Hey friend! I know you‘re eager to unlock all the cool new cosmetics in Overwatch 2, but don‘t want to spend any real money on Coins. Not to worry! As a fellow free player myself, I‘ve figured out some of the best ways to get Overwatch Coins quickly and easily without paying a dime.
In this detailed guide, I‘ll walk you through the top strategies I‘ve used to earn over 5,000 free Coins so far. With some time and commitment, you‘ll start building up your Coin balance in no time!
What Are Overwatch Coins and What Can You Unlock With Them?
Let‘s start with a quick overview of what Overwatch Coins are all about.
Overwatch Coins are the premium currency in Overwatch 2 that you can use to unlock cosmetic items like skins, emotes, and highlight intros from the in-game shop. Things you can unlock with Coins include:
- Legendary Skins (1900 Coins)
- Epic Skins (750 Coins)
- Emotes and Highlight Intros (250 Coins)
- Souvenirs like Weapon Charms (100 Coins)
Coins can also be used to purchase the Premium Battle Pass, which costs 1,000 Coins per season and offers both free and premium cosmetic rewards.
So in summary, Overwatch Coins let you reliably unlock the coolest cosmetics without relying on luck in loot boxes. But Coins aren‘t free – you normally have to purchase them with real money. That‘s why learning how to get them for free is so valuable!
Method 1: Complete Your Weekly Challenges
The primary and most consistent way to get free Overwatch Coins is to diligently complete your weekly challenges each week.
Here‘s a quick overview of how the weekly challenge system works:
Each week a new set of 11 weekly challenges unlocks in Overwatch 2.
These challenges have you complete goals like "Get 40 eliminations as a Support hero" or "Win 15 games."
For each weekly challenge you finish, you get a small Coins reward, usually around 30 Coins.
During a season, you can earn up to 60 Coins per week from weekly challenges.
The challenges reset every Tuesday, so make sure to finish them before then!
Based on my own experience over the past few seasons, completing all 11 weekly challenges each week will net you around 2,200 Overwatch Coins per season.
Of course, getting all 11 done consistently requires a meaningful time investment. But here are my tips for completing as many challenges as possible each week:
Focus first on quicker challenges like landing Final Blows or winning games.
Team up with friends to combine progress and finish cooperative challenges faster.
Use LFG to find groups for challenges that require certain hero roles or game modes.
Reroll one challenge per day to try and replace a really difficult one.
Play regularly throughout the week to ensure you have time to finish them all.
I know it takes some dedication, but take it from me – that stream of weekly Coins adds up fast! Getting those four challenges done before Tuesday should be your first priority.
Method 2: Play Limited-Time Events
On top of your usual weekly challenges, all the limited-time in-game events in Overwatch 2 offer more ways to earn Coins!
Events that have special Coins challenges include:
Seasonal Events: Halloween Terror, Winter Wonderland
Archives Story Events: Overwatch Uprising, Storm Rising
Anniversary Remix Events
Season Launch Events
Each of these events brings an additional set of event-exclusive challenges. These event challenges reward around 60 Coins each week when completed, similar to your normal weekly challenges.
But since each event usually lasts 3-4 weeks, you can potentially earn hundreds of extra Coins by playing regularly during the event!
For example, during the recent Anniversary Remix Volume 3 event, I earned over 700 Coins from event challenges alone.
Here are my tips for maximizing Coins from events:
Review the event Challenges tab – The Coin rewards will be obvious. Focus on completing those ones first!
Make time to play more during the 2-3 week event window.
Take advantage of special event game modes or bonuses that help you finish challenges faster.
Group up with others to combine progress on cooperative challenges.
Consider saving a Coin Challenge re-roll for the event if you get stuck.
As you can see, actively participating in all the seasonal and story events can earn you a ton of extra Coins on top of your weekly income!
Method 3: Level Up Your Free Battle Pass Rewards
The Overwatch 2 Battle Pass also offers free players an opportunity to earn Overwatch Coins as they level up:
The free track of the Battle Pass includes around 1500 Coins spread across 80 levels.
Coins are unlocked at certain tier milestones, not every level.
The premium paid track includes an additional 500 Coins, but we‘re talking free methods!
As a free player, your goal should be maximizing value from the free track each season. Here are some tips:
Pay attention to Coin tiers and make claiming them a priority.
Complete seasonal challenges that reward Battle Pass XP.
Group up with friends to take advantage of Battle Pass XP bonuses.
Play regularly throughout the season to grind out those Battle Pass levels.
Getting at least 40-50 levels to unlock the free Coins is very achievable if you play consistently. Between weekly and seasonal challenges, I‘m usually able to get around 1000 free Coins from the Battle Pass each season.
Method 4: Watch Overwatch League and Earn Free Tokens
This one requires the least effort – you can earn small amounts of Coins simply by watching Overwatch League matches!
Here‘s how the Overwatch League Token program works:
You automatically earn Tokens from watching live OWL matches.
The amount depends on the total hours watched, but the rate is around 5 Tokens per hour.
These League Tokens can then be exchanged for Overwatch Coins at a rate of 200 Tokens = 100 Coins.
So if you watch around 10 hours of OWL matches per season, you can probably earn an easy 500-1000 Coins.
Plus watching high-level play can help improve your own game! Just be sure to actually tune in and not just idle. Actually cheering for your favorite teams makes it more fun too.
How Long Does It Take to Unlock Cool Stuff?
As you can see, you can earn a good amount of Coins as a free player. But it does require some patience and commitment over time.
To give you an idea of timeframes, unlocking some popular items would take:
1,000 Coins for Battle Pass: 4-5 months of maxing weekly challenges
Legendary Skin (1900 Coins): 6-7 months of weeklies + event play
5 Legendary Skins: About 1 year of optimized earning
The key is being consistent with at least getting some weekly challenges done so your Coin total keeps slowly growing. Don‘t get discouraged by the big numbers – just focus on your weekly earnings.
Before you know it, you‘ll have enough to unlock that legendary skin you‘ve been eyeing for months!
Should You Just Buy Overwatch Coins Instead?
I get it – waiting months to unlock something you really want can be torturous! So is it better to just breakdown and buy Coins instead?
Here‘s a quick look at the pros and cons:
Pros of Buying Coins:
Unlock the items you want immediately instead of waiting.
Supports the developers who created the game.
Can take advantage of Coin sales and deals.
Cons of Buying Coins:
Costs real money – between $5-$20 depending on amount.
Less feeling of exclusivity and achievement for unlocks.
Potentially leads to overspending on impulse purchases.
For me, staying committed to the free track makes finally unlocking something feel like more of an accomplishment. I also don‘t mind waiting, especially for seasonal items that will come back around.
But buying Coins is totally understandable for those with less patience or income available to support a game they love. At the end of the day, you know best what‘s right for your situation!
In Summary: Master These 4 Key Methods
Alright, let‘s do a quick recap of the 4 best ways to get Overwatch Coins for free:
Complete at least 4 Weekly Challenges before Tuesday reset for steady Coins over time.
Play all limited-time events and max out special event challenges.
Claim the free Battle Pass Coins from leveling up each season.
Watch Overwatch League matches to slowly earn Tokens for Coins.
Combining these four strategies can earn you thousands of Coins per year. It just takes some persistence and making Coin earning a priority in your play sessions.
Most importantly, remember to have fun! Overwatch is still an awesome game even if you don‘t have every cosmetic. Enjoy your growing collection of free swag!
Let me know if you have any other questions about getting Coins, and see you on the battlefield!
