Overwatch 2 Season 18: Progression 2.0 Brings Loot Box Mountains and Silver Coin Rewards

Overwatch 2 has flipped its reward system once again. With the launch of Season 18, Blizzard introduced Progression 2.0, a revamped model that showers players with loot boxes, silver coins, and hero-specific unlocks. For some, it’s a nostalgic throwback to the original game. For others, it’s a signal that Blizzard is finally responding to long-standing community frustration about stingy rewards.

Story Synopsis

The original Overwatch leaned heavily on loot boxes, while Overwatch 2 replaced them with a battle pass and premium currency. Now, Blizzard is blending the past and present. Progression 2.0 rewards players with loot boxes, legacy credits (silver coins), and themed cosmetics tied to specific heroes, all layered on top of the existing seasonal pass.

Players logging in to Season 18 are finding themselves greeted by dozens of loot boxes and mountains of silver coins retroactively awarded based on their hero history. For many veterans, this feels like a windfall of cosmetics they thought they’d never see again.

What It Means

Progression 2.0 reintroduces the dopamine hit of loot boxes, but in a more controlled, nostalgia-driven way. The update tracks how much time players have spent with each hero since launch and rewards accordingly. A Reinhardt main, for example, might suddenly find a pile of Reinhardt-specific cosmetics unlocked. This system blends the personalized feel of hero progression with the mass reward mechanics fans missed.

How It Works

Hero Progression: Every hero has their own progression track tied to playtime and performance.
Retroactive Rewards: Players instantly receive loot boxes and silver coins based on past matches.
Ongoing Unlocks: Continuing to play heroes pushes tracks further, earning more cosmetics.
Crossover with Battle Pass: The system exists alongside seasonal passes, giving players dual reward paths.

Why It Matters

Blizzard faced backlash in Overwatch 2 for leaning too heavily into monetization. Fans often felt under-rewarded, with cosmetics locked behind expensive bundles or premium currency. Progression 2.0 directly addresses this by making gameplay feel rewarding again, without requiring players to spend.

This move also acknowledges the emotional bond players form with their favorite heroes. By tying rewards to playstyle, Blizzard is re-centering Overwatch around its diverse roster — arguably its strongest feature.

What’s Next

If the system proves popular, it could become a permanent layer of progression across future seasons. Blizzard has already teased tweaks to loot distribution and hero-specific challenges. For now, though, Progression 2.0 feels like a major win for both casual and hardcore players, and it may signal Blizzard’s willingness to continue rebalancing its live-service economy in response to player feedback.

Tech Tidbits

Some veteran players logged in to find over 100 loot boxes waiting.
Legacy “silver coins” can be spent on older skins, making rare cosmetics accessible again.
Progression 2.0 tracks all hero playtime since Overwatch 2’s launch, rewarding both new and veteran mains.
Loot boxes still use RNG, but Blizzard says drop rates for cosmetics have been rebalanced.