The Overwatch 2 Story-Based Co-op Missions Won’t Be Free

Overwatch 2 Story Missions Release and Price

On August 10, Overwatch 2 will drop three Invasion story missions that let players tackle complex objectives and an in-depth storyline across three massive maps. The game will also introduce new enemies that haven’t been in Overwatch yet. During the Xbox Games Showcase, the Overwatch 2 trailer teased the upcoming story missions but did not mention that these cooperative missions will cost extra. Players can purchase these missions from two different bundles.

The Cost of Overwatch 2’s Invasion Missions

Blizzard Entertainment went into detail about these missions in a post after the show, revealing two bundles that will unlock the first three Invasion missions. The first bundle costs $15 and includes permanent access to these three Invasion missions, 1,000 Overwatch Coins (around $10), and a Legendary skin for Sojourn (valued at $19). The second bundle, which costs $40, includes the same perks as the first bundle, as well as 2,000 total Overwatch Coins, 20 battle pass skips, and a Legendary skin for both Cassidy and Kiriko. Players who don’t own Sojourn will also get access to her upon competing story mission challenges. The Invastion missions come with eight cinematics, and the first mission, excluding cutscenes, took about 31 minutes to complete.

Backlash from Players

Unfortunately, some players did not take kindly to this news. The trailer currently has around 28,000 likes and 32,000 dislikes on the official Overwatch channel. While the numbers are smaller elsewhere on the official PlayStation, Xbox, and European Overwatch channels, the ratio is even more severe and more heavily skewed towards dislikes. This recent move comes less than a month after Blizzard canceled the RPG-like Hero Mode it announced in 2019. Blizzard noted that it ended up being quite difficult to make a mode that would resonate with players.

New Content for Overwatch 2

In addition to the Invasion story missions, Overwatch 2 will also include new bonus co-op, competitive game type, and hero mastery missions. The bonus co-op mission takes place in a new area in King’s Row where players guide an armed version of the robot from the Push game mode across the map. Flashpoint is a new competitive game type available to everyone where teams fight for control on certain areas of the map. Hero Mastery missions are solo affairs where players can go through courses specifically designed for each character. Not every hero will have one from the jump, but the rest will roll out in future seasons. The practice range is even getting an update and will include a new firing range.

Overwatch fans can look forward to starting their Invasion story missions next month or playing the new bonus co-op mission in King’s Row. Blizzard will reveal the gameplay for Invasion on June 21 and more content in the coming summer months.