Unexpectedly, the development team behind Overwatch 2 announced two new character reworks. These reworks shocked fans and took the internet by storm. These changes were centered around two key characters: Sombra and Bastion. In the original Overwatch, these characters were usually considered low-tier and not very viable in higher-level competitive play.
Many of the fan outrage surrounding these changes centers around the character Sombra. The witty hacker character has long been lacking in damage, so having her receive damage buffs could prove beneficial moving forward. Not only has the character received a reduced cooldown on her hacking ability, but also a damage buff to whatever enemy she hacks. Additionally, any hacked enemies will become visible to the team for the duration of the hack. This all sounds pretty good, no? Well, the final added buff the character will be receiving is the ability to hack while invisible. Before, the character would phase out of stealth while hacking, making herself visible to the enemy team. This added ability has the potential to allow Sombra to delve deep into enemy lines, disabling ultimate abilities and shields without getting caught.
Clearly, the fan response was mixed. Many expressed outrage at what they saw as an “overpowered ability,” claiming it would ruin the game for several tank and healer mains. On the other hand, many fans expressed excitement over the changes, happy to receive any news at all from the game.
The other character to receive a rework, Bastion, was also met with some mixed response. Bastion, typically played as a turret character in Overwatch, is being reworked to be more of a mobile damage-based character. Visually, the character has been “modernized,” making him built out of more sleeker and modern materials. The character also now dons a hat and a yellow bird on his shoulder. In terms of gameplay, the character’s self-repair ability has been completely removed. In its stead, the character now has an alternate fire ability. This ability allows him to release an orb of damage that he can bounce off of walls or hurl at opposing teams. His standing fire now has less spread but a reduced fire rate, made to promote distance firing with the character. Additionally, his ultimate has been changed from a tank firing crawl to an artillery based ability. Once the ultimate is activated, the player can choose to drop three bombs anywhere on the map. But the most controversial change of all has been the change to Bastion’s sentry mode. Before, this mode granted the character no mobility, rooting him in his place. Now, with these new changes, the character will be able to move around in the sentry form as well. Although fan response was mixed, many were happy to see the changes.
Overall, these many changes seems to have stirred up a renewed excitement for Overwatch 2. These new releases closely follow the departure of the game’s former executive producer, Chacko Sonny, just earlier this week. Following the producer’s departure, many claimed it spelled doom for the highly anticipated sequel. However, following today’s news, those many might have to think twice.