A Blizzard engineer suggested forthcoming upgrades for a handful of problematic Overwatch 2 tank characters ahead of season 2.
An Overwatch 2 developer has hinted at impending changes aiming at improving the efficiency of some of the game’s ailing tanks. While the game offers a plethora of heroes to pick from, the structure of Overwatch 2 will unavoidably result in some characters dominating the meta, funneling more people toward only a few options. Developers appear to be making a few modifications in their never-ending quest to keep things balanced – or shake things up.
Players are starting to comprehend the subtleties of their favorite Overwatch 2 characters after roughly a month of playtime. With this insight, a few personalities stand out from the crowd. Heroes like Zarya and the ever-popular D.Va are now ruling the tank meta, while a slew of other characters are falling by the wayside. The choice to decrease squad size to five instead of six men, leaving only one tank, has motivated players to select only the most viable options.
Unlike its predecessor, Overwatch 2 takes a seasonal approach, and each new season is an ideal moment to release new content and upgrades. In a recent Twitter Q&A, main hero designer Alec Dawson teased fans about what may be in the works for the upcoming second season. Dawson hinted at potential new characters and content by saying tanks like Doomfist, Junker Queen, and Wrecking Ball would most certainly require improvements to compete with both current tanks and potential newcomers.
The devs are considering changes to Doomfist’s Rocket Punch ability, which is an important aspect of his damage output and adversary placement strategy. The technique works in tandem with the character’s Power Block, which defends Doomfist while also boosting his Rocket Punch. Dawson stated that the intended upgrades will allow for more powerful blows. Junker Queen has also repeatedly trailed behind, and buffs are expected to “consider her self-efficacy vs. providing sustain for [the] whole team.” Wrecking Ball is both ridiculous and destructive, and effectively balancing him is dangerous business, according to Dawson. He didn’t go into much detail, other than to say that the crew was looking into the character.
Both players and devs are starting to grasp Overwatch 2 hero balancing, and while it’s a never-ending process, maybe this is the beginning of ironing out big launch issues. It was disappointing to watch Junker Queen struggle to compete with her contemporaries, therefore it’s fantastic to see that early work is being put into her growth.
However, character balance is far from the only issue that Blizzard is currently dealing with. After a rocky debut, with flaws still being worked out, and continuous concerns with free-to-play monetization, fans can only hope that the game achieves a balance not just with its characters, but also with its general structure.
Overwatch 2 is currently available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
