In Overwatch 2, there are no more loot boxes. There are no player levels. Instead, all XP earned goes to the Battle Pass, which consists of 80 Tiers. Even if you don’t have the Premium Battle Pass, you can still get some free rewards and unlock Kiriko at Tier 55. Of course, purchasing the Battle Pass will also confer rewards from any previous Tiers to you.
However, leveling has also undergone some changes. Instead of earning XP purely from matches – with more XP awarded based on match time, like in Overwatch 1 – you’re now reliant on Challenges. A small amount of XP for completing matches and consecutive matches – along with bonuses for queuing in a group or from the Premium Battle Pass – are provided. You also earn 500 bonus XP for queuing in specific roles (the All Roles queue has this).
However, the bulk of XP comes from Challenges. There are four kinds of Challenges – Daily, Weekly, Seasonal and Lifetime. Daily Challenges, as the name indicates, are refreshed daily and can range from winning three matches (difficulty: impossible) to thanking a Support. Don’t get too hung up on completing all of the Daily Challenges. Completing one gives 3000 XP; two provides 6000 XP; and three awards 9000 XP. Each Tier requires 10,000 XP, so it works out to roughly one Tier per day.
Weekly Challenges are more time-consuming, and unlike Daily Challenges, each provides 5,000 XP. Eleven Weekly Challenges are always available, providing 55,000 XP in total, and they overlap with your Daily Challenges. They can range from mitigating a certain amount of damage (usually 10 to 20K) or earning 20 Team Kills (which can be very difficult).
If you complete a certain number of Weekly Challenges, you also gain an admittedly pitiable amount of Overwatch Coins. Four completed Challenges net 30 Coins; eight completed Challenges grants 20; and completing all 11 grants ten more for a total of 60 Coins per week. It’s not much, but in 32 weeks or so, that Legendary skin should be yours. Legendary skin singular. Not the most worthwhile, so look at it as a source for Battle Pass XP, with the Coins being a bonus.
Seasonal Challenges are available within that season and award 500 to 1000 XP each. They range from completing three games on Circuit Royal, Colosseo, Esperança, and Paraiso (for 1000 XP each) to more specific tasks. Earning five eliminations with your alternate fire (railgun shots) as Sojourn, damaging a hero with the return flight of your knife as Junker Queen, or mitigating 1000 damage output from Bastion are each worth 500 XP. These should be low on your priority list, given how specific they can be and how much XP they award. But if you’re looking to spice up your Quick Play matches, then it’s still worthwhile.
Finally, there are Lifetime Challenges. These never expire and encompass Challenges like winning your first Team Deathmatch game to winning an Elimination game for 500 XP each. You can complete Challenges like winning five games with Sojourn to unlock her player icon.
Competitive Challenges are also a thing, but they don’t provide XP or advance your Battle Pass. They provide Competitive Points as a reward, so if you’re interested in purchasing a Golden skin for your favorite hero’s weapon, it may be worth pursuing.
Honestly, the best strategy is to complete enough Daily Challenges to earn 9000 XP. You can try completing the others, but moving on to finishing Weekly Challenges is the next priority. Group up with a friend and purchase the Premium Battle Pass to receive boosts to all XP earned.
Overwatch 2 is available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Check out our official review here.