If you played the original Overwatch before the 2022 Overwatch 2 launch, you almost certainly have a stack of legacy competitive points sitting in your account that you haven’t touched in months. A lot of players log in, see that random number in their currency tab, and immediately ask what do you do with legacy competitive points overwatch 2, especially since the entire game’s reward and progression system got a complete overhaul when the free-to-play model launched. I’ve been grinding Overwatch competitive since season 2 of the original game, and I carried over 14,700 legacy points to OW2 when it dropped, so I’ve tested every possible way to spend this currency, and talked to dozens of other high-rank players about their favorite uses too.
First: Confirm What Your Legacy Competitive Points Are Eligible For
First off, let’s clear up a common misconception: legacy competitive points are not a separate, limited-use currency that only works for old OW1 items. They function exactly the same as the new competitive points you earn from playing Overwatch 2 ranked matches, the only difference is that you earned these points before the OW2 launch. Legacy competitive points do not expire, so you never have to rush to spend them before a deadline, unlike seasonal event tokens or battle pass rewards that disappear after a few weeks.
You can find your current legacy point balance by opening the in-game shop, navigating to the “Competitive” tab, and scrolling to the bottom of the currency list. The number listed under “Legacy Competitive Points” is your total available balance, and it will be combined automatically with any new competitive points you earn from current ranked play when you go to make a purchase. There is no way to transfer these points to another player or account, so all the points in your balance are only usable for your own account’s unlocks.
It’s also important to note that legacy competitive points can’t be used to buy battle passes, Overwatch Coins, or most shop skins that are sold for real money or premium currency. They are exclusively for competitive-specific rewards, which we’ll break down in the next section. So if you were hoping to use your old points to grab the latest limited-time mythic skin, you’re out of luck, but there are still plenty of valuable rewards available.
What Do You Do With Legacy Competitive Points Overwatch 2: Top Spending Options
Now that you know what your points can and can’t be used for, let’s go through the most popular, high-value ways to spend your legacy balance, based on thousands of player polls and my own personal experience using these points over the last two years of OW2 play.
There’s no “right” option here, it all depends on what you care about most as a player. If you only care about showing off your main hero’s rank and experience, go for the golden weapon. If you’re a completionist who wants every rare cosmetic in the game, save your points for the limited legacy events. If you love trying new heroes as soon as they come out, hold onto your balance for the next new character drop.
Mistakes to Avoid When Using Your Legacy Competitive Points
Over the years, I’ve seen hundreds of players waste thousands of legacy competitive points on things they regret a few months later, so let’s go over the most common mistakes you should avoid to make the most of your balance.
Don’t spend points on a hero you have less than 20 hours of playtime on first. I can’t tell you how many of my friends bought a golden weapon for a hero that was meta for one season, only for that hero to get nerfed a month later, or for them to get bored of playing them after a few weeks. 3,000 points is a lot, especially since you can’t earn any more legacy points, so it’s not worth wasting that balance on a hero you only play occasionally. If you’re unsure, try playing the hero for a few weeks in quick play first before you commit to buying their golden weapon.
Another big mistake is falling for FOMO on low-value limited bundles. Last year, Blizzard ran a legacy event that sold a bundle of 3 generic OW1 sprays and a common player icon for 500 legacy points, and I saw dozens of players buy it just because it was labeled “limited time”. If the bundle doesn’t have items you actually will use or display on your profile, it’s not worth spending your points on, no matter how rare it’s supposed to be.
Never try to sell or trade your account because it has a large legacy point balance. This is a direct violation of Blizzard’s terms of service, and if you get caught, your account will be permanently banned with no chance of appeal. There are a lot of scammers online who offer to buy accounts with high legacy point balances, and almost all of them will either steal your account or scam you out of money, so it’s not worth the risk at all.
How to Earn More Points If Your Legacy Balance Isn’t Enough
As I mentioned earlier, you can’t earn any new legacy competitive points anymore, since all legacy points are balances carried over from original Overwatch 1 competitive seasons that ran between 2016 and 2022. But that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck if you’re a few hundred points short of the 3k you need for a golden weapon, or if you spent all your legacy points already and want more for future unlocks.
The good news is that new competitive points you earn from playing Overwatch 2 ranked matches work exactly the same as legacy points, and they are combined automatically when you make a purchase. You earn 15 competitive points for every ranked win, 5 points for every draw, and a large end-of-season bonus based on the highest rank you hit that season, from 650 points for Bronze rank all the way up to 3,000 points for Top 500 rank. If you play 3-4 ranked matches a day, you can easily earn 1,000+ points per season, even if you’re a lower-rank player.
You can also earn extra competitive points by participating in special competitive tournaments run by Blizzard or community organizers, though these are usually only open to higher-rank players. For most casual players, the easiest way to top up your legacy balance is to play a few ranked matches a week, and focus on winning as many as possible to rack up points quickly. Even if you only play 2 ranked matches a week, you’ll still earn enough points to cover the gap if you’re just a few hundred short of a golden weapon.
At the end of the day, what do you do with legacy competitive points overwatch 2 is entirely up to your personal playstyle and what you find most fun about the game. There’s no wrong choice as long as you’re spending your points on something that makes your time playing more enjoyable, whether that’s a golden weapon for your main, a rare cosmetic from your favorite old OW1 season, or saving up for the next new hero you can’t wait to try. I still have 6,000 legacy points left in my account right now, and I’m holding onto them for the next support hero drop coming later this year, since I almost always main new support characters first. Just remember that your points never expire, so you don’t have to make a decision today if you’re not sure what you want to spend them on.