There are plenty of cosmetic items to unlock in Overwatch 2. Some are only available through the newly implemented premium battle pass while others can be gotten through seasonal loot drops. One item type, in particular, however, is a sign of status and seniority in the Overwatch 2 community for how difficult they are to acquire: golden weapons.
It’s important to note that golden weapons don’t actually do anything other than look cool. When the original Overwatch launched in 2016, there was some initial speculation that they dealt increased damage or reloaded faster than the default weapon colors, but that’s just not the case. No, golden weapons are, like many other items in Overwatch 2, simple cosmetics that let you personalize your game slightly.
More Overwatch 2 guides:
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How to Get Golden Weapons in Overwatch 2
Getting a golden weapon in Overwatch 2 is simple: you just purchase it in the “Heroes” menu after selecting the desired hero with 3,000 Competitive Points. Earning enough Competitive Points to be able to buy a character’s golden weapon, however, is a lot more complicated.
As you might surmise simply from the name, you earn Competitive Points by playing competitive game modes. Unlike the game’s premium currency, Overwatch Coins, which can be bought via microtransactions, you’ll have to earn Competitive Points by ranking well. Lump sums of Competitive Points are dished out at the end of a season of competitive play, so it’ll take a while until you’ll be able to actually buy a golden weapon.
How many competitive points you’ll be awarded at the end of a season is directly correlated to your player rank. The breakdown of points looks like this:
- Bronze: 65 CP
- Silver: 125 CP
- Gold: 250 CP
- Platinum: 500 CP
- Diamond: 750 CP
- Master: 1,200 CP
- Grandmaster (ranking in the top 500 players in the world): 1,750 CP
In addition to the CP that’s handed out at the end of each season, you earn 15 CP for every competitive win you score. It’s not much, but it can be enough to put you over the top if you’re right on the edge of being able to afford a Gold Weapon but don’t want to wait until the next season ends to earn it.
As you can see, unless you’re really good at the game and performing at a high level, it might take you a few seasons to get enough CP to get a golden weapon. Once you’ve acquired 3,000 CP, open the “Heroes” menu and then select the character that you want to purchase a golden weapon for. Scroll all the way down to the “Weapons” tab and then select “Golden” and then “Unlock.”