Overwatch 2 dials back on PVE again, leaving fans disappointed

Overwatch 2 is set to remove one of its last remaining PVE features: Hero Mastery courses. Citing low player engagement, Blizzard confirmed that all current Hero Mastery missions will be taken offline at the end of Season 18, which begins August 26, 2025, and is expected to run through October.

PVE has been a rocky road for Overwatch since the sequel's announcement. Originally billed as a major selling point for Overwatch 2, PVE content was heavily delayed and ultimately scaled back. In 2023, Blizzard released just three short story missions priced at $15 USD — content that reportedly underperformed, leading the company to cancel all future narrative expansions.

In place of the story missions, Blizzard introduced Hero Mastery — simplified, challenge-based courses meant to offer bite-sized solo content. These missions, released gradually over multiple seasons, gave 17 out of the game’s 44 heroes their own skill-testing levels. Despite this, the feature struggled to gain traction, and now Blizzard is not only halting development but removing the existing content entirely.

“As we focus more time and effort into delivering the best experience for Quick Play, Competitive, Stadium, and other new ways to play, we’re going to be shifting focus away from past game modes that haven’t seen as much attention,” said Community Manager Kaedi on the Blizzard forums.

With this move, players have until the end of Season 18 to complete any remaining Hero Mastery challenges or compete for leaderboard placements. Once the season wraps, all 17 courses will be gone.

After their removal, Overwatch 2 will be left with only three PVE story missions, the training range, and occasional seasonal content like Junkenstein’s Revenge — marking yet another major step back from the game’s original vision.