alexis Kestler
Overwatch 2 took the gaming world by storm when it launched on October 4, 2022, evolving the popular Overwatch franchise into a free-to-play model. This in-depth guide will explain everything you need to know about the new in-game currency Overwatch Coins – and most importantly, how to get enough coins for the battle pass and other cool cosmetics without spending a dime.
As an avid Overwatch player and self-proclaimed cosmetics enthusiast, I‘ve learned to work the system to unlock all the best skins, emotes, and highlights through weekly challenges alone. Whether you‘re new to Overwatch or a veteran player, read on to learn how you too can deck out your favorite heroes in the latest gear using coins earned through gameplay.
What are Overwatch Coins and What Can You Unlock with Them?
Overwatch Coins are the premium currency used in Overwatch 2 to obtain cosmetic items like skins, emotes, and highlight intros for all 35 heroes. After Overwatch transitioned to free-to-play with Overwatch 2, Blizzard implemented this coin system to monetize the game‘s vast cosmetics.
Some key things you can spend your hard-earned Overwatch Coins on:
- The Premium Battle Pass – Costs 1,000 Coins and unlocks premium cosmetic rewards.
- Legendary & Epic Skins – Epic skins cost 250 Coins; Legendary skins cost 1,000 Coins
- Emotes and Highlight Intros – Range from 100 to 300 Coins
- Souvenirs – Equippable charms cost from 100 to 700 Coins
Of course you can just buy Overwatch Coins outright – 500 Coins costs $4.99. But with some effort completing weekly challenges, you can unlock all these cool cosmetics without paying a dime!
Overwatch 2 already has over 35 million players. That‘s a lot of players eager to stand out from the crowd with unique skins and emotes!
How to Get Overwatch Coins for Free Through Challenges
Now onto the good stuff: how to get Overwatch coins without spending money.
The main method is by completing weekly challenges. Here‘s a detailed breakdown of how it works:
- Each week a fresh set of 11 weekly challenges becomes available
- Completing challenges earns you Overwatch Coins as rewards
- The coin rewards range from 10 coins per challenge up to 30 coins
- You can earn a maximum of 60 coins per week from challenges
The weekly challenges encourage play across modes:
- Win 10 games
- Play 15 games in Quick Play
- Get 25 kills with Damage heroes
- Heal 15,000 HP as Support
Challenges get progressively harder each week, but remain very achievable by playing just a few hours per week.
Blizzard has implemented a fair free-to-play system that rewards regular playtime. And by optimizing your play sessions around completing challenges, you can unlock awesome Overwatch 2 cosmetics without paying a dime!
Estimated Time to Unlock Rewards Like the Battle Pass
The most coveted Overwatch reward is undoubtedly the Premium Battle Pass, which costs 1,000 Coins.
So how long does it take to grind for the Premium Pass?
You can earn 60 Coins maximum per week from challenges. So it will take approximately 17 weeks (4 months) of completing weekly challenges to earn the needed 1,000 Coins.
Here is the math:
- 1,000 Coins needed for Premium Pass
- 60 Coins maximum to earn per week
- 1,000 Coins / 60 Coins per week = 16.67 weeks
- Round up to 17 weeks or just over 4 months
Compared to other popular free-to-play games like Fortnite or Apex Legends, Overwatch 2‘s battle pass unlock rate is quite reasonable for only playing around 5-10 hours per week.
And if you really want to speed up your coin earnings, here are some tips:
Tips and Tricks for Maximizing Your Coin Earnings
Follow these tips to optimize your weekly challenge completion and earn Overwatch Coins even faster:
- Complete at least 8 Challenges Per Week – This will earn you the weekly maximum of 60 coins
- Stack Challenges – Swap heroes to work on multiple challenges simultaneously
- Party Up – Group with friends to coordinate challenge completion
- Focus on Quicker Modes – Earn coins faster in modes like Quick Play rather than Competitive
- Track Progress – Use the Challenges tab to track coins earned and challenges left
I like to spend my Sunday nights reviewing the weekly challenges and forming a plan of attack to complete them. This ensures I maximize my potential coin earnings each week.
Here is a quick table summarizing challenge rewards:
| Challenge Difficulty | Coins Rewarded |
|---|---|
| Easy | 10 Coins |
| Medium | 20 Coins |
| Hard | 30 Coins |
With 11 challenges per week, you can expect to earn 240 to 330 Coins per Month from consistent challenge completion.
Coin Management Tips – Battle Pass First!
With coin earnings being limited, you‘ll want to spend them wisely. My top tip is to save up for the Premium Battle Pass first.
The Premium Pass offers the best return on your coins, unlocking tons of skins, emotes, souvenirs, and more goodies. I try to time my Premium Pass unlocks to get maximum value from the seasonal cosmetics it offers.
Once you knock out the Premium Pass, then you can spend coins on individual items in the Overwatch shop. Legendary skins are awesome, but cost a hefty 1,000 coins – so choose your favorite hero before splurging!
Personally, I spend any leftover coins on souvenirs – they are cheaper than skins but still let me show off some style and support my favorite teams.
Closing Thoughts
The Overwatch team has implemented a fair and rewarding system where players can unlock amazing cosmetics by playing the game regularly.
With some dedication to knocking out weekly challenges, you‘ll be able to afford the Premium Battle Pass and other cool cosmetics in no time at all.
So get out there, complete some challenges, and start earning the Overwatch Coins you deserve! Let me know which epic skins you unlock first – I‘m aiming for the cyberpunk-themed Pharah skin myself.
Happy challenge hunting! See you on the battlefield.
