Why are my Overwatch characters suddenly locked?

If you’re an Overwatch player who has suddenly found your characters locked, it’s likely due to a bug that’s affecting players who owned Overwatch 1 prior to the launch of Overwatch 2, requiring them to grind through over 100 matches to unlock the original roster. The new-player experience is intended for those who didn’t own Overwatch 1, but some players who previously had access to all heroes are now being forced to unlock them again.

Frequently Asked Questions

General Information

1. Q: Why are my Overwatch characters locked now? A: This is likely a result of the intended new-player experience for those who weren’t Overwatch 1 players, as this group will need to grind through over 100 matches in order to unlock all of the original roster.
2. Q: How do you unlock locked characters in Overwatch? A: For new players that did not purchase the Watchpoint Pack, the only way to unlock the remaining heroes is to play the game, requiring around 150 games to eventually have every character from the original game unlocked.
3. Q: Why did I lose my characters in Overwatch? A: If you used to play the original Overwatch and don’t have access to pre-existing characters anymore, odds are the game just mislabeled your account, which can be fixed by logging out and logging back in.

Account and Progress Issues

4. Q: Is it still possible to unlock new characters in Overwatch even if you missed them in the battle pass? A: Yes, if you miss a season and hero with it, there will be a chance to retroactively unlock them via challenges or, apparently, buy them directly from the in-game shop.
5. Q: Am I going to lose all my Overwatch skins? A: No, you haven’t lost your ‘Overwatch‘ skins, progress, and other items in ‘Overwatch 2‘.
6. Q: Can you Unmerge OW2 accounts? A: Yes, you have the option to un-merge your accounts as well, but this will naturally remove any progress associated with your account from that system.

Heroes and Unlocking

7. Q: Is Kiriko still locked? A: Yes, Kiriko is locked until you get to level 55 on the battle pass, or you can unlock her instantly by buying the premium battle pass.
8. Q: Do Overwatch 1 players have all characters unlocked? A: If you did own Overwatch 1, then you’ll have access to every hero except for Kiriko.
9. Q: Can you get Ramattra for free? A: Yes, Ramattra can be unlocked by completing their Hero Challenges, or you can purchase them in the in-game shop.

Game Information and History

10. Q: Has Overwatch ever removed a character? A: Yes, Overwatch 2 has removed Mei from the game due to bugs.
11. Q: Can you play old Overwatch? A: No, the original Overwatch is no longer playable, even with plenty of clones and an official sequel.
12. Q: Does Overwatch 2 work yet? A: Unfortunately, the launch of Overwatch 2 was far from ideal, with a startling amount of negativity and issues.

Account Merging and Technical Issues

13. Q: What happens if I merged the wrong Overwatch account? A: If the merging issue has been occurring, making players lose progress, or if they are merging the wrong accounts, then players are required to submit a ticket to Blizzard Support.
14. Q: Why are my Overwatch accounts not merging? A: The “Merge Accounts Not Working” error in Overwatch 2 is generally caused after account merging if there is a bug or a server error with the shooter itself.
15. Q: How long does it take to unlock everything in OW2? A: It can take a significant amount of time, with estimates suggesting over 327 years to unlock all legacy items without spending real-world money, highlighting the monetization model of the game.