Blizzard is gearing up to run its second limited-time Quick Play: Hacked mode to test out possible long-term changes to Overwatch 2. This time around, the event will be called Double Trouble. If they want, teams will be able to double up on the same hero in the Damage and Support roles. So, you can roll out with a comp that has two Meis and two Anas, if you feel fiendish.
In the very early days of Overwatch 1, there were no limits on hero selection at all. So, if you wanted to have a team with five Reinhardts and a Lucio in ranked, you could absolutely do that. But Blizzard implemented a hero limit pretty quickly and, some time later, it brought in Role Queue to further restrict players’ choice of hero in the main modes.
“Giving players more freedom in which hero they choose and more creativity in putting comps together could be great… we can’t wait to see what you come up with,” game director Aaron Keller wrote in his latest blog post. Quick Play: Hacked round two will go live at some point in the next few weeks.
Keller also touched on some midseason balance changes that are coming to the game on March 12, which is also when the Cowboy Bebop crossover event goes live.
The passive for DPS heroes that applies a healing reduction to enemies they damage is being reduced from 20% to 15%. Keller suggested that the team went slightly too far with this passive when it was introduced at the start of the season. “There can be moments where it feels a bit too dangerous, even as a Tank, to expose yourself, or where your health can burn down quicker than expected while being healed,” he wrote. The team will closely monitor this tweak and make other changes if needed.
Around half the heroes are being tweaked in this balance patch. I’m delighted to hear that Ana is getting a buff, as the healing and damage of her Biotic Grenade is increasing from 60 to 90. Lifeweaver, Doomfist and Mauga are among those getting buffs as well, while Keller teased a “small rework” for Wrecking Ball in Season 10.
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