Why did my Overwatch characters disappear?

Your Overwatch characters may have disappeared due to a bug that mislabeled your account, which can be fixed by logging out and logging back in, or it could be a result of the new-player experience for those who weren’t Overwatch 1 players, requiring you to unlock heroes by playing the game. This issue 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.

Understanding the Issue

To address the issue of missing characters in Overwatch 2, it’s essential to understand the possible causes and solutions, including account merge, logging out and logging back in, and unlocking heroes by playing the game.

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

1. How do I get my characters back in Overwatch?: For new players that did not purchase the Watchpoint Pack, the only way to unlock the remaining heroes is to play the game, completing around 150 games to eventually have every character from the original game unlocked.
2. Why did Overwatch 2 take my characters away?: This bug 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.
3. How do you fix missing characters in Overwatch 2?: To address the issue of missing characters in Overwatch 2, follow these steps: Connect Console Account to Battle.net, Account Merge, and ensure you are logging into the correct Battle.net account.

Technical Issues

4. Why don’t I have my characters in Overwatch?: This issue stems from an incorrect flagging of accounts against the first-time user experience when the system believes they should not have access to certain heroes yet, which can be fixed by logging out and logging back in.
5. Are there characters missing in Overwatch 2?: Yes, some heroes like Bastion and Torbjorn have been temporarily disabled in Competitive and other modes due to bugs with their abilities.
6. What happens if you leave too much in Overwatch 2?: The penalties for Competitive Play remain the same, starting with a 15-minute suspension if you leave and do not complete a game, increasing with every leaver violation.

Account and Skins

7. How do I get my stuff back in Overwatch 2?: To transfer your old skins to Overwatch 2, you will need to merge your console account with your Battle.net account.
8. Why did Mei disappear in Overwatch 2?: Mei was temporarily disabled due to a bug with her Ice Wall ability that allowed heroes to reach unintended locations.
9. Can I get my old Overwatch stuff back?: Yes, previous Overwatch players will carry over all their skins and cosmetics, as well as a new item pack to bring into Overwatch 2.

Game Features

10. What happened to Overwatch PvE?: Blizzard has officially scrapped Overwatch 2’s long-awaited PvE Hero mode, but the game’s creative leads are assuring fans that PvE is still a focus for the game moving forward.
11. What are the rarest Overwatch skins?: The rarest Overwatch skins include Zarya’s Alien Skin, Bastion’s Blizzcon Skin, and Winston’s Blizzcon Skin, among others.
12. Can you refund Overwatch 2 skins?: Customer Support is unable to refund or exchange Golden Weapon purchases in Overwatch.

Account Management

13. How long does it take to merge Overwatch accounts?: Account merging in Overwatch 2 usually takes around 6 hours to complete.
14. Do I keep my old skins from Overwatch 1?: Yes, Overwatch 1 skins carry over to Overwatch 2, and if you’ve bought skins on different platforms, they’ll all transfer over to Overwatch 2.
15. Are Overwatch skins disappearing?: While some skins may not be currently available, they are not completely gone and will eventually be given back to players, although Blizzard has not provided a specific timeline for this process.