Since its launch in early access on October 4th, 2022, Overwatch 2 has seen over 25 million players logging in to check out the next evolution of Blizzard‘s hero shooter. As a free-to-play title, Overwatch 2 relies heavily on cosmetic items and customization to drive engagement and revenue. One of the ways players can express themselves is through hero sprays.
Hero sprays allow you to quickly spray customizable graffiti tags onto the environment. They‘ve been a staple of Overwatch gameplay for years now. However, with a revamped user interface and shift to a seasonal battle pass model, the spray changing process has been updated in Overwatch 2.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll cover everything you need to know about modifying, equipping, and using sprays in Overwatch 2.
What Are Hero Sprays in Overwatch 2?
Hero sprays are small splatter images that your character can instantly spray onto walls, floors, and other surfaces by pressing a keybind (default T on PC).
These stylized tags allow players to leave their mark on the maps they‘re battling over. Sprays were originally introduced to Overwatch as cosmetics you could earn and unlock through level progression and special events.
The purpose of sprays is twofold:
1. Communication: Quickly spray an image to coordinate with teammates or point something out.
2. Taunting: Spray over enemies‘ tags to assert dominance and frustration.
Some players solely use sprays for efficiently conveying information mid-match. For example, spraying a "group up" symbol before a push.
Others enjoy the more psychological aspect of spraying cheeky or taunting images over defeated foes. Similar to teabagging in other shooters, a well-placed salt spray can tilt enemies.
Now let‘s get into exactly how you go about changing these taunt and communication tools in Overwatch 2.
Step-by-Step Guide to Changing Hero Sprays
Changing your currently equipped hero sprays in Overwatch 2 only takes a few quick menu selections. Here is the process:
- From the main menu, navigate to the Heroes tab.
- Select the hero whose sprays you want to change.
- Choose the Sprays option to bring up your spray collection.
- Pick any spray and press the Equip Spray button.
- A menu will pop out allowing you to equip it to one of your 4 spray slots.
And that‘s it! The spray you selected will now occupy that slot for the hero any time you play them.
Repeat steps 3-5 to fill all 4 slots with your favorite sprays. They don‘t have to be related to that particular hero. Any spray can go in any slot.
Here‘s a quick 60 second video example of equipping a cute dog spray to Tracer on PC:
The inputs are slightly different on console. To pull out the spray wheel, tap up on the D-pad instead of T. Otherwise, the selection process works the same.
Next let‘s get into more advanced topics like acquiring new sprays and optimizing your loadout.
Unlocking New Hero Sprays in Overwatch 2
To equip new sprays, you first need to add more to your overall spray collection. There are a few main methods for unlocking sprays:
Battle Pass Rewards
- Overwatch 2 uses seasonal battle passes connected to each hero
- Leveling up the Premium or Free pass earns sprays among other cosmetics
- Around 5 new sprays per hero every 9 weeks
Challenges
- Special hero-specific challenges award sprays
- Keep an eye out during seasonal events too
Hero Progression
- Levelling up a hero through playing earns basic sprays
- More options than Overwatch 1 progression
Shop Purchases
- Rotating featured sprays in the Overwatch shop
- Purchase for 200-300 Overwatch Coins generally
- Legacy Coin conversion allowed too
Shop prices can be steep, but playing consistently will slowly grow your spray collection. It‘s also possible to unlock sprays from past seasons through hero challenges and battle pass progression.
Now let‘s optimize those slots.
Maximize Your Spray Loadout
With 4 equip slots available per hero, you have room to get creative with your spray loadout. A few tips:
- Match sprays to maps – Certain brightly colored sprays pop more on darker maps.
- Coordinate with teammates – Equip complementary teamwork sprays.
- Tilt enemies – Trolling sprays can frustrate opponents.
- Learn callouts – Effective for competitive play.
Get to know which sprays you rely on most for communication when solo queueing or playing with friends For example, make sure Pharah has a "My ultimate is charging" spray at all times.
I prefer assigning the 4 slots into categories:
- Ultimate Status
- Positive Reinforcement
- Map-Specific
- Salty
This covers all my gameplay spray needs. But get creative with your own system!
Platform Differences Between PC, PS4, Xbox & Switch
While equipping sprays works generally the same across all platforms, the input methods and restrictions differ slightly:
PC
- Default keybind is T
- 4 equip slots
- Can fully rebind spray key
PS4 & PS5
- Tap up on directional pad
- 4 equip slots
Xbox One & Series X|S
- Tap up on D-pad
- 4 equip slots
Nintendo Switch
- Tap up on right Joy-Con
- Only 2 equip slots
So Switch players have less flexibility but otherwise functionality is consistent. Keys can of course be manually rebound on all platforms too under Options > Controls > Communication > Sprays.
Now let‘s see how sprays have evolved since the original 2016 launch of Overwatch.
Overwatch 2 Sprays vs. Overwatch 1
While sprays filled the same taunting and coordination niches in the original Overwatch, a few key changes affect them in the sequel:
- More Hero-Specific: Tied to individual hero progression now rather than overall account level
- Battle Pass Rewards: New system adds around 5 seasonal sprays per hero
- Shop Reliance: Less earned through levelling since loot boxes removed
- Swappable Any Time: OW1 required visiting Hero Gallery to change
The Overwatch devs also tweaked spray tagging physics for better visibility. Environment decals and textures show sprays more clearly now. Spray opacity decreased but sizing increased.
Customization wise, expect to unlock way more hero-relevant sprays as you play each character rather than generic options. For example, lots of Junker Queen tattoos or motorcycle imagery.
Let‘s wrap up with high-level spray strategy.
Advanced Spray Tactics
Hero sprays promote engagement through customization and rivalries. But they can serve tactical competitive purposes too. Here are some effective techniques:
Map Tracking
- Mark enemy locations behind walls
- Signal directions to avoid ambushes
- Call out health packs & sniper sightlines
Ability Monitoring
- Help track match ult economy
- Enable coordination around fast-charging ults
Tilting
- Bait emotional reactions from enemies
- Spray over defeated players to assert dominance
- Get in their heads to enable more mistakes
Bugs & Exploits
- Creative spray placements can reveal map glitches
- Blizzard fixes these but fun to find
Experiment with devious spy-like tactics or upright teammoral boosting. Hero sprays give players agency to indirectly shape matches through psychological influence.
Stay Tuned for Updates
As a live service game, Overwatch 2 will continue evolving over time. Each seasonal update may tweak the hero spray system with new unlocks or slot increases.
I‘ll be sure to keep this guide updated with any official changes from the dev team. Feel free to bookmark this page for a continually improving resource on configuring your ideal spray loadout.
Now that you have all the tools and knowledge needed, get out there and make your mark on Overwatch 2‘s maps! Whether coordinating teammates or just simply trolling your rivals, sprays add another avenue of expressive mastery.
