Hm
As we know the PTR is a fickle thing, and so are the whims of users against the design intentions of a game’s creators. Overwatch‘s team, even for Blizzard, is more open to suggestions from the community than the average project, and it seems like they backpedaled on a recent balance patch after fans rallied against it.
Ana was set to get a huge nerf across the board in an effort to have her be less dominate in both casual and pro play, but some of that has been pulled back. Her Biotic Rifle is still nerfed, but her impact damage/healing on her Biotic Grenade are remaining untouched. Sadly, Zenyatta was also a victim of said revert efforts, as his Orb of Discord can no longer go through barriers (a change that was just made, RIP) — but he’s keeping his Orb of Destruction slightly better alt fire recovery time.
Sombra on the other hand is getting another buff — as teammates can now see healthpacks through walls that have been hacked. As Blizzard moves more and more into eSports for Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm, and Hearthstone, it’s been fascinating to see how balance teams weigh the needs of both the average player and the pro scene. Sometimes they need to shake things up so their games look more interesting to watch, and in other instances, tweaks have been made so the general playerbase enjoys a character more.
I think the Overwatch team has found the most success with the largest playerbase, as they have a lot of feedback to draw from and a huge team to implement and assess these potential changes.
Geoff Goodman [Battle.net]
