Overwatch Academy Mega Bundle: What’s included and is it worth it?

Overwatch 2 season 17 has two themes that most of the new cosmetics revolve around: 8-bit retro gaming and school-based academia. While the 8-bit gaming cosmetics can be earned in the battle pass, the majority of the school cosmetics have been placed in a separate bundle called the Overwatch Academy Mega Bundle. 

We’ll examine the new Overwatch 2 bundle more closely to determine exactly what it includes, how much it costs, and whether it is worth the price of admission. 

The Overwatch Academy Bundle is a set of cosmetics that were released alongside season 17 of the game. As the name suggests, the cosmetics within the bundle have an academia/school theme. The bundle is made up of skins, emotes, name cards, player icons, and sprays. There is also a weapon charm and a victory pose included. The heroes that get to be part of this bundle are Kiriko, Juno, Sojourn, Tracer, and Soldier: 76. 

The bundle costs 5,900 Overwatch coins, which would cost around $60 in real money. The closest option that players can purchase is a bundle of 6,000 Overwatch coins, which comes with 900 bonus coins. This amounts to $59.99. 

There are other options for those who already have some Overwatch coins saved up, such as a 4,000 coin bundle, which comes with an additional 500 coins for $39.99. In general, though, the bundle is going to set players back between $55 and $60. 

This bundle undoubtedly costs a hefty price, but it does have quite a bit of content. Here is everything that is included in the Overwatch Academy bundle.

The Overwatch Academy bundle is sure to be a treat for players who enjoy the popular academia theme. The skins are well-made and have great details. They are also creative, interpreting each hero uniquely within the school theme, such as Juno as a cheerleader, Sojourn as a lecturer, etc. That being said, it’s a highly expensive bundle that doesn’t entirely justify its price tag. 

Five additional academia-themed skins were released with Overwatch season 17, but they are not included in this bundle. These skins are as follows: 

The Cassidy and Junkrat skins can be earned in the Overwatch season 17 battle pass, though players will need to pay 1,000 Overwatch coins for the premium battle pass to gain access to them. 

The Illari skin can only be obtained with the Overwatch 2 Season 17 starter pack, which costs $9.99 and includes 1,000 Overwatch coins along with the skin. 

The Sigma and Widowmaker skins are locked behind another paywall, as they can only be purchased as part of the Season 17 Ultimate Battle Pass Bundle, which costs $39.99. While including two of the academia skins in the far less costly battle pass is appreciated, locking another two away behind a $40 pack is a huge cash-grab move. Players who want to collect all the academia skins will need to buy multiple bundles that add up to almost $100.

There were separate, cheaper Overwatch bundles available for each hero that featured all of their cosmetics from the mega bundle. However, these appear to have left the shop at the time of writing to make room for the G.I. Joe crossover. Players can still go to the hero menu and navigate to Kiriko, Juno, Soldier: 76, Sojourn, or Tracer and purchase their academia skin for 1,900 Overwatch coins. This doesn’t include any of the other cosmetics, but it’s a much more reasonable price overall. 

One problem with this bundle is the Tracer content, as her Instructor Oxton skin is almost a complete copy-and-paste job of her Slipstream skin, which has been around since Overwatch 1. This is a good idea in theory, as it gives players who don’t have the Slipstream skin the chance to own a similar version of it, as it was released with certain versions of the first Overwatch in 2016. It still appears at times in rotation, but it’s still quite a rare skin. However, adding it as a Legendary skin alongside brand-new content veers towards the realms of cash-grab territory rather than offering a genuine chance for newer players to get their hands on it. 

As has been the case with most Overwatch 2 cosmetics recently, Juno and Kiriko are once again front and centre. They receive the most cosmetics, especially Juno, who gets a victory pose and an emote. Sojourn and Tracer are given the back seat. Those looking for an equal amount of cosmetics for all the heroes are likely to be disappointed because of the blatant favouritism on display with this bundle. 

There is also a noticeable lack of certain cosmetics. There is only one victory pose and no highlight intros. This might not seem like a significant issue, and normally it wouldn’t be, but considering how much Blizzard is charging for this bundle, there should be a much more equal spread when it comes to the available cosmetics. 

So, is the Overwatch 2 Academy Mega Bundle worth it? If it were a little cheaper, then yes, it would be. However, for a $60 price tag, the bundle should have all the academia skins as well as a broader range of cosmetics for each of the heroes. It’s simply too costly to justify that price when players don’t even get everything available that is part of this theme. The skins are well-made and detailed, but the Tracer skin sticks out as a recolour rather than a unique school-themed outfit like everybody else’s. 

That being said, if the Overwatch heroes included are characters you play regularly and if you like the school themes, then this bundle is sure to be appealing. However, even if this is the case, it’s probably cheaper to just buy the skin you want the most for 1,900 Overwatch coins. Unless you are particularly invested in the other cosmetics, this seems like the better option, and one that won’t make your bank account weep.