Blizzard devs say Overwatch 2’s Junkrat and Cassidy are in line for reworks as they aim to continue improving hero balance in their free-to-play multiplayer game. Responding to questions from the community, the team also discusses changes to mitigate spawn kill, the importance of hero counters, and the development of a new Brigitte ult as Overwatch Season 2 3 progresses. progress.
Overwatch 2 removed Cassidy’s signature flashbang grenade while the team removed the crowd control tools for the sequel, replacing it with the pure damage of the cowboy’s new magnetic grenade. Lead hero designer Alec Dawson admits the Mag Grenade is “pretty flat at what it does” and hopes to “bring back some lost synergy” with an ability tweak. “We won’t be in full stun mode like a flashbang,” he assures players, but the reworked ability “will allow Cassidy to line up more shots or provide new utility.”
A recent Junkrat nerf saw the Australian explosives specialist drop his win rate significantly, says Dawson, but notes that “we understand there are more weak spots in his kit.” One big change the team has in mind is to reduce the hitbox of his grenades after they bounce off a wall, which would make it harder for him to endlessly spam corners with impunity. He explains that this change will require additional technology, so there is currently “no timeline as it involves multiple teams” to implement.
Dawson also pulls back the curtain on the modding process a bit, with fixes going through a conveyor belt from the balance team, to designers, then to QA and live ops before they go live. It touches on more complex critiques, including Brigitte’s next ultimate redesign, discusses the involvement of the VFX, modeling, and sound teams, though it doesn’t reveal much about the actual skill. “This process can take between a month and six months, so we have to look to the future.”
Are there any other Overwatch 2 heroes awaiting changes? “We’re asking these questions right now for Sombra and Roadhog,” Dawson explains, explaining that “if we can’t figure out the desired game in what we have, then we’ll ask if there’s room on the hero for something. completely new. He points out that, based on the discussion above, “if we end up developing new skills for one of them, it’s going to take time.”
Spawn kills and respawns after objective capture are also considered a potential “weak point”. Systems designer Gavin Winter notes that the smaller number of heroes in Overwatch 2 makes these issues more difficult and can be especially frustrating for players who are already on the defensive. He notes that the team is “working on a fix for these issues for Season 4.”
Finally, Dawson talks a bit about one of the fundamental pillars of team design, which he calls “Counterplay in Mind”. He points out that new heroes must have “clear strengths and weaknesses, as well as room for advantages”. Josh Noh, Lead Balance Designer, gives an example of the team holding back Roadhog buffs prior to Overwatch 2, as they anticipated the extra strength that cleaning Kiriko would bring.
However, Dawson admits that “some of our recent heroes may have done too much at launch without these weaknesses to offset their strengths.” He points out that a variety of playstyles and levels of complexity are important when creating new heroes, saying the team hopes to balance all three hero builds in any given year “so that there are has a healthy mix of playing styles”.
For now, check out our Overwatch 2 tier list to see who the best characters in Season 3 are. We’ve also got the best Overwatch 2 setup to make sure you’re playing your best, and more. of the best FPS games for PC for all shooting enthusiasts.