In a dev blog, the Overwatch 2 developers reflect on the Overwatch 2 PvP Beta after the patch that was deployed.
This time, they look at the Support heroes more closely, specifically Moira and Mercy. The changes to the Support heroes that shipped in the patch mid-beta testing seems to have improved the experience for those heroes.
The most notable Support changes that were in the patch involved Zenyatta, Ana, and Baptiste.
Zenyatta
Zenyatta got himself a new passive ability, Snap-Kick, as well as bonus equivalent health in the form of extra 25 shield health. After his buffs, he saw a 5% rise in win rate, which was considered “slightly strong” by the devs. The extra health reduced his death rate by 7%, and also increased his kills secured by 10%.
The dev blog cited anecdotal feedback about Snap-Kick, and that it was received positively.
Ana
Ana's changes were more in-line of adjustments rather than a straight up buff. The duration on her Biotic Grenade was decreased, but the uptime on the Biotic Rifle increased. The nerf has caused a 2% decreased in her win rate, but her overall healing output on average remained the same. It seems Ana players were unfazed by the adjustments, as the devs reported no declines in her pick rate amidst the adjustments.
Player Experience
The queue times have “improved significantly” after the patch. The devs are optimistic that this is mainly due to the improvements done to the Support heroes, which was the game's least popular role. They once again brought on the numbers, and reported that players had their queue times reduced by 48% on average. They also said that the queues in the Overwatch 2 PvP Beta were at one point faster than those in the live 6v6 service.
Unfortunately, it wasn't all sunshine and butterflies for the players. Due to the huge adjustment of turning a 6v6 game into a 5v5, both Tanks and Supports are dying more. As a special mention, D.Va and Orisa were the standouts. D.Va is simply not designed to function as the sole Tank in a team, while Orisa lost her shield and now has a different playstyle. The devs confirmed that individual heroes will continue to be tuned in the future.
Regarding the mobility (or lack thereof) of Support heroes to combat the Damage heroes simply running at them, here's what they had to say:
“We know support players want additional tools and power to be more impactful in Overwatch 2, and the role remains our highest adjustment priority as the beta continues. Philosophically, we are also mindful of the dangers of mobility creep and believe it's imperative that support heroes can survive and be powerful even without mobility tools.
Heroes like Lúcio and Moira are demonstrations of the effectiveness of mobility in Overwatch 2. We’ve seen early indicators of a playstyle shift in the support community to favoring mobility and a strong ability to either disengage completely or face down flankers one-on-one. As we make balance decisions on how, or if, to address this moving forward, we do so with a goal of ensuring that there is diversity in design and abilities for the support role, and that effectiveness isn't determined solely by a hero’s mobility potential.”
Moira
As mentioned above, Moira's mobility gives her so much agency against flankers. Combined with her self-heal and higher damage output than other Supports, she has fit in well in this new 5v5 environment. The developers, while satisfied with her stable place in the game, remarked that this doesn't mean she should be left alone. They said that their goal was to “[provide] her with increased utility that feels impactful and increases her potential to be a playmaker while also tempering the damage and healing of Biotic Orb and Biotic Grasp to bring her more in line with other supports.”
Mercy
Over the years, Mercy players have discovered mechanics to effectively play the healer, most notably her super jump. This maneuver requires a “complicated sequence of keystrokes and conditions that are not accessible or apparent to the average player,” read the dev blog.
In the future, Mercy's super jump will be made more consistent for everyone, which will effectively lower her skill ceiling but will allow for the average player to play her better. This is an effort to make her mobility, a core part of her kit, more accessible for everyone.
Junkrat and Symmetra
These two heroes feel out of place in the 5v5 meta, as other heroes simply feel like better choices.
Apparently, speeding up Junkrat's Frag Launcher's projectile speed was considered, but it made him feel more like a rocket launcher wielding character – a deviation from his intended design. Now, the developers are looking for ways to reward skill expression with Junkrat.
Symmetra's Photon Projector also dropped in value due to the reduction of shields in the game. Her other strength, close quarters survivability, is also overshadowed by other heroes such as Mei.
Both Junkrat and Symmetra are “on the radar” for future adjustments and monitoring by the developers, so don't be surprised to see some changes to them soon.
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