Overwatch 2 is getting rid of some of the only remaining PVE content

Overwatch 2 is removing some of the only remaining PVE content from the game due to low player engagement. Hero Mastery courses will only be available for a few more weeks.

PVE and Overwatch have simply been a match made in hell. Despite the jump to the sequel almost entirely hinging on PVE content, Blizzard’s initial vision never quite panned out.

After considerable delays, three bite-sized story missions made it into Overwatch 2 in 2023 for $15 USD. Reports suggested the content performed poorly, and as such, all future story content was scrapped.

In their place, Hero Mastery missions started being drip-fed. Much simpler, untextured challenge rooms, these also struggled to catch on. Now, Blizzard isn’t just cancelling development on future Mastery courses. Instead, it’s outright removing all existing courses from the game.

Overwatch 2 Hero Mastery missions are going away

Following the Season 18 reveal that confirmed a massive collab with Persona 5, Overwatch 2 Community Manager Kaedi took to the Blizzard forums to share some additional information.

“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,” Kaedi said.

As a result, Hero Mastery courses are set to be “sunset,” or in plainer terms, removed from the game. This removal process is set to begin in Season 19 “later this year.”

Although far simpler in design, these Mastery courses were drip-fed as seasonal content, as opposed to all being deployed at once. Over the course of two years, 17 of the game’s 44 heroes received their own levels. All 17 will soon be unavailable in light of this pivot.

“Players have until the end of Season 18 to complete the Lifetime Challenges for Hero Mastery and compete on every course’s Top 500 leaderboards,” Kaedi confirmed. “After the end of Season 18, all Hero Mastery Courses that have been released will be no longer be available.”

Season 18 begins on August 26, 2025 and is expected to end at some stage in October, 2025.

Moving forward, this means the only PVE content available in Overwatch 2 will be the three PVE missions, the training range, and any odd rotating content like Junkenstein’s Revenge.