Overwatch 2: Season 17 Battle Pass - Is it worth buying?

The new season of Overwatch 2 officially arrived last Tuesday (24), and users can now update the game to experience the newest patch. With that, another Battle Pass has arrived, bringing new skins, emotes and other cosmetics focused on the theme of retro games. Analyzing the items on the free and paid tracks, we’ll see if it’ll be worth buying the Season 17 Battle Pass. Check it out!

If you already play Overwatch 2, or are used to finding this type of system in other games, you won't have any trouble understanding the format of this Battle Pass, which is similar to the industry standard and is the same as in previous seasons.

There aren’t any secrets to earning EXP: Play matches and, preferably, complete the daily and weekly challenges to optimize your progress. A level requires 10,000 EXP to be achieved, and each of them will reward you with at least one reward.

The daily missions are simple to complete and the first three you complete will grant you 3,000 EXP each, almost a full level per day in this process alone.

Weekly quests usually provide a larger amount: 5,000 experience! And, when you complete three per week, you’ll earn a bonus of 20,000, which is certainly the greatest potential for progressing on the path.

It's worth mentioning that Blizzard also works on some seasonal events with more challenges, rewarding us with extra EXP. Keep an eye out for commemorative dates, launches of new game modes or partnerships with other brands.

There are 80 levels in total, with 28 of them offering free items. We'll highlight the main rewards granted and then a video with all the items so you can draw your own conclusions.

Free Items

We’ll be highlighting 2 Skins, 1 Player Icon, 2 Victory Poses, 2 Sprays, 1 Emote, and 1 Weapon Charm. However, be sure to check out the video below to see all the rewards for the track, including other cosmetics, 1 Legendary Loot Box, 1500 Credits, and 600 Overwatch Coins.

The free skins have outdone themselves and, according to the community itself, are the best in many seasons. Both are 8-Bit themed, and you can unlock the Orisa and Zenyatta skins, respectively, at levels 40 and 70.

The details and effects on Zenyatta's skin have led some of the community to judge it as a better look than many Legendaries, even though it’s an epic and free skin. Inspired by this skin, fans will also receive a Spray at tier 29.

Blizzard is constantly releasing cosmetics based on a small octopus called “Pachimari,” which has become a symbol of the game. Every few seasons, new Pachimari-themed items appear. You’ll get a Player Icon at tier 2, a Weapon Charm at tier 37, and a Spray at tier 57—all inspired by this pet with a retro gaming twist.

Some animations also follow the Season's arcade style, revisiting those coin effects seen in classic titles. You can see this presence in the Victory Poses at levels 7 and 51, as well as the Emote for Reinhardt unlocked at level 31. Since these are animations, it's best to watch the video at the end of the topic to see them in full. The images below don’t portray the movement as a whole.

The free pass is excellent. The Skins present have much more detail than the average for skins of the same rarity, and the Victory Poses that use this same theme were granted to the same characters who received the skins - Zenyatta and Orisa -, bringing a very interesting combination of cosmetics at no cost.

The retro style of games alone is already eye-catching, and Blizzard explored this very well, from simple icons and sprays to visuals and animations. It’s one of the best free passes we’ve ever had in Overwatch 2.

Finally, eight Player Titles are provided in addition to the common track, you’ll be able to see them all at the end.

Premium Items

The biggest focus in the Premium version is the Mythic Prisms. In total, 80 Prisms are granted, the exact amount needed to obtain a mythic weapon or skin at the maximum level.

The cosmetics in the mythic shop have different visual effects on their abilities and are the pinnacle of style in Overwatch 2. This season, the Mythic Skin is Horang D.Va, based on South Korean culture, and the Mythic Weapon is Steel Death, for Reaper.

You can buy one of these and evolve to the maximum level only with the Prisms provided in the pass, but you can also choose to save this resource for cosmetics from other seasons.

Check out a video of the two mythic items below, see if any catches your eye.

Horang D.Va brings new animations from her basic attack to her Ultimate. If you like the heroine and the theme, it's worth the investment. The same goes for Reaper's weapon, the kill effect is interesting, and the skin also has an exclusive mechanic to show the weapon.

Moving on to the track itself, we have 6 skins, 3 of which are still part of the 8-Bit theme, the heroes honored are Reinhardt, Sombra and Genji. You can unlock these looks, respectively, at levels 1, 60 and 80.

They were all really well crafted, and the versions for Sombra and Genji are considered by many to be the best costumes in the entire pass. Another point is that each of them comes with other items of the same style, such as the free Reinhardt Emote already mentioned and the Highlight Intro for Sombra.

Straying from the main theme, Blizzard also worked on some content aimed at the Overwatch Academy, bringing several rewards, with the main ones being the Delinquent Cole skins for Cassidy, unlocked at level 20, and Professor Fawkes for Junkrat, earned upon reaching level 30.

Each player's weapons were well polished and Junkrat's bomb, now being a clock, was a good choice to make the style even more comical and unique.

My only point of attention goes to Cherry Blossom Ana, even though it’s an epic costume, it strays quite a bit from the themes proposed by the Season and clashes with the other rewards - despite also being quite attractive.

Check out the video with all the rewards.

Ultimate Battle Pass

There are more than one version for those who want to upgrade their Battle Pass. The Premium version we saw earlier costs 1,000 Overwatch Coins, but you can choose to spend 2,200 if you prefer to instantly level up 20 levels. Finally, there’s an even bigger option, the Ultimate Battle Pass.

This version costs just about 40 dollars and includes two exclusive legendary skins, as well as 2,000 coins and the premium track with 20 instant level jumps.

The skins are for Sigma (Professor of Kuipe) and Widowmaker (Principal Lacroix).

It's one of the best reward tracks we've seen in Overwatch 2. There's clearly a theme in focus and Blizzard nailed the style, all the cosmetics involving Arcade and 8-Bit are worth it, including the free ones. The secondary focus on the Overwatch Academy is also appealing. Junkrat as a crazy and anxious professor was an excellent addition to the game's cast of costumes.

The pass itself is worth the price, but especially in this season, we highly recommend buying it. Of course, the final decision will always be yours, to see if the characters that received items and if the retro style appeals to you, but we can say that it's one of the best in the game's history.

We just didn't see much advantage in purchasing the Ultimate version, the two skins don't live up to the price. It might be worth it in your case, if you liked the items and if you don't mind spending a lot of money for them, but we don't consider it an unmissable product.

I hope you enjoyed this article. Feel free to leave feedback and questions in the comments.