Overwatch 2’s Season 15, announced in February 2025, introduced hero-specific Perks and brought Loot Boxes back as earnable cosmetic rewards. The announcement called it a major gameplay change; it is a historical launch description, not a preview of an upcoming update. Since then, Blizzard has folded selected Perks into some heroes’ base kits and continued to adjust Perks and offer Loot Boxes through later events.
What changed in Season 15
Perks were the main gameplay change. Blizzard said the launch system covered all 42 heroes, with two Minor and two Major Perks for each—168 in total. Players could choose Perks during a match in Quick Play and Competitive. Those figures describe the Season 15 launch roster and system, not the current roster or balance. Blizzard’s Season 15 announcement has the launch details.
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How Perks worked at launch
Players leveled up twice during a match and selected a hero-specific upgrade at each level. Minor Perks were lighter adjustments, such as a small passive or cooldown reduction; Major Perks made more substantial changes to a hero’s capabilities. The choices were intended to let players adapt a hero’s strategy during a match.
Torbjörn as an example
Blizzard’s Spotlight described possible Minor Perks that could make Torbjörn’s Forge Hammer restore teammates’ armor health or refill Rivet Gun ammunition when he activated Overload. A Major Perk could let him anchor his turret to walls and ceilings or use a more powerful level-three turret. These examples illustrate the announced design; they are not a guide to current ability behavior. The Spotlight announcement explains the system and its examples.
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What Blizzard announced about Loot Boxes
Blizzard said Loot Boxes would be available through weekly and event rewards, as well as the Battle Pass. The Season 15 announcement listed one Legendary Loot Box in the free Battle Pass and two additional Legendary Loot Boxes in the Premium Battle Pass. It explicitly excluded Belgium from Battle Pass Loot Box availability; that specific caveat should not be treated as a complete account of current regional availability.
Blizzard’s 2025 Spotlight published the following item drop rates and guarantees:
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| Box type or guarantee | Blizzard’s published terms |
|---|---|
| Regular Loot Box item drop rates | 5.10% Legendary, 21.93% Epic, 96.26% Rare, and 97.97% Common |
| Legendary Loot Box item drop rates | 100% Legendary, 21.93% Epic, 96.26% Rare, and 97.97% Common |
| Minimum rarity | At least one Rare-or-better item per box |
| Epic guarantee | An Epic item within five consecutive boxes |
| Legendary guarantee | A Legendary item within twenty consecutive boxes |
These are Blizzard’s listed figures from the 2025 announcement, not independently verified odds or a guarantee that every current box or market uses the same terms. The rarity percentages are item drop rates, not mutually exclusive chances of a box having one outcome; a box can contain multiple items of different rarities.
How the systems changed after launch
Blizzard’s 2026 Director’s Take said selected Perks were being integrated into some heroes’ base kits in Season 2. It named Mercy’s Flash Heal, Reaper’s Dire Triggers, and Pharah’s Drift Thrusters as examples. Blizzard said it might repeat the process, but probably would not do so regularly. That means the original Season 15 distinction between a Perk choice and a hero’s base kit no longer describes every hero in the same way. The Director’s Take describes the approach.
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Perks and heroes also continued to receive balance changes. For example, Blizzard’s July 14, 2026 patch notes reduced Sigma’s Hyper Regeneration Minor Perk damage conversion from 40% to 30% and increased Reaper’s Soul Reaving Minor Perk pickup radius from 5 to 8 meters. Those figures are specific to that dated patch, not a statement of current values. The July 14, 2026 patch notes also recorded limited-time reward events: Summer Games ran July 14–30, and Junkrat’s Loot Hunt ran July 31–August 3, 2026. The notes described the Excavation Initiative as rewarding Loot Boxes for logging in, completing challenges, winning, and staying active. Those dates and event rewards are historical, not evidence that the events are available now.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to take away
Season 15’s defining change was adding in-match Perk choices across the launch roster, alongside the return of earnable Loot Boxes. The Perk system and reward offerings subsequently evolved, so the February 2025 announcement is useful for understanding the launch—not a reliable guide to current hero balance, box odds, or event availability.
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