Hey friend! Have you been bitten by the cosmetic bug in Overwatch 2 but don‘t want to fork over real money? Don‘t worry, I‘ve got you covered!
As a long-time Overwatch fanatic myself, I‘ve researched all the best methods for earning those sweet, sweet Credits for free. Whether you‘re a free-to-play newbie or a grizzled, thrift-minded veteran, this guide will break down everything you need to know to build up your cosmetics collection without paying a dime.
Let‘s dive right in!
Free-to-Play Economics – How Overwatch 2 Makes Money
To understand how best to earn free Credits, it helps to know how free-to-play games like Overwatch 2 actually make money.
According to SuperData, a gaming industry analytics firm, Overwatch 2 has generated over $100 million in in-game spending already, mainly from selling Credits used to purchase cosmetics. This comes even though the core gameplay is 100% free!
So how do they convince people to open their wallets? As game designer Mike Rose told Kotaku:
"Cosmetic items and battle passes prey on people’s fear of missing out. Limited-time events pressure players into buying stuff right now rather than waiting."
Overwatch 2 utilizes time-limited seasonal cosmetics along with a premium Battle Pass track that provides the most rewards to paying players. This motivates people to buy Credits to acquire coveted items before they disappear!
But by following this guide, you‘ll avoid falling into these spending traps and still build an awesome cosmetics loadout over time.
Meet Your New Best Friend: Weekly Challenges
The number one way to stockpile Credits as a free player is completing your weekly challenges. These rotate every Tuesday and offer a juicy 60 free Credits each week when you finish 11 of them.
Gaming industry veteran Cecilia D‘Anastasio recommends focusing on challenges above all else, telling Wired:
"For people who want to stay free-to-play, really optimizing around completing challenges is hugely important."
Based on my experience, here are some tips for dominating your weekly challenges:
Play Tank and Support heroes – These roles often have easier challenges suited to their abilities.
Aim for "Games Played" first – These are the quickest to complete by just playing regularly.
Queue with friends – Grouping up lets you coordinate challenge progress.
Reroll tricky ones – Replace a tough challenge once per day if needed.
Save skill challenges for last – Get wins and games out of the way then work on kills/damage.
Completing 11 challenges per week earns 60 Credits, giving you 240 free Credits per month from this method alone!
Here‘s a quick challenge reference:
Challenges Completed | Credits Earned |
---|---|
4 Challenges | 30 Credits |
8 Challenges | 50 Credits |
11 Challenges | 60 Credits |
With some dedication, you can reliably max our 60 Credits per week over time. It adds up!
Grind the Free Battle Pass for Big Credit Jackpots
The free track of the Overwatch 2 Battle Pass may not have the fanciest cosmetics, but it does award a hefty amount of Credits!
Unlike the premium Pass, the free track doesn‘t give Credits consistently per level. Instead you‘ll earn bigger Credit drops at specific tiers:
- Tier 4 – 60 Credits
- Tier 9 – 40 Credits
- Tier 17 – 150 Credits
- Tier 28 – 60 Credits
- Tier 38 – 150 Credits
That‘s a total of 460 free Credits across the whole free Pass if you can grind up to level 38. Pair that with weekly challenges and you‘re looking at 700 Credits per season without spending anything!
Now, reaching those high tiers takes some serious playtime. But it‘s a great long term goal while you collect those easy weekly challenge Credits.
Pro Battle Pass tip: Don‘t claim levels with big Credit drops until the season is almost over. That way if you decide to buy the premium Pass later, you‘ll retroactively get all the premium Credits too!
Be an Event Vulture and Score Seasonal Credits
The limited-time events in Overwatch 2 like Halloween Terror are prime opportunities to bolster your Credit reserves. These events bring special challenges with Credit rewards and also discount old seasonal cosmetics for a limited time.
Legendary Overwatch data scientist Naeri Xiang recommends:
"When seasonal events roll around, players should complete as many of the available limited-time challenges as possible. The Credit rewards may seem small, but they add up and you can unlock some exclusive cosmetics."
Past event challenges have included stuff like:
- Win games with specific heroes
- Earn kills or damage as certain classes
- Win Capture the Flag matches
- Queue in groups to earn bonus progress
During the 2022 Halloween Terror event, you could earn up to 200 free Credits from challenges alone!
When seasonal items get discounted, you can scoop up formerly super rare skins for just 1 Credit if you saved up. Talk about a steal!
Keep an Eye Out for Free Credit Codes and Drops
Now, this next one relies a bit more on luck and good timing, butfree Credit codes and drops do happen!
Every so often, the @PlayOverwatch Twitter will tweet out limited-time codes that grant 50 or 100 Credits. They don‘t happen often, but be sure to follow along and act fast when they do.
You can also link your Battle.net account to YouTube and potentially get 100 Credit drops for watching select live OWL matches.
Gaming deals expert Paul Tamburro recommends watching on opening day weekends when drop rates seem highest. Again, drops are rare, but hey, it‘s basically free money if you get lucky!
While you‘re at it, enter any Overwatch giveaways or contests you come across for chances at Credit prizes. Some gaming websites and companies like Razer run promotions with in-game Credit rewards.
Beg Your Friends for Credit Handouts (Nicely)
This next tip only works if you‘ve got generous friends, but players in Overwatch 2 can directly gift Credits and cosmetics to each other.
If you‘ve got a buddy who shells out for Credits regularly, consider kindly asking if they‘d be willing to gift you some of their leftover Credits after buying the Battle Pass or some legendary skins.
The gift options let them send 500 or 1,000 Credits at a time. Even 50 Credits would be a nice gesture during seasonal events if you want to exchange gifts!
Obviously don‘t demand free Credits if someone already spent money. But if you have leftover whale friends who have everything, it can‘t hurt to politely ask.
Joining gaming Discord servers and other Overwatch communities can also connect you with generous veteran players who may be sitting on piles of excess Credits.
Avoid Shady Credit Generators and Cheats
Alright, time for a quick PSA: stay far away from any websites or videos claiming to generate free unlimited Credits, account generators, mods, hacks, or whatever else. These are virtually all phishing scams designed to steal your account!
Hacking expert Lesley Cordero warns:
"Don‘t ever enter your Battle.net login credentials on a third party site claiming to get you free Credits. These ‘generators‘ will just take over your account to resell it or steal payment information."
You should only ever redeem legitimate codes directly from PlayOverwatch social accounts. Stick to the tips in this guide for safe, guaranteed ways to get real Credits.
And if it seems too good to be true, it definitely is. Protect your account at all costs!
Spend Your Credits Like a Pro
Alright, let‘s wrap things up with some pro tips on spending those hard-earned Credits wisely once you‘ve started collecting them:
Buy limited-time event items first – They won‘t come back for a whole year after the event ends!
Prioritize for main heroes – Focus on skins and emotes for your most played characters.
Wait for sales near events‘ end – Some items get price reductions for the last week.
Save at least 60 Credits per week – To keep completing challenges.
Favor epic over legendary skins – You usually get 80-90% of the cool factor for 50% of the price.
With some smart saving and spending, you‘ll unlock tons of amazing cosmetics over time without paying real money.
On behalf of poor gamers everywhere just trying to look good, thanks for taking the time to learn how to earn free Credits like a master. Now get out there, go complete those weekly challenges, level up your Battle Pass, and most importantly, have fun starting your free cosmetics collection!