How Do I Gift Overwatch‘s Battle Pass? The Complete Guide

As an Overwatch enthusiast, one of the best ways to show appreciation for your fellow players is by gifting them the Battle Pass. This ultimate guide will walk you through everything you need to know to successfully gift Overwatch‘s Battle Pass and surprise your friends with some bonuses.

Overview of Overwatch‘s Battle Pass Monetization

For some background, Overwatch shifted to a free-to-play model in October 2022 with the launch of Overwatch 2. In this new system, core gameplay is available for free while certain cosmetics, heroes, and the seasonal Battle Pass are paid offerings.

The Battle Pass unlocks 100 tiers of cosmetic rewards as you play, including new legendary skins, emotes, highlight intros and more. It also provides immediate access to the latest heroes like Kiriko and offers a 20% XP boost to speed up progression.

Here are some key stats around Overwatch players and Battle Pass engagement:

• Over 25 million Overwatch 2 players in first 10 days [1]
• Average time played per Overwatch 2 user is over 5 hours a week [2]
• engagement with cosmetics and progression is very high: 93% of players have used the hero gallery and 81% have customized a highlight intro [3]

This data shows a passionate player base eager to unlock content through the Battle Pass. Now let‘s explore how you can gift it.

Table 1: Battle Pass gifting options in major hero shooters

Gifting Overwatch Currency to Buy the Battle Pass

Unfortunately, unlike some other popular games, you cannot directly gift Overwatch‘s Battle Pass to a friend. However, you can gift Overwatch Coins – the premium currency used to purchase the Battle Pass among other items.

Here is the step-by-step process:

1. Open the Overwatch client and visit the Shop
2. Click "Gift Battle.net Balance"
3. Select an amount (the current Battle Pass costs 1,000 coins)
4. Enter your friend‘s BattleTag and click Next
5. Complete the transaction with your payment method

Once you successfully complete the gift purchase, your friend will receive the gifted Overwatch coins. They can then spend these coins to unlock the premium Battle Pass for the current season.

Benefits: This method allows you to provide the exact amount for the Battle Pass. Coins can also be used to purchase other items like skins or the Watchpoint Pack.

Drawbacks: There are some limitations with gifting currency:

• Your friend could spend coins on other items instead of the Pass
• Gifted coins expire after 36 months if unused
• Transaction fees apply for the currency purchase

So make sure you communicate with your friend that the gift is intended to help them unlock the Battle Pass specifically.

Surprising Your Friend by Gifting Battle Pass Levels

If you want to gift the Battle Pass itself as a surprise, there is another creative method some players use.

You can sign into your friend‘s account (with their permission) and purchase the current season‘s Battle Pass directly through their client. This will instantly activate it on their account while keeping it a surprise.

The steps would be:

1. Ask your friend if you can login to gift them something special
2. Have them provide account credentials without spoiling the gift
3. Redeem a Battle Pass directly through their client as a surprise!

Benefits: This mimics directly gifting a Battle Pass and keeps it a fun surprise. You also avoid issues with them spending currency on other items.

Drawbacks: Account sharing comes with risks, so only do this with trusted friends. It also costs you $10 instead of variable coin amounts.

Is Gifting the Battle Pass Worth It?

Depending on your budget and how much your friend plays Overwatch, gifting the Battle Pass can be a great way to enhance their experience:

For light players – the 20% XP boost and instant hero unlocks offer nice quality-of-life bonuses. Cosmetics help keep the game fresh.

For heavy players – the 100 Battle Pass tiers provide months of progression and exciting new ways to customize main heroes.

For esports fans – the mythic cyberdemon Genji skin has strong appeal as an exclusive, prestige cosmetic item.

However, players focused purely on competition may find little added value from cosmetics. The pure gameplay remains fully accessible for free.

So consider your friend‘s playstyle and interests before gifting – it can give just the right boost but won‘t necessarily appeal to all mentalities.

Best Practices for Gifting the Battle Pass

If you do decide to gift your fellow Overwatch player the Battle Pass, follow these tips:

• Have an open conversation to see if they are interested in the Pass rewards already. Surprises are fun but run the risk of missing the mark.

• Time it around the start of a season for maximum duration and impact. This gives them the full period to unlock tiers.

• For currency, pick an amount that clearly covers the 950 coins needed to purchase. Going slightly over allows for flexibility too.

• If account sharing, only do so safely with extremely trusted friends to avoid complications.

• Have fun with the gift announcement! Celebrate and play together to enjoy the Pass bonuses.

Proper communication, timing, and trust make all the difference in gifting execution.

Blizzard Must Enable Direct Battle Pass Gifting

While the above methods work as handy gift workarounds, I believe Blizzard should prioritize directly enabling Battle Pass gifting functionality for simplicity, security, and standardization across other games such as Fortnite and Apex Legends which offer this natively.

This could drive more engagement, positivity, and purchases from the passionate Overwatch community. Allowing players to gift the specific current premium track also feels more intentional and exciting compared to currency bundles or account sharing risks.

Overwatch already has so much to offer in terms of teamplay fun and creative hero self-expression. Providing reliable built-in gifting would strengthen the ecosystem further.

So in summary:

Yes you can currently gift the Overwatch Battle Pass…

• By gifting currency bundles for your friend to redeem on their account
• Or by temporarily accessing their account to purchase as a surprise

But direct gifting isn‘t enabled natively…

Blizzard could generate goodwill and satisfy many requesting fans by adding this quality-of-life feature soon!

I hope this complete guide empowers you to now spread some Battle Pass love to your worthy Overwatch companions. Let me know if any other gifting questions come up!