Summary
- Overwatch 2's new Rapid Balance Update tech enables faster adjustments, like the Sombra buff with six-second translocator cooldown.
- Blizzard plans to monitor the performance of the new technology to make micro-adjustments in between major updates for Overwatch 2.
- The Rapid Balance Update tech could reduce lingering hero imbalances and provide a better gameplay experience in Overwatch 2.
Overwatch 2 recently tested some new technology that should allow the FPS to make smaller, faster adjustments to the game in the future. Using this Rapid Balance Update tech, Overwatch 2 hopes to explore how it can more easily and quickly implement hotfixes between major updates.
Recently, Overwatch 2 rolled out its Season 13: Spellbinder update. Beyond cosmetics and limited-time events, Overwatch 2 Season 13 implemented some new hero balance, including another major rework of Sombra that ties her Stealth passive to her Translocator, which itself had its cooldown increased from five to seven seconds.
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Now, to counteract the drawbacks of Sombra's most recent Overwatch 2 rework, Blizzard has given the hero a small buff – and tested out some new technology to do it. On October 21, Overwatch 2 hotfixed Sombra’s translocator cooldown to be six seconds, instead of seven. According to Overwatch 2 lead gameplay engineer Daniel Razza, the buff was implemented using the new “Rapid Balance Update tech,” which is also why the patch was especially small. Blizzard plans to monitor how the tech performs, and explore how it can be used to enrich Overwatch 2 in the future.
Overwatch 2’s New Rapid Balance Update Technology
In the past, Blizzard has implemented emergency hotfixes for bugs, such as one that erroneously allowed Orisa’s Energy Javelin to inflict critical hits in Overwatch 2, or another that revealed Sombra to a whole team if a single hero could see her through her stealth. However, Overwatch 2 rarely makes balance updates in between major and mid-season updates, so this Rapid Balance Update tech could be the first step in doing so more often.
As a live service PvP game, hero balance is crucial in Overwatch 2, as an overpowered hero can dominate matches for weeks, while an underpowered hero can make them unsatisfying to pick during that time. If this new technology would allow Overwatch 2 to make micro-adjustments on the fly between major updates, players could hopefully soon see fewer instances of lingering hero imbalance left to fester until the next big patch.
That said, few fans expect a second shorter cooldown on Sombra’s Translocator will fix all of her problems. By removing the Stealth passive from Sombra in Overwatch 2, the damage hero is now more of a frontline pressure pick, rather than one of the best flankers in the game, removing some of the unique gameplay elements that made her popular among players in the first place. Sombra has historically and consistently swung between extremes on the balance scale, so only time will tell what is next in store for Overwatch 2’s resident hacker.
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Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Power up your railgun and disrupt the battlefield as Sojourn, or yield your axe and command attention as Junker Queen. Battle to take control of a robot and move it toward the enemy base in the new Push Mode. Bring the fight to new destinations across the globe in iconic locations like New York, Rome, Monte Carlo and Rio. Daily challenges and frequent updates mean there is always something new to play.
