Overwatch loot box duplicates are being 'drastically' reduced

It's not much fun to bust open an Overwatch loot box and find a bunch of stuff inside that you've already got. You get some compensation for it in the form of in-game credits, but it's like getting socks for Christmas: Sure, they're useful, but it's still a drag. So Blizzard is making changes to the system that will "drastically reduce" the number of duplicates that players encounter when the pop a box.

Of course, fewer duplicates means fewer opportunities to earn credits, and so to make up for that Blizzard will also increase the amount of credits awarded by loot boxes, to keep things in balance. "We'll make sure that your credit intake will be at least the same, if not more," game director Jeff Kaplan said in the latest Developer Update video.

Kaplan encouraged players to hit the Overwatch PTR and "feel it for yourself," although he pointed out that, because Overwatch doesn't have an infinite supply of content, you will sooner or later encounter dupes. "But we think the change should be very drastic and significant, and feel fantastic," he said.

The Overwatch PTR is live now with the loot box changes, and also a new option to permanently save your highlight clips that Bo wrote about here. Kaplan gets into the loot box changes at the 4:20 point in the video below, and a blog post with full details is up at playoverwatch.com.

YouTube

Watch On

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.