Season 16 of Overwatch 2 is underway, introducing Stadium mode, hero bans, Freja, and other unique features. Stadium, in particular, has garnered quite a bit of attention for its separate competitive ranking system, diverse hero builds, and lengthier games. With Freja set to join Stadium during Overwatch 2 Season 16's midseason patch, there’s still significant promise ahead.
In a Director's Take from May, Blizzard revealed a few interesting statistics about the new game mode. Game director Aaron Keller noted that "in its first week, roughly 50% of all play hours in Overwatch 2 were devoted to Stadium." While these numbers are promising for the mode's future, the recent announcement that Sojourn will join the Stadium roster in Season 18 raises potential balancing concerns.
Overwatch 2 Director Teases Big Future Plans for the Game
As players check out Season 16, Overwatch 2's director talks about the game's future, teasing potentially big plans beyond Stadium.
Sojourn Is Sliding Into Stadium Mode in Season 18
Overwatch 2 Can't Repeat Its Past Mistakes With Sojourn
In the aforementioned Director's Take, Team 4 also unveiled the roadmap for Overwatch 2's Stadium mode. Following the addition of Junkrat, Sigma, and Zenyatta in Season 17, Sojourn, Winston, and Brigitte are expected to join the arena in Season 18. While heroes like Zenyatta and Brigitte could be a cause for concern to some, Sojourn stands out as one of Overwatch 2's most controversial damage heroes.
Sojourn at launch was incredibly powerful, with a kit that offered significant mobility, an AoE Disruptor Shot, and a secondary fire with no fall-off damage, capable of quickly eliminating squishy targets. During this time, a railgun charge of 100 energy would deal 130 damage per body shot, or a staggering 260 per headshot, which meant she could poke at range and one-shot an enemy. Over time, she's received various nerfs that have shifted her role from a longer-range DPS to one that is more effective at close to mid-range.
With the implementation of Perks in Overwatch 2 Season 15, some players claim that they are effectively useless for some heroes and game-changing for others. Sojourn’s Perks, in particular, have been labeled too powerful by some. Bringing her into Stadium could result in similar issues, as it introduces various options beyond the Minor and Major Perks available in other game modes. As such, though some Sojourn mains are excited at the thought of being able to create builds tailored to their playstyle, balancing such a historically powerful hero could prove difficult.
Stadium Already Faces Balancing Issues Despite Smaller Roster
In contrast, Stadium leans heavily into the power fantasy of each hero. For this mode in particular, some might say that if every hero has the potential to create an overpowered build, then no one is overpowered. Of course, the first set of Stadium patch notes may also counter this point, as Soldier: 76 received various nerfs for his ability to rake in an impressive amount of Stadium Cash, which could then be used to snowball his lead.
Though frustrations emerged due to some players putting all their resources into Soldier: 76's Rocket Visor build, which resulted in auto-aim Helix Rockets and Tactical Visor, similar criticism could arise surrounding Sojourn if Team 4 isn't careful. The cybernetically enhanced hero has never had an auto-aim feature, but the community won't be happy if she can one-shot again, with or without a damage boost.
As players climb the ranks in Stadium, Sojourn is likely to become even more challenging to balance, primarily due to her railgun's effectiveness being based on energy built up. If it's nerfed too heavily, she risks feeling underwhelming, but if it's too strong, it becomes a consistent threat with little counterplay. With the increased health pools in Stadium, delivering on Sojourn’s power fantasy may prove challenging without inadvertently overtuning her.
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