Summary
Blizzard’s plans forOverwatch 2Season 9 leaked online not too long ago, and now some of the more controversial changes mentioned in said leak have been confirmed. Blizzard is coming out swinging when it comes toOverwatch 2Season 9. While most new seasons in the game focus on adding new characters, maps, or modes,Overwatch 2Season 9 is making some drastic changes to the core gameplay.
Part of this will be with the big Competitive Play changes coming toOverwatch 2with Season 9.Overwatch 2Competitive Play is getting a complete reworkwith the Season 9 update on February 13 that will see Skill Ranks reset and players given unprecedented insight into why their ranks are changing. Many fans have reacted positively to theOverwatch 2Competitive Play changes on deck for Season 9, though the other changes coming to the game may prove to be more controversial.
Blizzard has confirmed thatOverwatch 2will be making some significant changes to the core gameplay. This will include changes to projectile size so that shots are easier to hit. Additional hero balance changes will be made in future based on how this impacts the game, but an immediate change will be coming with Season 9 in response to this change, as all heroes are getting their health increased. 150-175 HP heroes are getting a 25 HP boost, while 200-300 HP heroes are getting a 50 HP boost.Overwatch 2Tank heroes, meanwhile, are getting a 75-100 HP boost.
Overwatch 2 Core Gameplay Changes Coming in Season 9
One of the most controversial changes coming toOverwatch 2with Season 9 is how all heroes will now have passive health regeneration.Overwatch 2heroes will have 20 healing per second after 5 seconds of not taking damage, except forSupport heroes, who will start regenerating health after 2.5 seconds. Blizzard has said that, “An increase to health pools and weakening of burst damage means that heroes live longer, and team fights will take longer to conclude.”
An increase to health pools and weakening of burst damage means that heroes live longer, and team fights will take longer to conclude.
Understandably, someOverwatch 2players are apprehensive about that claim, as it could mean that fights become a slog. However, Blizzard is prepared for that possibility and has said that a new Damage passive is being introduced that will allow Damage heroes to “more easily fulfill their role in securing eliminations, reduce in-combat healing, and potentially add an additional strategic layer to focus firing targets.” The new Damage hero passive will make it so dealing damage will reduce a target’s healing received by 20%. Tank heroes can expect less knockback, less Ultimate charge from taking damage and healing, and increased health inRole Queue modes.
These are significant changes that will have a huge impact on the entireOverwatch 2experience, and it remains to be seen how fans will react. It’s possible these changes will improveOverwatch 2gameplayand fuel a resurgence for the popular hero-shooter game. It’s also possible that fans will reject the changes, necessitating another big rework. While some may be anxious about changes like this coming toOverwatch 2, it will definitely be interesting to see if they work out.
