There is a simple version of this and a complete version, and both are below in that order.

Short answer

Do the simple thing first. It is correct more often than the complicated thing people recommend instead.

Nothing here depends on a setting you are unlikely to have. Most of the disagreement online comes from people describing different versions of Overwatch 2. The developers have changed their mind about this at least once, which explains the older advice.

Why it works this way

Edge cases are genuinely rare, which is why the simple answer is usually the correct one. The mechanic behind it is simpler than the discussion around it suggests. Where two approaches both work, the one with fewer moving parts is the one to keep. The accepted community answer is broadly right and wrong in a specific way that matters here.

It is worth separating what the game does from what players have concluded it does. If your result differs from what is described here, note what is different first rather than starting over. Testing this yourself takes a few minutes and settles it definitively.

Worth knowing alongside this

Screenshots age faster than text, which is why this describes rather than shows. The short version is near the top on purpose; the reasoning is there if you want to know why. Where something depends on your platform or region, that is called out rather than glossed over.

  • Test it yourself where testing is cheap.
  • Revisit after a major patch if the behaviour changes.
  • Prefer the in-game option over an external tool when both exist.
  • Note the exception cases — they are specific rather than vague.
  • Check which version any conflicting advice was written for.

What to do instead

Patch notes move numbers around constantly; the shape of the answer holds even when a specific value shifts. The community wisdom on this is roughly half right, and the half that is wrong costs the most time. There is no hidden trick here that the game is keeping from you. Treat anything stated without a version number as provisional.

The awkward part is rarely the step itself, it is knowing which step comes first. Nothing here assumes a particular playstyle beyond wanting the thing to work. Half the pages on this topic were written for a build that no longer exists, which is why they stop matching what you see.

The practical answer

If a step reads as obvious, do it anyway — the obvious ones are the ones people skip and then wonder about. There is usually a fast way and a reliable way, and it is worth knowing which one you are choosing. Do the cheap check before the expensive one — that ordering alone saves most of the frustration.

If you are coming to this after a long break, the terminology has probably moved on. It helps to understand why a step exists, because then you can adapt it when your situation is slightly different. Overwatch 2 is not shy about hiding useful information two menus deep, so some of this is simply knowing where to look.

When the usual advice fails

Everything below is framed around the current state of Overwatch 2 rather than a launch-week impression. A single check up front replaces a lot of guessing later. What follows assumes you are on a current install and have not modified it.

Where people go wrong

  • Changing five things at once and then not knowing which one helped.
  • Skipping the prerequisite because it looked optional in someone else's summary.
  • Assuming a guide from an older season still describes the current version.
  • Rushing the last step, which is usually the one with the actual requirement in it.

Overwatch 2 FAQ

Is this still accurate after the latest Overwatch 2 update?

The method is; individual numbers may not be. If a value on your screen differs, trust the screen and keep the sequence.

Why do people disagree about this?

Mostly because they are describing different versions. Version drift explains the majority of contradictory advice about Overwatch 2.

What is the short answer?

It is the paragraph near the top. Everything after it exists for the cases where that paragraph does not quite fit.

Does this work the same on console and PC?

The logic is identical. Menu paths and button prompts differ, and any real difference is flagged above.

If you only take one thing from this: the answer near the top is the part that matters, the rest is context.