Battle pass facts for kids
A battle pass is a way video games give players extra content. It's like a special reward system. Players get in-game items for playing the game and finishing challenges. This idea came from the "season pass" ticketing system. It started with the game Dota 2 in 2013. Battle passes became popular in the late 2010s. They offered a new way to get game content instead of monthly fees or loot boxes. Most battle passes have a free version for everyone. They also have a "premium" version. This premium pass costs money but gives you better items and cool looks for your characters.
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What is a Battle Pass?
In games like Fortnite Battle Royale, you can get a battle pass for free. Or, you might buy it with small payments. Once you have a battle pass, you see many reward levels. When you earn enough experience by playing, you complete a level. Then you get the rewards for that level.
What Rewards Do You Get?
Most rewards are things that change how your character looks. These are called "cosmetics." They include different outfits for characters, weapon designs, and special dances (emotes). These items do not change how the game plays. The best rewards are usually at higher levels. Players like to show off these unique items to others. It's a way to show how much they have played.
How Do You Level Up?
You earn experience by just playing the game. Many games also give you special challenges to complete. Some games let you pay extra to level up faster. If a game has both free and paid battle passes, the free one has fewer rewards. But it still tracks your progress. This means you can buy the paid pass later and get all the rewards you've earned.
Limited Time Rewards
Battle passes and their rewards are only available for a short time. This is usually a few months. After that, a new season starts with new rewards. Most battle pass items cannot be gotten after the season ends. This creates a feeling called "fear of missing out" (FOMO). Players know certain rewards are only available for a limited time. This makes them want to buy and finish the battle pass. This brings more money to the game makers.
Balancing the Fun
The way you earn rewards needs to feel fair. It should not feel like too much "grinding" (doing the same thing over and over). For example, Halo Infinite's battle pass was too slow at first. The game makers said they would fix it.
Heroes and Battle Passes
When Overwatch 2 came out, it used a battle pass system. This replaced its old loot box system. Players were upset because new playable heroes were part of the battle pass. You could get them faster if you paid for the premium pass. In the first Overwatch game, all new heroes were free for everyone right away. Players felt this change was unfair. They thought it made them have to play a lot to get new heroes.
Different Names for Battle Passes
Some games call their battle passes different names. For example, Rocket League has a "Rocket Pass." PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has a "Survivor Pass."
History of Battle Passes
One of the first ideas like a battle pass was in Dota 2. This was during an event for a big tournament in 2013. It was called the "Compendium." If players bought it, they got special in-game content. A part of the money from it went to the tournament's prize pool. Later, in 2016, Valve made the Compendium part of a bigger "International Battle Pass."
Fortnite's Big Impact
Battle passes became much more popular in 2018. This was because of Fortnite Battle Royale by Epic Games. Fortnite became super successful very quickly. Many people noticed how it made money. The game is free to play. It has "seasons" that last about 10 to 20 weeks. Each season offers new cosmetic items and emotes.
The "Battle Pass" was added in Fortnite's second season. This was when the game was growing very fast. Fortnite has used battle passes ever since. You buy battle passes with an in-game money called V-Bucks. You can buy V-Bucks with real money. Or, you can earn them in Fortnite: Save the World or through the battle pass itself. One expert thought Epic sold over five million battle passes on one day in 2018. This made over $50 million in just one day!
Why Battle Passes Replaced Loot Boxes
Around the same time Fortnite became big, the video game industry had problems with loot boxes. Loot boxes are when players pay money to open boxes. These boxes have a random mix of in-game items. Some governments worried that loot boxes were like gambling, especially for young players.
Battle passes were then seen as a better choice than loot boxes. With a battle pass, players can see all the rewards they can earn. They know what they are getting. This makes players keep playing the game. Also, if players can pay to finish levels faster, game makers can earn more money.
More Games Use Battle Passes
Because Fortnite's battle pass was so successful, other game makers started using them. Many mobile games now use battle passes. These include Call of Duty Mobile, PUBG Mobile, Clash Royale, Clash of Clans, and Brawl Stars.
Some games have battle passes that never expire. For example, Super Animal Royale and Halo Infinite have these. You can buy old battle passes and use them even after their season ends. But you can only work on one pass at a time. In Deep Rock Galactic, items from old seasonal passes are added to other places. This way, players can still get them later.
See also
In Spanish: Pase de batalla para niños
