Overwatch 2's latest season dramatically changed how the game is played by giving DPS heroes the ability to reduce the healing their enemies receive. The ripple effects from this change left many tanks and support heroes struggling to stay alive.
In a blog post reflecting on the changes, game director Aaron Keller admitted that the amount of power it gave DPS heroes "may be pushed a bit too far." "There can be moments where it feels a bit too dangerous, even as a tank, to expose yourself, or where your health can burn down quicker than expected while being healed," he said.
Next week, the mid-season patch will drop the healing reduction caused by DPS heroes from 20% to 15% and additional changes to "makes sure that all heroes feel viable."
Those changes will include:
- A boost to Ana's healing grenade to protect herself while she heals from afar
- Increased healing output from Lifeweaver to make up for his lack of offensive abilities
- A major buff to Doomfist's damage when he lands on someone with his ultimate
- More uptime on Mauga's self-healing ability and a bit more damage when he charges in
Wrecking Ball, the tank hero who can swing around maps and slam down onto his prey, will get a "small rework" in season 10, presumably to make him easier to catch while he's rolling around the map.
Keller added that the team is "already talking about some of the modifications that we'll be making in season 10." We already know Venture, a new DPS hero with the ability to move underground, will release with that season, and it also could be when the multi-objective mode Clash will show up.
The full patch notes will be released in a few days, and if DPS heroes are largely untouched, I can see these changes doing a lot to stabilize the game. The number one problem has been survivability against DPS heroes that can maintain the anti-healing debuff on you. You never knew when you were going to get tickled by damage or instantly obliterated. With a bit more healing output and stronger tanks, the grip DPS heroes have on the game should loosen so other roles can have fun too.
