Summary
- Tank passives and armor nerfs are coming to Overwatch 2 in the mid-season update for Season 12.
- Beam damage changes may come later on.
- Sombra is also being looked at by the devs, with possible changes coming to her Stealth ability.
Overwatch 2 is bringing some much-needed nerfs to some over-performing heroes, including D.Va and Sombra. Some of these balance updates should arrive in the next patch for Overwatch 2 Season 12 on September 17, while others will likely come later.
During Season 11, Overwatch 2 introduced an update that gave every tank hero in the game a much-needed power boost. However, this caused certain heroes like MEKA pilot D.Va to become oppressively difficult to punish. Simultaneously, several Overwatch 2 DPS heroes, including resident hacker Sombra, found themselves frequently dominating the battlefield.
Now, Overwatch 2 is preparing to adjust these heroes, along with several other characters, very soon. According to lead gameplay designer Alec Dawson in a recent Director's Take, Overwatch 2 is once more dialing back the power of tank defensive passives and armor in the mid-season update for Season 12, with D.Va being mentioned as one hero who would be especially affected by these nerfs. It also plans on reducing the effectiveness of certain hero counters sometime in the future, citing beam damage against certain tank defensive abilities. Lastly, Sombra was specifically called out, so fans can expect her to receive a nerf before long, including a change to her Stealth duration.
Upcoming Overwatch 2 Hero Balance Updates
- Armor and defensive tank passive nerfs.
- Tank abilities that don’t protect against beam damage might change (meaning possible nerfs for Mei, Symmetra, and Zarya).
- Sombra nerfs, including changes to her Stealth ability’s duration.
These upcoming changes, especially those affecting D.Va and Sombra, could not have come at a better time. Overwatch 2 players have called for nerfs to both of these oppressive heroes recently, so it is good to hear they will be receiving changes soon. While the specifics of these alterations are currently unknown, some of these changes will be a part of the mid-Season 12 update planned for September 17, so fans won’t have to wait long to find out what they are.
Ironically, the pendulum of tank balance in Overwatch 2 is a symptom of its transition to 5v5. The fact that tanks in the now-solo role are consistently over or underpowered is one of the big reasons why many players have called for a return to 6v6. Overwatch 2 is considering 6v6 tests in the future, so fans will have to wait if they herald the return of larger teams in the FPS.
Hero balance isn’t the only thing coming in the mid-Season 12 update. Overwatch 2 is collaborating with World of Warcraft for the MMO’s upcoming 20th anniversary, featuring new WoW skins for Reinhardt, Torbjorn, Widowmaker, and Zenyatta. Fans can look forward to seeing everything in this crossover, as well as the accompanying balance patch, in just a few days.
Overwatch 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
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WHERE TO PLAY
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.
