Season 10 of Overwatch 2 is introducing a major change to the way heroes work, as all Season 2 characters will now be free-to-play from launch, requiring no Battle Pass progression.

This change will affect all future and previously-released heroes, according to a Developer Update video posted to the PlayOverwatch channel. The video also gave a look at a new hero, Venture, and revealed a change to the way that Mythic skins are obtained.

First mentioned at BlizzCon 2023, Venture is described as “an eccentric and daring adventurer” who is able to dig underground, and will join the roster in Season 10. They are Overwatch’s first non-binary hero, though it is unclear how many points that will net them on Activision Blizzard’s much-maligned diversity ranking chart.

Players will immediately have free access to Venture and all previously released Overwatch 2 heroes as soon as Season 10 launches, regardless of whether or not they were previously owned. Previously, players would have to purchase the Premium Battle Pass for a season or sink dozens of hours into the game to unlock the hero.

All future heroes will also be free as soon as they launch, just like they were in the first Overwatch. First-time users will need to unlock all of the base heroes before they are given access to new ones, but all Overwatch 2 heroes will be made available as soon as the base roster is completed.

Mythic skins will also be removed from the constraints of the Battle pass, as they will now be available for direct purchase in the new Mythic Shop. According to a blog post from Blizzard, skins will become available two Seasons after their debut, meaning Mythic skins from Seasons 1-7 will be available starting in Season 10. Pricing for the shop has not yet been announced.

Coins can also be earned through both the Free and Premium Battle Passes with an increase of potential free coins from 540 to 600 per Season, making it easier to earn them. Weekly challenges will now earn Battle Pass XP instead of Coins.

A trial of a new mode, Clash, and a new map, Hanaoka, will be active at the start of Season 10, with a new Push map and reworks of existing maps coming in Season 11.