If you spent dozens or even hundreds of hours grinding competitive matches in the original Overwatch, you probably built up a healthy stack of competitive points before Overwatch 2 launched. You might have logged into the new game for the first time, saw the overhauled currency system, and immediately wondered can you use legacy competitive points in Overwatch 2. You’re not alone – thousands of long-time players had the same question when the game first dropped, and Blizzard’s initial announcements about currency migration were pretty buried for casual players. This guide breaks down exactly how legacy competitive points work, what you can spend them on, and how to fix common issues if you don’t see your balance in game.
Can You Use Legacy Competitive Points in Overwatch 2? Official Rules First
The short answer is yes, you absolutely can use these points, but there are a few important limitations you need to know first. Legacy competitive points are the exact same currency you earned from winning competitive matches, finishing seasons, and hitting rank milestones in the original Overwatch. Blizzard migrated all eligible legacy points to linked Battle.net accounts when Overwatch 2 launched back in 2022, so you won’t lose any points you earned before the switch.
Legacy competitive points never expire, even if you took a two or three year break from the game after Overwatch 2 launched. I had roughly 12,000 legacy points saved up from hitting top 500 support three seasons in a row back in Overwatch 1, and all of them were waiting for me when I logged into Overwatch 2 for the first time last year. The only catch is that these points are kept completely separate from the new competitive points you earn from playing Overwatch 2’s current competitive seasons. You can’t combine the two currencies, and they’re used for entirely different sets of rewards.
What Can You Spend Legacy Competitive Points On?
Legacy competitive points are only eligible for legacy rewards tied to the original Overwatch, so you won’t be able to use them for most new Overwatch 2 exclusive items. The full list of eligible purchases includes:
- Golden weapons for all 32 original Overwatch 1 heroes, each priced at 3,000 legacy competitive points, the same cost they had in the original game
- Limited-time legacy competitive skins that rotate into the in-game shop during annual Overwatch anniversary events
- Rare legacy player icons and competitive titles that were only awarded to high-rank players in original Overwatch seasons
You cannot use legacy competitive points to buy golden weapons for new Overwatch 2 heroes like Kiriko, Junker Queen, or Illari. Those require the new standard competitive points you earn from winning current Overwatch 2 competitive matches, or premium Overwatch coins purchased with real money. Blizzard made this choice to reward players who actively participate in new competitive seasons, while still honoring the time and effort long-time fans put into the original game’s competitive mode. I used my 12,000 legacy points to grab golden weapons for my four main support heroes right after I found my balance, and I didn’t have to grind a single Overwatch 2 competitive match to get them. It’s a really nice perk for players who stuck with the game through its earliest iterations.
How to Check Your Legacy Competitive Points Balance
A lot of players don’t even realize they have legacy competitive points saved up, because the balance isn’t displayed front and center in the Overwatch 2 menu. Checking your balance only takes a few quick steps. First, boot up Overwatch 2 and head to the main menu, then open the Hero Gallery. Select any original Overwatch 1 hero (like Tracer, Mercy, or Reinhardt, not a new Overwatch 2 addition) and navigate to their weapon skins tab. You’ll see your total legacy competitive points balance displayed right next to the golden weapon purchase option for that hero.
You can also find your balance listed under the Currencies tab in the in-game shop, though it’s usually grouped near the bottom of the list with other less common currencies. If you don’t see your legacy points listed, the most common cause is an unlinked or incorrectly linked Battle.net account. If you played the original Overwatch on console, you need to make sure that console account is linked to the exact same Battle.net account you use to play Overwatch 2 now. If you already linked your accounts and still don’t see your points, you can reach out to Blizzard support with proof of your original Overwatch competitive play history, like old screenshots or rank notifications. Most players who run into this issue get their points restored within 3 business days of submitting a support ticket.
Common Mistakes to Avoid With Legacy Competitive Points
Since legacy competitive points are a limited, non-replenishable currency, you don’t want to waste them on things you’ll regret later. The first mistake most players make is spending their points on a golden weapon for a hero they barely play. I’ve had friends blow 3,000 legacy points on a golden weapon for a hero they tried once in quick play, only to never touch that hero again a week later. Take a few days to think about which hero you play most often before you make a purchase, because you can’t refund legacy point buys.
Don’t confuse legacy competitive points with standard Overwatch 2 competitive points – they’re two completely separate currencies, and there’s no way to convert one to the other. If you’re saving up for a new hero’s golden weapon, you’ll have to earn those points from current comp matches, no matter how many legacy points you have saved. Legacy competitive points can’t be purchased with real money, so there’s no way to top up your balance if you’re a few hundred points short of the golden weapon you want. The only way to get more legacy points is if you have unclaimed points from original Overwatch seasons that haven’t been migrated to your account yet. Many players also wait around for new legacy rewards to drop, but Blizzard has confirmed multiple times that they have no plans to add new permanent rewards for legacy competitive points. If you have your eye on a specific golden weapon for your main, don’t wait to buy it. The only limited-time rewards for legacy points are anniversary event skins, which almost always rotate back into the shop every year, so you don’t have to panic buy those if you miss them one time.
At the end of the day, the answer to can you use legacy competitive points in Overwatch 2 is a clear yes, as long as you stick to eligible legacy rewards. It’s one of the few ways Blizzard has honored the grind of long-time Overwatch players, who spent years climbing ranks and earning points before the free-to-play Overwatch 2 era launched. If you haven’t checked your legacy competitive points balance in a while, take five minutes to log into the game and look it up later today. You might be surprised by how many points you have saved up, and you could walk away with that golden weapon you’ve been wanting since you first played the original Overwatch.